Gen5 Legacy GT S pack, the l-o-n-g wait

[trails]

S100HP said:

Finally! What's the plan now? Have you actually driven it yet?

To and from the MOT station, about a mile away…so that’s a no really

Plans are oil and filter change, drive it around for a bit and make sure nothing falls off as we are off to France for a road trip at the start of September. There is still a chance I won’t get on with it , in which case I’ll sell it on and buy an S Edition Forester.

I should have time to start installing the sti bits late September. Probably.

[trails]

First drive today, after insuring it.

It's...OK. I think.

C0052 code thrown on the way home...looks to be connector issue. Grrr

Code: C0052

Definition: Motor and Motor Relay Off Failure

Description: Defective motor and motor relay Defective harness connector ABS does not operate. VDC does not operate. EBD may not operate. After DTC is cleared, the ABS warning light remains on at this time, it is normal. Drive the vehicle at 12 km/h (7 MPH) or more in order to turn ABS warning light off. Be sure to drive the vehicle and check that the warning light goes off.

Cause: Defective VDCCM power supply circuit
Loose ground
Faulty wiring harness
Poor contact between alternator, battery and VDCCM

[trails]

S100HP said:

How is your battery?

I think I want to replace it for peace of mind…it was flatter than a pancake within a couple of days of first arriving but I’ve had it on a conditioner ever since so behaving at present.

Do you thinks it’s a battery issue?

[trails]

S100HP said:

It would certainly be my first thing to eliminate.

I can pick up a battery from ECP next day, so I'm going to do some fault chasing before I drop £100 on a new battery...my dad is going to come over and give me a hand; he is a retired engineer (designed the first Transit ABS system and ESP for the mkI Focus), he thinks it's a loose plug or earth.

We are driving to the Alps for ten days on 5th Sept, so this is becoming time critical

[trails]

Cambs_Stuart said:

Really interesting to see how it's going.
As for the driving experience, based on the two gen 4 legacies I've owned, they're OK to drive but get better the faster you go.

Cheers for that

If I get the ABS fault sorted I'm going to drive to Wisley BH Monday for a longer test drive...hopefully I will gel a bit more with it.

[trails]

Cambs_Stuart said:

Give it some abuse and see how you feel.

Appreciate the advice, will sort the abs fault, wring it’s neck and then report back

[trails]

Oil dropped, nice and clean so at least it's been serviced recently, I also ended up with a new tool as the filter is an utter bastid to remove by hand. Correct JDM filter used of course



Air filter was a bit dirty, so pleased I ordered one at the same time as the oil filter form ICP.



Couldn't find any faults following the trouble-shooting in the service manual for the ABS fault, so I cleaned all the connectors with compressed air and cleared the code. Test drive and it stayed away...until mid-way through the drive to Wisley when it re-appeared, pulled into services and tried to clear the code, but the car wasn't having it

Having previously tried a low speed ABS test and confirmed it's still fully functional, with the same fault code we just carried on the Wisley without issue. Same for return journey; no issues but fault still present. Dropped the car off this morning at a friends garage for investigation, fault was clear this morning though

I ordered a new battery on Sat, collected from ECP on Monday and the terminals were the wrong way around, which prompted me to check what I ordered and discovered the DVLA have registered the car as a Gen4 not a Gen 5

[trails]

Cambs_Stuart said:

trails said:

Cheers for that

If I get the ABS fault sorted I'm going to drive to Wisley BH Monday for a longer test drive...hopefully I will gel a bit more with it.

Give it some abuse and see how you feel.

Abuse administered and I do like it quite a bit more now, effortless to drive...so refined compared to my Forester XT and quite fun the way it picks it's skirts up and fooks orf without any drama.

Feels like it's going to be a good car

[trails]

Currently slumming it in Val-Maravel in the Alps after 1400kms split over two days…hard life

Car has been great, eaten up the miles and been a pleasure to drive…mostly in default gearbox mode whilst cruising between 120/130ks, fuel computer giving me 710kms range with a full tank. Sport+ is fun for leaving the Peage areas and joining the autoroutes.

