PO54

Well, turns out it's a MY04 not 05 , but what the hell, that's what I paid for! It was only seeing posts on here saying Alliance are now supplying MY05 cars that made me think it was an 05 - I was told when I bought it, it would be an 04. BTW for anyone thinking of buying one, the wagons they have coming through are 05 cars but everything else is still 04. Changes appear to be minimal (2 or 3 minor changes) but I'm told the 05's have red brake calipers to show the new model year.

Now for the good bits. Car is superb, better than I remember from the test drives. Service from Alliance was excellent. They were just polishing it when I arrived and it was sunny - first time I've seen the black in sunlight and it looks great Took it easy for the 140 mile drive home and it hasn't moved since as I've spent today getting the old car ready to sell. Alarm is being fitted in the morning. So I have a couple of easy questions....

Why is the steering wheel so big? My Autolok steering wheel lock won't physically go over it!! What brands of visible deterant will fit?

Is it easy enough to fit the alloy/leather Momo gearknob from Subaru (with the logo)? I assume it screws on and the gaiter is clipped somehow?

McGuard wheel locks or some from a dealer?

What figures should I expect on a RR - factory 222bhp or are they under/over quoted by Subaru?

Been told to be gentle on it until the 1000 mile oil change, so I've self imposed a 5k rev limit - does anyone switch to their own brand of oil (Mobil 1, Amsoil, Redline, Royal Purple etc. ) after this or just run what the dealer puts in? What weight/grade oil is specified (service and handbook in the post from the European dealer).

Best way to bed in the clutch to help it last a long time?

Cheers everyone

In the ring of fire

Keep it below 3.5k mate

mightyyid

Yeah, if you read the manual (when it arrives), it says a limit of 4k for the first 1,000 miles. You can obviously do what you want with the car, but I believe that Subaru probably know the cars better than we do.

As for the changes between the MY05 and MY04, there are more than a few. The new centre console is a lot nicer, and the suspension mods give the car a far nicer feel on the road from the MY04 I drove at the weekend. Enough to notice anyway.

Be gentle on the clutch always - not just when it is bedding in, and more importantly, be gentle on the brakes as these need more bedding in than the clutch. Brake earlier and less than you would do so there is no heat build-up causing warped discs etc and you'll be fine. Anyhow, what's 1000 miles of running in the overall scheme of things?

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Absolute torture, that's what it is! I've done it twice already: once when my last scooby was new, again earlier this year when its engine had to be replaced, and with any luck I'll be doing it again over the next few weeks with my new STI.

Be warned, not only is there a 4k rev limit, but you're also not supposed to use full throttle, or (especially!) keep the engine running at constant speed for any length of time. Change gear from time to time on the motorway!

There is a school of thought that actually recommends thrashing the engine from new just as soon as it's warmed up - link - but I don't know of any scooby owners who have been brave enough to try... I won't

speedking

Yes, easy enough. Three grub screws that are difficult to get centred. No fixing for the gaiter (= fitting kit?). Momo available from Halfords, cheaper than Subaru.

Dealer = McGard. Price very similar to other suppliers.

Would suggest less than 4k up to 1000 miles due to thin running in oil. Then ease up to higher revs with higher mileages. Search for running in will give plenty of advice like here or here.

Advice here is to change after 10,000 miles to fully synthetic. Use semi before to allow wear during running in. Switch to e.g. Castrol RS10W60. 0 viscosity is too thin.

PO54

Thanks for the replies.

Bought some McGuard nuts and put them on. It's nice when the "key" uses the stock sized socket/brace rather than carrying two

Been keeping it under 4k rpm but it feels like this first 1000 miles is going to take forever....

Got a chance of some AMSOIL for a very good price but not sure what the opinion of it is - comes in 0W-30 and has a 25k mile change interval!! Wondered what the people in the know think of it? Amsoil recommend it for engines that normally require a thicker oil.

Fitted my gear **** already. It's a Subaru Momo one which screwed on and has the correct clip/groove for the gaitor.
Cheers

speedking

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jasonius

iTrader: (1)

I picked my 4 dr MY05 up off Alliance two weeks ago!

Ordered it about two weeks before that!

They've had 05 Wagons for 4-5 weeks. 05 Sti's on site when I went to collect my car £21k.

Log book and service/warranty books came through this week!

Excellent service and great prices!

I suppose unless you specify an 05 you'll get an 04 as they've still got some 04's to sell!