Subaru Legacy GT Twin Turbo
Discussion
Well after a few stressful months of ownership i thought i would rant all my issues on the forum, especially now I am a bit happier that the end is in sight.
The car is a 1999 Subaru Legacy BH5 GT (Imported to the Uk in 2010), which px'd with my MGB back in August. It had a few issues at the time meaning that I got quite a good deal on it, namely some damage to the front end and it running with about half its standard power. The main selling point for the car however is the LPG conversion, which means i am currently getting a fuel cost equivalent to 40mpg. I will try to get everyone up to speed of my last few months:
Issue 1 - The DVLA
Following on from this thread here:
http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/index.php/topic/130...
Basically the DVLA thought my car had been exported from the country, and the tax had run out, so with no tax and no V5 i couldn't use the car. It took over 2 months to finally get sorted, and i would not wish 2 months of scrounging lifts and public transport on anybody. I ended up having to get letters from HMRC and re-register the car. Not a fun process, but finally behind me.
Issue 2 - Insurance
Telling the insurance about the LPG conversion turned out to be a total ballache. They wanted to see it on the LPG register, which i then found out it was not. I had to get the LPG system checked and tested by a local approved center and get a few issues sorted out with it. £200 lighter for the inspection (I did all the work myself!) and it was insurable
Issue 3 - MOT
The MOT flagged up a knackered shock, front wheel bearing and emissions issue. Shocks were sorted out with a full set of Bilsteins from a broken car and the wheel bearing turned out to have knackered the hub, so i also found a full hub assembly from a broken car to replace the unit. Emissions turned out to be a holey exhaust, which from the same breaker i replaced with a full stainless decat for £60
(main cat still in place so emissions are ok). It also sounds a bit better too now which is a bonus. Whilst I was there I also got a full interior (half leather).
Issue 4 - Power
The power was flagging up a code 66 ECU fault which is a problem with the twin turbo control system. For anyone that doesn't know it is controlled by a very confusing array of vacuum pipes and solenoids and it took many many hours to diagnose. It turned out to be some restrictor pills missing from 3 of the vacuum lines which meant the 2nd turbo was not boosting. Now things are much better!
Issue 5 - Bodywork
The bump on the front had bent the metalwork behind the bumper, and the bumper itself was 'repaired' in a very poor way, so i had to get a whole new bumper and support structure which thankfully turned out to be quite cheap.
This brings us pretty much up to where I am today. I have done about 4000 miles in the car now and I absolutely love it. There are still a few issues to address, the main one being the front left brake has started rubbing so it could be a seized caliper (I will investigate tomorrow). I also need to sort out the boot handle which doesn't spring back on its own and the rear left speaker isn't working.
Its a shame I have had so much trouble so far and all the frustrating things have been paperwork based. Thankfully the mechanicals seem very well designed and its been a joy to work on (apart from the vacuum system).
Plans for the future
First job is to sort out the front brakes, which i will no doubt end up overhauling this week. Since it is now running well on the new exhaust and air filter I have also booked it in for a remap at Zen Performance in January, which should see it at 300+bhp. Also in the spring i might get the standard 16" wheels refurbished and replace the winter tyres that I bought it with (good timing for the winter though). I was debating replacing them with Impreza 17's like a lot of people seem to do, but being the GT (which seems to be rare in the country) i quite like the fact that it has all the running gear and engine from the GTB but none of the lairy bodykit.
I will get some better pictures up soon. These ones are from our trip up to the Lake District just after I MOT'd the car (still with the damaged front bumper on) and I apologise for the parking
And the pictures from the advert showing the old suspension, exhaust and interior.
The car is a 1999 Subaru Legacy BH5 GT (Imported to the Uk in 2010), which px'd with my MGB back in August. It had a few issues at the time meaning that I got quite a good deal on it, namely some damage to the front end and it running with about half its standard power. The main selling point for the car however is the LPG conversion, which means i am currently getting a fuel cost equivalent to 40mpg. I will try to get everyone up to speed of my last few months:
Issue 1 - The DVLA
Following on from this thread here:
http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/index.php/topic/130...
Basically the DVLA thought my car had been exported from the country, and the tax had run out, so with no tax and no V5 i couldn't use the car. It took over 2 months to finally get sorted, and i would not wish 2 months of scrounging lifts and public transport on anybody. I ended up having to get letters from HMRC and re-register the car. Not a fun process, but finally behind me.
Issue 2 - Insurance
Telling the insurance about the LPG conversion turned out to be a total ballache. They wanted to see it on the LPG register, which i then found out it was not. I had to get the LPG system checked and tested by a local approved center and get a few issues sorted out with it. £200 lighter for the inspection (I did all the work myself!) and it was insurable
Issue 3 - MOT
The MOT flagged up a knackered shock, front wheel bearing and emissions issue. Shocks were sorted out with a full set of Bilsteins from a broken car and the wheel bearing turned out to have knackered the hub, so i also found a full hub assembly from a broken car to replace the unit. Emissions turned out to be a holey exhaust, which from the same breaker i replaced with a full stainless decat for £60
(main cat still in place so emissions are ok). It also sounds a bit better too now which is a bonus. Whilst I was there I also got a full interior (half leather).Issue 4 - Power
The power was flagging up a code 66 ECU fault which is a problem with the twin turbo control system. For anyone that doesn't know it is controlled by a very confusing array of vacuum pipes and solenoids and it took many many hours to diagnose. It turned out to be some restrictor pills missing from 3 of the vacuum lines which meant the 2nd turbo was not boosting. Now things are much better!