Car has swallowed two full suspension ebikes, two inflatable kayaks/paddles and two adults crap for twelve days…and I could still see out of the whole rear screen

Only one horrible moment; walking back to the car at some services I noticed a puddle of liquid under the car and then saw a droplet fall from my car…quick sniff and taste test confirmed it was water, which made sense as we had just driven through twenty ks of torrential rain. Sphincter certain flapped a bit

Photos then…I removed the rear chrome strip and had it painted body colour, also debadged. The headlamps have been polished, I’ve fitted the optional aero grill and tinted the fog lamps yellow. I’ve wrapped the chrome bezels in satin black that matches the OE black plastic, but cocked one of them up so they are waiting to be finished and fitted at home. Getting there I think

Edited by trails on Wednesday 7th September 16:15

[trails]

S100HP said:

With regards to getting stuff sent sent over from Japan, how exactly does it work? I've been looking at exhausts on Jauce.com but can't seem to see how much postage plus import taxes might be? Any help greatly appreciated.

I got all my advice from an old friend who is a black belt at this stuff and has been doing it years, so cannot take the credit for the knowledge!

I use Zenmarket.jp as they are the cheapest fees and postage. You will need a VPN to access Zen from the UK, I use Browsec (its free).

I dump some money in the account and then bid on them item, Zen will purchase it and ship it to their warehouse where they will package it up and send it to the UK.

Price of the auction goods is normally pretty fair, its the shipping that is painful...normally you have choice between UPS type airmail service and shipping it via boat. I've done both, airmails normally a week and boat three months. Ish. It's about £500 to ship a set of wheels over here at present, they typically will only let you ship high value items via airmail. Postage cost is influence by both weight and size of the packaging; I learnt this the hard way and paid £300 postage for the load liner for my wagon. Really galling but what you gonna do

Same import duty and tax applies as when you purchased your wagon...you will always pay tax on airmail, but not always on shipped stuff, I'm assuming carriers like UPS are more diligent when it comes to customs. I always pay the minimal additional extra packaging costs for peace of mind.

I've just won a rear spoiler, front aero pack, 2018 Subaru sharks fin and a J's Racing strut bar for my S2000. I'll let you know know much that lot costs to ship once they have been packaged up.

Hope that helps!

Edited by trails on Friday 21st October 18:11

[trails]

S100HP said:

I've much respect for your willingness to jump in the car and drive down there, I'm not sure I would feel so confident and I've been using mine all summer! Glad it's growing on you.

A few thousand kms under my belt in this car so I thought I’d jot down my thoughts to date…
This is the first auto and first car of this size I’ve owned and it’s growing on me, not like gonorrhoea thankfully, more like an acquired taste for fortified wine ??

It’s super comfortable over long distances; seats are supportive with 10 way ‘leccy adjustment and the heating elements are hot enough to ease my sciatica. Quiet too, while it’s a shame to lose the Subaru frameless doors, the lack of wind noise and refinement works well on a Legacy. A quiet and restful drive on the Péage roads, less so on crappy UK asphalt.

That gearbox then…i mode is pretty painful, but the trip computer was showing 760kms range with a full tank (70litre) so quite effective at returning good economy over long journeys. Sport should be the default mode, far easier to drive as the car holds sensible revs for longer. Sport+ is fun, really highlights the lag-less surge of acceleration this car is capable of…fuel economy is, as expected entirely decimated though. Manual option is OK, it’s certainly not duel-clutch fast, but fun to play with and adds another dimension to the driving experience.

Steering is a bit lifeless, very light and almost no feedback…coupled with the OE understeer tendencies it feels a pretty woolly. This is a bit disappointing as I already have the flexible tower brace installed, so gawd knows how bad it would be without it. Hopefully once I’ve fitted the other sti braces from the tS model it will improve, all the reviews certainly say they make a significant difference. I’m going to keep an eye out for a thicker rear ARB too, both my other Subaru’s responded really well to that mod, so hopefully I should see the same benefit here.

Damping is lovely on smooth roads, but pretty choppy on uneven surfaces; hit the bump stops a few times on some of the less well-maintained roads in the Alps, it’s then you are reminded how big and heavy it is. Will be interesting to see how the sti springs affect how it feels.
Brakes are OK for normal driving, but did got a bit stinky after a short spirited drive up and down some alpine twisty bits…this is another area where you are reminded of the size and weight of the thing.

