runrabbit

Discovered yesterday the drivers door lock and surround had been damaged. Some bugger has had a go at getting into it. Not sure exactly where but most likely at Waterloo train stn park\'n\'rides, during the day. Only place its been parked when not in the garage. Was either some amature, frighten off by alarm, or disturbed by someone as i dont think they even got inside the car - igniton barrel is fine. Nothing taken, gps etc. External damage is minor, door barrel on a funky upwards angle, and a deep gouge in the surround above it. Most likely a screwdriver. But luckily i still have the car and damage is superfical. Only been in the wgtn area for 3mths, I knew it wouldnt take long. Seriously considering selling car to something less appealing to NZs criminal scum. anyone know a good wgtn city panelbeater?

a \'check my car and tell me how its running, and all the strange noises are perfectly normal\' special. Discounted of course

Cheers Spark for the informative reply. Current headunit (something similar to KDC-MP425 (too lazy to check car)) doesn\'t have RDS. I\'m mainly on the SH2 side, and the majority of stations are scratchy as hell. Although Thorndon New World carpark seemed to be a sweet spot this afternoon. I assume there is some interference happening somewhere, as when I retract/extend the side mirrors, the speakers crackle. might look into upgrading the HU, and getting something with USB and front aux inputs. : RR

I know wgtn is a hilly place - but my radio reception is crud. Stations improve in certain areas, some better than others, but generally over all its rubbish. I had a new gearbox installed the day before heading to the capital (from auckland), but never had any problems before that. I wonder if there is a bad earth/loose wire somewhere. I have a older Kenwood headunit which could be on its way out too, but CD\'s play fine, so it doesn\'t seem to be a speaker issue. Only problem is when listening to the radio. Is this normal in Wgtn??

I might be replacing my wheels v soon. Is there anything I need to look for in particular, or does it come down to aesthetics only? Car is a daily driver, and plan to keep it on 17". Any brands/styles to avoid? Excessive noise, shoddy construction etc. Cheers

discovered 2 speakers not working - one front, one rear. adds to the list of problems ... flamin sh*t bucket and wasted more money buying new one piece wiper blades and plasti-dip from ripco. :-X

Took it apart and its a sealed unit and not much you can do with it, unless you are an electrical wizard. The problem could lie anywhere on the unit/circuit board. (my mate had something similar with his oven stove, and apparently it was the capacitors behind the dials) As I turn the dial I can hear something registering the temp change on the first 3 clicks, then it gets stuck and it just keeps \'clicking\', like a skipping record. And i also managed to blow one of the heater dash bulbs as well. So another job to add to the list. might just need a whole new unit. :-\

its a 98. same as u tebbyj - it use to do that. now its down to only 3 notches on the rotary dial will try pulling it out tmrw ... so many electrical gremlins these days

Any explaination why my wrx heater has lost its ability to go from 20 - 30C in single increments, and now only goes 20-21-HOT in 3 clicks on the control knob?? ??? Does it need a new switch behind the dash, or is it a bigger problem? searches only come up with heater core issues. I still get cool air and max hot air. cheers

sounds a lot like this. 0:23 - 1:05

Noise is from the front - and can feel it coming through the gear stick too. agree with the Borg - she\'s cooked. have been looking at this site to school myself as a result of this mornings faux-pas http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f89/center-diffs-how-replace-them-46979/ evowrx - I\'ll get back to you. Above site says generally Phase 1 and 2 not interchangeable though. Its a \'98, should be a P1, tho its on the cusp. I\'m in Auckland. Quote came from Highbrook Automotive - will be checking in with them again on Monday.

I put the larger tyres on the rear. they were off a Forester 60/R16. Had my wheels on the front 45/R17. Car is 98 GC8. I\'m unsure if the noises are from the center or rear diff. I think its coming from the front end. Hard to tell.

Well, i managed to kill my diff this morning. :\'( running off-set diameter tyres - like an idiot. At the moment its making noises only when the throttle is applied. And mainly in 3rd, 4th, 5th from 70km/h up. Is there anyway to salvage this? Replace the diff oil, if thats been cooked? Or is it terminal? Apparently ~$1100 + labour to replace. Lesson learnt and now its time to pay up :

found out I have a bent wheel apparently they can smash it back into shape

My car interior is looking pretty grubby. has done since i got it. How are people cleaning up the cloth interior parts? Ie the seats, and the cloth/fabric sections on the door trim (GC8) Can the door cards be removed and pop out the cloth/material part? I have tried cans of upholstery cleaner from repco and spot cleaning etc, but it doesn\'t seem to remove the stains. And following a thread on another subbie site, I tried removing the seat cover (which were washed in a washing machine!!). But that material was stuck to the foam inner with adhesive! Failing being able to do this myself - can any one reccommend a gd car groomers. Akld (west) or Wgtn. Cheers

a two and a half year job in the making ... finally got around to installing NGK Platinums I bought ages ago

Before going out a buying a new head unit because your current one stops working - despite checking all the connections, fuses, etc .. make sure there isn\'t a tiny little non descript, no labelled button hidden somewhere. Magical powers this little RESET button has and can restore life to your \'possum playing\' head unit. :

I had a similar prob a while back .. : http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php/topic,31801.msg432351.html#msg432351 read down thread a little as it started with a brake issue. gd luck

im not the fastest driver around, and always throttle back when passing the police just in case. i have to do the reverse trip the following week, so will do it one way with the silencer in, then remove it. other than the volume, i don\'t think there\'ll be a noticable difference. cheers y\'all

Apart from the obvious of lowering the exhaust volume - what effect does the silencer have on the exhaust flow/power of the car? I\'m assuming there is increased back pressure as the exhaust flow is restricted. Does that equal less power but improved economy/driveability? Am doing the Akld - Wgtn run this week and wonder whether to remove the silencer or not (legality and noise pollution aside). she\'s pretty loud with the silencer out ;D 98 wrx with 3" tbe, and peak boost 19psi :-\

fixed all the blown dash/switch bulbs. Fog light, hazard light, rear demister have slowly all given up the ghost. ((if u hunt around there are gd DIY instructions on other subbie sites - just google search) Its been a job 2yrs in the making. Finally pulled out the centre console, had to order replacement bulbs ((Repco, SuperCheap, Jaycar, or Dick Smith don\'t have bulbs that small)), pulled apart the switches and managed not to bust anything getting it back together - winner ;D while the dash is off, might look at putting the GPS in that i\'ve been sitting on for a similar amount of time :

are the rear spats a little short?? they dont seem to come around the end of the bumper ??? nice pics she does look high tho.

just to update, alk fitted, had a wheel alignment - not to much drama there. Balancing the front tyres found one had separated. Noticeably distorted when spinning on the balancer. So new tyre (make that two : for the front) and the vibration is all gone. happy days (just minus another $500 )

ALK fitted ;D

I took the wheels off to look for any probs. The shop had tightened the nuts super tight. Couldn't see any probs and put wheels back on. Took for a drive and the vibration at motorway speeds seems to have almost disappeared. Tho now at lower speed 30-50km/h the steering wheel will 'slowly' vibrate. Feels like it wants to pull left then right. ??? Brakes seem fine. No dramas with them. Will get a wheel balance once I get ALK on. Hopefully this wknd.