Issue 5 - Bodywork
The bump on the front had bent the metalwork behind the bumper, and the bumper itself was 'repaired' in a very poor way, so i had to get a whole new bumper and support structure which thankfully turned out to be quite cheap.
This brings us pretty much up to where I am today. I have done about 4000 miles in the car now and I absolutely love it. There are still a few issues to address, the main one being the front left brake has started rubbing so it could be a seized caliper (I will investigate tomorrow). I also need to sort out the boot handle which doesn't spring back on its own and the rear left speaker isn't working.
Its a shame I have had so much trouble so far and all the frustrating things have been paperwork based. Thankfully the mechanicals seem very well designed and its been a joy to work on (apart from the vacuum system).
Plans for the future
First job is to sort out the front brakes, which i will no doubt end up overhauling this week. Since it is now running well on the new exhaust and air filter I have also booked it in for a remap at Zen Performance in January, which should see it at 300+bhp. Also in the spring i might get the standard 16" wheels refurbished and replace the winter tyres that I bought it with (good timing for the winter though). I was debating replacing them with Impreza 17's like a lot of people seem to do, but being the GT (which seems to be rare in the country) i quite like the fact that it has all the running gear and engine from the GTB but none of the lairy bodykit.
I will get some better pictures up soon. These ones are from our trip up to the Lake District just after I MOT'd the car (still with the damaged front bumper on) and I apologise for the parking
And the pictures from the advert showing the old suspension, exhaust and interior.
Edited by AceOfHearts on Tuesday 3rd December 00:53
Edited by AceOfHearts on Tuesday 3rd December 01:02
Looks like a decent car, I'd stick the 17" wheels on it though they make it look a lot better imo. Out of interest, mines a GTB and I have the same body kit (or lack of), though your interior looks different.
I really like mine, have had it for almost 4 years now and it's been very reliable. It's due an MOT in the next couple of weeks though, and I've got a feeling it might not make it through this one. Lots of things seem to be mounting up, and it's getting very tatty now so isn't worth much anymore. It's done over 152k, so it's had a decent life! It goes well though, and makes a fantastic noise still
I really like mine, have had it for almost 4 years now and it's been very reliable. It's due an MOT in the next couple of weeks though, and I've got a feeling it might not make it through this one. Lots of things seem to be mounting up, and it's getting very tatty now so isn't worth much anymore. It's done over 152k, so it's had a decent life! It goes well though, and makes a fantastic noise still
silent k said:
Looks like a decent car, I'd stick the 17" wheels on it though they make it look a lot better imo. Out of interest, mines a GTB and I have the same body kit (or lack of), though your interior looks different.
I really like mine, have had it for almost 4 years now and it's been very reliable. It's due an MOT in the next couple of weeks though, and I've got a feeling it might not make it through this one. Lots of things seem to be mounting up, and it's getting very tatty now so isn't worth much anymore. It's done over 152k, so it's had a decent life! It goes well though, and makes a fantastic noise still
Thats interesting that your car doesn't have the big rear spoiler and lower bumpers. All the GTB's that i have seen look like this:I really like mine, have had it for almost 4 years now and it's been very reliable. It's due an MOT in the next couple of weeks though, and I've got a feeling it might not make it through this one. Lots of things seem to be mounting up, and it's getting very tatty now so isn't worth much anymore. It's done over 152k, so it's had a decent life! It goes well though, and makes a fantastic noise still
If your car fails the MOT and you are looking to move it on i might be interested
AceOfHearts said:
Thats interesting that your car doesn't have the big rear spoiler and lower bumpers. All the GTB's that i have seen look like this:
If your car fails the MOT and you are looking to move it on i might be interested
My car was originally a Prodrive company car so was actually supplied by Subaru, so it's been here since new. Whether that makes any difference to the spec I don't know. If your car fails the MOT and you are looking to move it on i might be interested
I'll let you know if it's fails it's MOT.
GravelBen said:
Nice one, not that common to see a GT on 16" wheels. Funnily enough I'm about to swap my GTB from 17" to 16" for a bit more compliance on rough roads, it does look good on 17"s though - mine is wearing a set from an '04 GT at the moment:
Well since I am now getting my old TVR back, I decided to get rid of the lowered Bilstein suspension on the Legacy and put the original stuff back on. Doesn't look as good but is a lot more comfy (maybe i am getting old)
Its almost ready for the January remap as well, just need to finish straightening the rest of the bent intercooler fins and the front right wheel bearing has started to give up the ghost.
Its almost ready for the January remap as well, just need to finish straightening the rest of the bent intercooler fins and the front right wheel bearing has started to give up the ghost.
AceOfHearts said:
Just seen the pic of your car on the 16's in the Subaru section, looks great! What wheels are they?
Sorry missed this before - the 17" in the photo above are factory 2004 Legacy GT, the 16" below are BBS - not sure what model or if they were factory fit on anything (possibly an option on the later 2nd-gen Legacy?), nice light forged ones anyway.
Will be interested to hear how the remap works out - my mechanic has an s401 which has the same turbos and newage ECU as mine, we were talking about the option of copying its map over to mine but aren't sure if the engine internals are all the same.
Edited by GravelBen on Saturday 21st December 07:55
A little video, forgot to put it in *power* mode so it short shifted though
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S392nRMJmBY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S392nRMJmBY
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