Only encountered one derv version on the road so far, so quite nice driving something a bit rare. I’m not sure I could own it if it was my only car; its not rewarding enough to drive, but I have decided I actually quite like it now and it performs it’s role really well. We certainly wouldn’t have arrived at our holiday destination in as good spirits if we had still been in the Forester!



Things I need to do;
• Find the cause of the intermittent fault, that only occurs when it’s hot
• Sort the DAB reception out, currently has no signal despite using the correct aerial splitter
• Get the reversing camera to work, it’s only a matter of time before guessing of how long the car is fails…
• Fit the sti springs and braces

Edited by trails on Tuesday 25th October 12:14

Edited by trails on Tuesday 25th October 12:15

[trails]

DaveyBoyWonder said:

STI grill looks a million times better than the original

Thanks, I’m not a fan of chrome…I’ve just purchased the rear spoiler and front bumper extensions for the aero kit too, let’s hope I don’t ruin it.

[trails]

S100HP said:

Thank you for this. Really useful. I've just got myself a sti flexible tower bar from Japan, should be here in a week. On the hunt for sti springs next I think.

https://www.sti.jp/en/parts/feature/flexibletowerb...

No worries...glad it was of help

I've found a second hand lower flex-brace but frustratingly Zen won't ship it

[trails]

S100HP said:

Blackhawk seem to have everything

https://www.blackhawkjapan.com/products/sti-st2011...

helpful bunch there too

The one I found at auction was second hand so less than half the cost of the new one...

[trails]

S100HP said:

I've just sent you an email but it bounced back. Looking for a little assistance shopping if you might be able to help. Thanks.

Changed my email address as I no longer pay for my own domain, should be in the contact details of my profile

[trails]

Last couple of tS bit now purchased from Japan;

STI rear lateral links and flexible support R kit


STI flexible draw stiffener


Along with the last bits of the Subaru aero kit I was looking for;

Rear wing


Front corners


Also purchased a genuine shark fin aerial to sort the DAB.


All genuine parts, so pretty happy as they are not available over here...I'm getting them all shipped by boat, so March should be exciting

[trails]

S100HP said:

Have you fitted all your bits yet?

A few of them…

Aero bits have been painted and fitted, along with some new wheels and tyres (18x8 et42 235x45 Rainsport 5s). I’ve had the chrome window trim wrapped black, and a sun strip fitted. I’ve also had reversing sensors fitted.

DAB aerial now fitted and I got the reverse camera working. Changed all the interior lights to LEDs, and added some footwell lighting. Upgraded main beam to Philips day breakers and added matching LED side lights…night drive is improved but I need to replace my headlamps really, as the UV damage messes with the beam dispersal.

ABS pump failed, so my fault was a genuine one luckily I was able to use a pump from a UK car connected to the JDM control module, so £425 all in to fix. OE prices were four figures, if you could find the part.

I have a few chores to finish before I get time to fit the chassis bits, hopefully within the next couple of weeks. Oh and the passenger side front window has stopped working. Yay.

How is the flying fridge?

[trails]

thomasrs50 said:

I've just the whole thread yesterday and it was a nice read. My Subie-addicting started with a similer forester to yours, altough it was missing the snail that makes the car go fast(-ish).

Switched to BP Legacies and Outbacks, but altough I ADORE their design, the Forester was a better car for me so I switched back to an SH chassis. Love it. Still, I browse the classifieds weekly and everytime a nice 5th Gen Legacy pops up, I wonder if I should get one. The design has really grown on me.

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it…BPs are way prettier, with the frameless doors and elegant little headlamps

Go drive one and see what you think…

[trails]

Needs a clean, but much happier with both the way it drives and looks.

[trails]

thomasrs50 said:

It's looking good.

Just not sure about the wheels, I liked the old stock ones. But otherwise it looks mint.

Edited by thomasrs50 on Monday 3rd July 22:25

Thanks

The bronze wheels do look smaller than the OE rims in silver, and It would have looked better on 19s but it needs to deal with ste roads and car parks, as its primary role is bike transport.