All,

Some advise please. I'm finding it difficult to justify the cost of the PPP, so I was thinking of perhaps one of Scoobysports new exhausts or a Litchfields setup.

My question is, how much can you get away with changing without upsetting your warrenty and is it possible to remove and put the stardard exhaust back on before a service.

Thanks
Gareth

Best is you need a dealer to fit the pipe , come warranty issues , guess who refits the standard one . The PPP is gonna water your eyes , but a pipe alone is a MUST . Once you've fitted one you will know what I mean .

Good luck .

Ray

I forgot to say.

I have no issues with fitting an exhaust myself (nothing like a bit of sweat and blood!!), I just wasn't sure if the original would come off in one lump and therefore could be easily be put back.

Cheers
Gareth

Gareth the exhaust from the turbo back is in 4 pieces so its a bit of a nightmare to even consider changing back and forth before and after a service.
Have a quiet word with your dealer and see what he thinks about exhaust mods/Mine is very mod friendly, he understands if the wheel bearing fails it isnt the fault of an aftermarket exhaust.
(Know what i mean)

Zippy

Gareth
My local dealer fitted a mid de-cat,ram-air filter & a Prodrive back box. They assured me that the the warranty would'nt be effected. The car defo sounds & goes better.
Any one wanna buy an STI back box?
Neil

Sorry to pee on the bonfire, but dealers do not decide warranty claims, IM do. If you had a warranty claim kicked out by IM then whether or not the dealer fitted the bits will be irrelevant.

In the particular case of the STi7, it is well documented that a full decat plus up pipe will result in 1.7 bar boost spikes (and decat from the turbo back will be 1.5 bar) without any other correcting measures being taken. This is an indication that you are likely to be on a sticky wicket if your engine lets go and you have not taken measures to control this such as different restrictors/ECU etc.

It's your choice, but tread carefully!

[Edited by Dave T-S - 10/18/2002 10:29:18 PM]

Hmmm, I thought this was sorted, maybe just a back box then. Is this worth doing?, i've heard that the standard one is quite restrictive.

Cheers all
Gareth.

Gareth, the Litchfield system has peak boost of 1.4bar (less than standard) sails through the MOT test, and on my car gives 280+bhp, but no change in peak torque. Useful torque however starts at 2500 rpm It is also slightly quieter than a WRX with a PPP fitted. The graphs on the Litchfield web site are off my car, if that helps

The spike issue is sorted > change your restrictor , no probs . Dave did a lot of ground work to help sort that issue out . Dave what size restrictor does PPP use on your Sti7 how much of the pipe do they change ie up pipe etc?
The Sti7 really loves a good exhaust and when sorted with right restrictor really flies . I'm not from the UK but I'm sure Scoobysport will help calm your fears . I consider this an educated upgrade all things taken into account .
Dave , understood about the claim procedure but you do see the role of a helpful agent don't you , wink , wink .

Ray

IM decide the warranty but it's the dealer who see's the car, so if your dealer is happy to fit the part's I doubt they would bubble you to IM as they carried out the work in the first place. Also they would be turning down money as they get paid to carry out warranty repair's. One thing to bear in mind is dealer's change staff frequently. So if the person on the service counter moves on, their replacement may have a different view on your mod's.

Mac.

Ray
I don't know the PPP restrictor size, haven't extracted that info yet;)

PPP exhause keeps standard up pipe, replacement hi flow sports cat downpipe, front centre with cat #2 replaced with pipe with resonator in, rear centre section retains OEM one, new Prodrive backbox.

I know it can be brought under control with restrictors (or certainly if the up pipe is kept stock), was just warning Gareth this will have to be attended to:)

Gareth
Also, have run my STi for 6 months with a Scoobysport centre and backbox, thus taking cat #2 out, and no problems - runs peak boost 1.35 to 1.4 bar on the gauge. It's only when you take the downpipe off too, or the up pipe, that you get overboost.

Cheers Dave, this seems like a good plan.

Are you planning to keep the Scoobysport items when you get your PPP?

Thanks
Gareth

Gareth,

BTW Dave I thought you had a full decat?

Cheers,

Rob.


[Edited by Rob D - 10/18/2003 7:31:20 PM]

Gareth
The PPP went on at Prodrive last Friday;)

No, I shan't put the Scoobysport exhaust back on. Might put it on Carolyn's, and a TSL Firestorm on mine:)

Rob
Carolyn's originally had a full decat inc up pipe, but took it all off and now it's back to standard (currently, see above;))

Dave,IIRC, Dave told me that the majority of claims are authorised at the dealer level but IM sometimes want to go to the dealers to inspect the validity of the claim.

An example he gave me was, he can authorise a gearbox rebuild and never gets questioned but IM send someone down if he puts in a claim for a faulty/replacement rear window heater element.

I'll see if Dave can comment for us though.

Ta,

Matt :)

I am using a TSL Group N backbox and centre section minus cat. This sounds great ( quite loud though :D ) and has cut out some of the lag. Really pleased with it for £550 pounds, and I've cancelled my PPP due to the comments made by some people on here.

Jas

Sideways,

When you say quite loud, can you hear it in the cabin? and would you be embarrassed if you were reversing into your garage in the early hours of the morning? Also, do you have any pics of the tailpipe?

Cheers
Gareth.

Matt
True, but I was being simplistic and saying that IM ALWAYS have ultimate sanction:)

The vast majority of claims are authorised by the dealers warranty administrator, in our case me. If your car comes in for a new wiper motor, the chances are the dealer won't even check to see if you have a de-cat downpipe. They will check for correct servicing and do the job.

Coming in on the back of a low loader with a blown engine/gearbox would initiate a more through look at the car. However it is upto the dealer to decide what he tells IM.

As Matt says I can make claims for £1000's without even asking IM's permission. I must have prior authority for all clutch claims, paint claims and a few others, but they still don't come to see the car in the majority of cases.

When I needed to replace a rear windscreen due to the fact that the silver had come of the heating elements, they wanted to see the vehicle, and where interested to see the type of use it had. Ie wanted to check that the blokes dog / kids hadn't wrecked the screen. When they saw how clean the car was the claim was authorised.

To sum up, I would be happy with a rear box of any kind, but beyond that I would advise caution. Remember, even if your friendly with your local dealer, sods law says you'll breakdown miles from home and another dealer gets the car, or Subaru's area service manager will be strolling through the workshop on an unannounced visit, just at the point the mechanic puts your de-cat centre on the floor!

Hope this helps

David

Just wanted to add -

The first STI7 to go pop will probably attract Subaru's attention and they would send the aera service manager to have a look out of interest.

David

You mean, apart from the two that have already done so whilst in the care of dealers? (or did IM not authorise those claims? ;););):p:p:p:p::D:D:D:D:D:D:D)

Matt :D

Sorry, couldn't resist ;):D

I have also heard it said that the best way round it is to do WTF
you like, join the AA get them to recover the car back to owners home in the event of failure. Then get mate / mechanic to diagnose the fault, then if necessary remove any offending bits and call Subaru assist.

Not that I would condone such fraudulent behaviour.....

Matt ;):)