BP/BL Legacy cruise control (MY05)

[eddiewould]

Hi Guys,

I've just recently bought a manual BL Legacy Sedan (MY05? It's 2004)

Anyway, it's an awesome car but I really wish it had cruise control. Is it possible to retrofit this (perhaps from another MY05 or an MY06)?

Has anyone done this?

If possible, can someone help me out with a parts list and an approximate cost?

Cheers,

Eddie

[funkytown]

i enquired about this when i bought mine.. its hellish expensive to retro fit.. so just got one with the cruise in it.. and love it to bits.

[eddiewould]

What was the main cost associated with retrofitting it (assuming you can find a donor car with suitable parts)?

[funkytown]

sorry i didnt get into specifics, they just quoted a nasty price and i said no thanks ;D

[eddiewould]

Who quoted you? A dealer?

[funkytown]

yup, one i trusted. not random

[eddiewould]

Right, that doesn't surprise me that you got an expensive quote ;D

I'm guessing they were quoting you for obtaining new parts from Subaru Japan - and the labour costs probably werent the cheapest either.

I'm thinking along the lines of "Find a wrecked car with the parts I need, rip them out & install". I guess my main concern is whether the computer in my car would be compatible with it or not.

[Treecrusher]

I looked at doing this in a BH legacy (myself from a wrecked car). Needless to say it is possible but there are a lot of parts that need to be changed. Including the main loom which means it's a dash out job. I had all the parts lined up for $150 (I had to remove them) and after a good long look and think decided there was just too much work involved.

If you get a good price I wouldn't mind doing it on my BP5 so let me know.....But I doubt it.

There are after market options available but from what I found you are looking over a grand for a decent one.

[Guest boostin]

If you want to fit factory gear from another car, you will need -

Engine ECU

Steering wheel

Clockspring

Full wiring harness

Body control ECU (Integrated Unit)

Dash cluster

Possibly new keys also

And this is at a minimum.

An aftermarket kit would run into trouble as the throttle is electronic.

The BL/BP aren't like earlier models. Most things are switched by computers, so makes it hard to fit accessories.

[eddiewould]

Thanks for the reply Boostin, very informative.

Few questions though:

1) Why do you reckon the ECU would need replacing? The reason I ask, is that if I were Subaru, it would seem more cost effective to me to make all the ECUs with the appropriate inputs/connections for cruise control if a model has it as a factory option. That way you can mass produce 10M units of one rather than 5M of x and 5M of y. Of course if you're sure there are two different ECUs (one with CC support, one without) then I guess I'm willing to eat my shorts.

2) I guess the same question goes for the wiring harness - again, it would seem more sensible just to leave some connections "unplugged" rather than produce two different harnesses.

3) Does the Body Control Unit contain functionality for cruise control? I thought that was for central locking, windows, courtesy lights etc

4) What do you mean by dash cluster?

5) Why do you think the keys might need replacing?

Any idea on approximate price I'd expect to pay for above parts from a wrecker?

PS don't want to go the aftermarket route anyway.

Cheers,

Eddie

[Guest]

 eddiewould said:

Thanks for the reply Boostin, very informative.

Few questions though:

1) Why do you reckon the ECU would need replacing? The reason I ask, is that if I were Subaru, it would seem more cost effective to me to make all the ECUs with the appropriate inputs/connections for cruise control if a model has it as a factory option. That way you can mass produce 10M units of one rather than 5M of x and 5M of y. Of course if you're sure there are two different ECUs (one with CC support, one without) then I guess I'm willing to eat my shorts.

2) I guess the same question goes for the wiring harness - again, it would seem more sensible just to leave some connections "unplugged" rather than produce two different harnesses.

3) Does the Body Control Unit contain functionality for cruise control? I thought that was for central locking, windows, courtesy lights etc

4) What do you mean by dash cluster?

5) Why do you think the keys might need replacing?

Any idea on approximate price I'd expect to pay for above parts from a wrecker?

PS don't want to go the aftermarket route anyway.

Cheers,

Eddie

Trust him he works for Subaru

[funkytown]

in the BP/BL the ecu. gauge clusters and the key ( i think) are digitally signed to each other.. that is change one and the car wont run any more.. you need to do all three together.

he means dash cluster as in the speedo, revs, fuel etc cluster.

the steering wheel has the controls for the cruise stalk etc.

Told you it would end up being hella $$

[Guest]

Sounds like more hassle than it's worth

[funkytown]

 Omegah said:

Sounds like more hassle than it's worth

yer was i was trying to get across above.

[eddiewould]

Bugger. Was hoping to be able to do it for $800 or under. I guess I'll invest in a brick

Thanks for the help guys

Eddie

[Guest boostin]

Yeah the immobiliser code is stored in the ECU, BCU and cluster. If you change any of those you must also replace the keys. This is because the units not changed won't accept the key code (not sure why). If you swap all 3, you may get away with reusing your existing keys, but you may also need to replace them.

I'm pretty sure the cruise control logic is in the ECU. However the BCU will receive the signals from the cruise switches. And your existing dash cluster may not support cruise control, hence needing all 3.