Hi all, finely got myself a impreza(my96 sti v3 61000 miles) I'm very happy with the car(bought from a local garage) it seems very well looked after services at 5000 miles with 15/50 mobil then now 15/50 motul.

When i went to see the car it was already warm, the owner of the garage had took a bit of a liking to it and was using it to and from the garage.

I drove the car and all seemed well, spent a lot of time looking over it, was happy with what i seen so bought it.

Next day when starting from cold, it seems to have quite a bit of piston slap from it, goes away when hot but im sure i can still here it a bit(maybe me being paranoid now)

Thing is they have given me a 30day warranty on it, I'm quite happy to live with it as my cossie was the same but much worse.
But I'm not going to be too happy(and very out of pocket) if the engine decides to chuck it after the warranty has expired.
Would i have a claim on this getting rectified or would i be well just leaving it be?

Cheers for any info on this
Jay

 

How long does the piston slap take to disappear?Its not necessarily a sign of terminal wear as many on here will concur

 

Cheers for the quick reply.
I know its not really a problem, and most do it,just its got me thinking the worst tho.
It lasts for about 5-10 min of driving then seems to go away, i've not done a great bit of miles yet but it does not seem to be useing much oil.

 

Hi mate, I had a MY96 STI RA and it was the same when cold and went away when warm.

For peace of mind I would take it back and have them try and sort it if you have a warranty.

 

Agreed, though if its like most warranties theres a chance they will try to fob u off. IF u r gonna try my advice is to do it as soon as poss. Had probs with dealer last year and read everything on the net I could find about my rights and thats one of the first things u r told. Report it asap.

 

Its just a small garage and the have no facilitys to fix engines, dont think i would trust them to fix a subaru engine anyway.

 

My 03 wrx does this, i took it to 2 dealers and the second produced a technote from subaru stating that if the noise stops when the engine is warm it is not a problem.

 

Don't worry this is not a problem.

I have sold over 150 scoobs and the piston slap on Version 3 and 4 cars is a well known trate.

In fact if the car does not have piston slap then the pistons or engine has been replaced.

Many modified engines (inc cosworth) rattle like mad when started form cold.

 

had the same problem with mine mate but spoke to api engines along with others and they said its quite common and not a problem as long as it clears when warm and doesnt burn oil.

 

Ive got a uk 98 wagon. Sounds like a diesel when cold, and as yours disappears when warm. Bought mine from a subaru dealer, "they all do it", and as you'll find on here, its quite common.

 

Cheers guys, i think i'll leave it the way it is then as it all seems well when hot and uses no oil, cant wait to get some time to go for a decent drive in it.

 

Suggest you have made the right decision, the amount you describe will only add safety to the engine not the opposite, Subaru clearances are tight at best, having a bit extra is all to the good as long as yoiu are not suffering prolonged noise after warm up or excessive oil consumption as already mentioned

bob