Just watched a vid on this tool - safe to say I will be investing, looks a lot better than the previous approach I was using of SDS hammer drills, lump hammer & bolster 👍
2.0 NA is a heavy car for the power of the engine so if you want to tow anything dont look at the 2.0. As both are NA reliability should not be an issue as long as serviced regularly. My 2.0NA has not missed a beat. I did over spec on the belt though so no chance of it failing.
There are many differences, sensors / loom, intake manifold, ECU, exhaust manifoId, exhaust up pipe, exhaust down pipe, I believe the cams are also different. brakes are different, ARB's are different, shock springs are different.
It depends on how you like to drive. The Auto box makes it quite a relaxed drive, it has got a semi auto option where you can select gears manually. 0-60 is about teh same with both cars, manual slightly faster but that is all down to the gear ratios.
I still tend to favour a manual and even though you can get a semi auto 2.0sti from Japan that does not appeal but it comes down to personal preference. Auto is certainly easier in the city
Nightmare - well feel free to take progress photos and have thread for your motor if you would like - Ev en a shot of the offending pipe might help someone to check their own setup
Wotcha and welcome - Sorry to hear you have had this issue, the H6 is a great unit.
For me it would depend on the rest of the car, if it is in good condition and the car is still fit for you purpose I would fix it to have peace of mind and knowledge of the cars history.
How did it suffer the water loss?
I use the redline stuff - Dexron III compliant but lots of words about anti foaming and stuff 😁
https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-1040-red-line-power-steering-fluid.aspx
The stripping of the calipers themselves is straight forward, you may need a set of piston extraction pliers or blind bearing pullers depending how bad the pistons are. The sliders again are easy but may need to be drifted out with a punch.
Kits are available from places like Big Red.
The one difference which I have a direct experience with is caliper paint vs powder coat. I had powder coat refurb done by Gaz on the rear of my motor. The fronts I did myself with a caliper paint kit. The powder coating is in better condition than the paint kit, resists dirt and contamination far better.
So whilst you may be able to strip and replace parts yourself I would recommend the calipers themselves are prepped and powdercoated vs a paint kit
hi - my 2p if it is stock I would keep it that way, the prices have been going up steadily over the last few years and it is more desirable (as a limited edition) in standard form.
I would only replace parts if they needed replacing maybe invest in a panel filter, decat exhaust and a mild remap to suit - gain 30 or so BHP.
Wotcha and welcome. Own and run an 08 auto version of this car. Had no issues, it has been a reliable motor.
+ its a solid reliable car with a great 4x4 drive train.
- it is under powered for the weight of the car
- it is very soft to drive, more for comfort than the harder set up wrx or sti
Check rear arches for rust as dirt will sit on top of the lip
I dont know of a coilover that does not have adjustable preload as that is what you wind on to tension the spring. This does not adjust the ride height as that is done by releasing the lock bolts at the base and winding the shock absorber in or out of the body.
I set my ohlins up as per the manual.
Spring preload of 198mm against a unsprung length of 200mm
Shock length of 291mm Fr 392mm Rr
This gives and overall drop of 20mm against OEM ride height.
Change the rad - dont use rad weld, that stuff will kill your cooling system, you can get a replacement with 5 year warranty for £45 on ebay. That will get you back on the road whilst you hold out for something like an all alloy Koyorad