Jay762

Very interesting - useful feedback

Wotcha and welcome - sounds like it was well worth the round trip, feel free to share pictures ask questions etc. All friendly on here

Are your tyres oversize?

Wotcha and welcome - I dont think the bumpers are too hard to fit on imprezas in general, it helps to have a second pair of hands when presenting the bumper to the car to avoid dropping and damage

Wotcha and welcome - it does seem like someone has made a change - probably when the SLS failed. Have a look at the Pedders solution as it is designed to replace the SLS so should give you the correct height https://pedders.co.uk/info-subaru-forester

I have not driven one but my 2008 N/A auto was ok to drive but did hold onto the revs when you were driving, I often used the semi auto option to change the gears myself or to hold it on a gear if I was negotiating a set of roundabouts

I tend to sit an idle for a bit after a drive do tend to cruise the last few miles as well - learnt the hard way years ago with a 200sx that had an oil supply line routed around the engine as a consequence (even with me sitting for a while after a drive) oil crystallised in the line restricting flow and killing the turbos

I would want to know how the water got to it in the first place? Where it is located it shouldn't sit in water unless water is at least 3cm deep in the foot well of the car

I would go for the breakers option to try and save the money - you may have an issue with immobiliser - not yours but the car it comes from. This means you may end up changing the clocks, barrel, ecu and immobiliser box

Worth it in the long run

Sorry to hear that, looks like a great motor as well

Ah no - apologies forgot we were discussing a classic. You are correct as standard they can not be mapped. The ESL board makes it possible for a 98 http://www.enduringsolutions.com/shop/#!/Board-97-8-Optional-discounted-cable-and-software-available/p/33042556/category=0

I dont have the JDM turbo to compare with but only the 2.0 RX NA Auto. The box was fine but hung onto the revs a little too much for me and was not as good as more modern auto solutions for example approaching to going around then coming off an island when you apply throttle it would dwell a pause which seemed to take forever to kick down the box . But putting it into semi auto mode (I did consider getting the flappy paddles that come with the GT) that improved the driving experience. 0-60, not much difference to a manual as basically you are in first gear and ratio's are very similar. Think it was a 0.2 sec difference on the NA model.

Once you have it all in place a remap is not a bad thing to have - not necessarily for more power but just some fine tweaking to get the fueling spot on throughout the range. The Subaru maps are generic and put in place to ensure the motor will work in sandy hot parts of the world and cold northern hemisphere, members have reported better response, improved midrange and slightly better MPG on standard cars with remaps. Food for thought

As above - take your time and keep it clean as much as possible - I use rubber gloves over the end of the hoses and zip tie them to stop ingress of dust etc. I also have some wire or string ready to suspend the hoses up out of the way to stop the fluid draining over the engine / floor.

A little further up the M40 from Banbury are TDR in Warwick

Wotcha and welcome - Legacy models are pretty solid, the ones with 3.0 H6 engine in particular. High mileage with good history is ok IMO but I would consider what you want to use it for (towing or not) and driving style (Spirited or not) then select the model for you. Avoid later diesel engine models

Yes it is the aerial cable for the car stereo

Is it the two thick black leads? Can you post a bigger picture please?

Some engineering cost for head work

Dont know what would be welded however a skim of the heads on a mill would be in order to ensure no warping and completely flat. ICP have standard bolts for £84. £240 would be uprated items like ARP which is not a bad idea. Cost of water pump £50 or £115 if you want the enclosed impeller type (reduces cavitation) Head Gaskets - £50 - £150 (Standard vs aftermarket Cosworth etc)

The blocking bits allow you to remove it and not leave holes. I know they are not near you but for advice maybe phone Sheffield Subaru Services (Martin) or TDR Warwick and get a different view.

Hmmm I would question that as it has nothing to do with a turbo system. It is controlled by the ECU which holds the map information - Having a Turbo is irrelevant. N/A's can be remapped however in this case it is more about disabling a function not remapping the ECU

Wotcha and welcome - feel free to share photos etc all friendly on here

Depends what you are looking for in terms of sound, noise level and performance. I have run Prodrive backbox with standard system - nice not too loud but a little restrictive Straight through system with Milltek back box - better performance and a little deeper and louder Cobra system and back box, same performance as Milltek but louder. Will potentially switch one or the other for an Invidia system to match an Invidia rotated setup. Spend some time on youtube to get ideas for sound. Cobra is very good value for money / quality solution though