We scheduled a service appointment with Timmons Subaru in Long Beach following news that our car was part of a service bulletin (WVE-15) affecting 2008MY Impreza WRX STIs.
In the words of Subaru of America, "Under certain harsh driving patterns, specifically when repeatedly or continuously operating the engine above the red-line (RPM above 6,700), abnormal combustion could occur resulting in serious internal engine damage in the form of broken piston ring lands. This abnormal combustion condition is the result of an over-lean fuel mixture caused by a combination of fuel cut activation and high turbo boost. To prevent this condition from occurring, Subaru has developed a modification to the Engine Control Module software logic that will improve combustion management above red-line engine speed. This revised logic will not adversely affect peak vehicle performance."
The short story: Call a local dealer to determine whether your car is affected. The ECM reflash is quick and covered under warranty. And speaking of warranty, we had the fuel door mechanism repaired at no charge during this visit as well.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 8,800 miles
dragonflight says:
04:44 PM, 09/25/08
Pretty old recall, to just have been remedied. Was there regular service involved too? We haven't heard too much about how much the Sti has been costing
lazyhater says:
05:20 PM, 09/25/08
What was the cause of the fuel door mechanism issue?
sbcooke says:
07:04 PM, 09/25/08
Got mine done about 3 weeks ago. It took a couple of hours...even though the notice said 40 min. They said it was very slow to upload the software. BTW...with the fuel cutoff...how can you drive above the redline?
ayao says:
07:29 PM, 09/25/08
What is it with Subaru and subpar ECU logic?
e34bmwlover says:
07:40 PM, 09/25/08
+1 sbcooke, how do you rev above limiter on a stock ECU?
0mega says:
05:52 AM, 09/26/08
What is there definition of "adversely affect" ? A few HP might be nothing to them, but to the crowd that buys this type of car every one counts.
And to everyone asking, I believe you can momentarily pass the redline on any car. Only for about the time it takes for the limited to kick in, but I am unsure as to if that is what they are referencing or not... I think not because I find it hard to believe those momentary bursts can do that much Piston ring damage...
sbcooke says:
06:19 AM, 09/26/08
re: e34bmwlover...you don't...I thought the wording of the recall was interesting...at least they are recognizing you can drive the car...and I think it implies not void the warranty.
stingray454 says:
06:53 AM, 09/26/08
The new programming probably has the computer force the wastegate wide open at redline to dump boost as fast as possible.
joefrompa says:
07:24 AM, 09/26/08
Omega - You can momentarily pass redline in any car that has fuel cutoff above redline (i.e. my 06 Civic SI redlines at 8000 but fuel cutoff is at 8300 rpms, stock at least).
You can also mechanically over-rev by downshifting....i.e. in 5th gear at 80mph, downshift into 2nd. This will mechanically force your car to rev at the speed in which that speed/gear combination requires (in my car, this would be about 11000 rpms).
Not a great way to extend engine longevity :)
Joe
slickersdrip says:
08:43 PM, 09/26/08
Wow, I just had a vision of someone downshifting from 5th at 80mph into second. I would hope that person would have their license taken away, yet logic tells me that 80% of drivers out there probably wouldn't see a huge problem with that.
greenpony says:
10:19 AM, 09/29/08
Seems to me someone reported on the roadtest blog that the Subie pulls hard all the way to redline/fco. I'm curious how this reprogram will affect that.
sbcooke says:
01:29 PM, 09/29/08
After it was applied...I thought it felt a little less jerky in the 3-4000 range...as if it were smoother...which meant same general pull, but the spikes were smoothed over...after more driving...I think I was just trying to notice a difference.
This weekend I had it foot to the floor through 3rd gear and it pulled all the way. 1st and 2nd go through so fast it is hard to know...3rd gear goes a little slower...in 4th it goes slow enough to really feel if there is a difference, however foot to the floor in 4th gear to redline puts you in lose your license land...not where I want to be :-)
sbcooke says:
05:13 AM, 10/ 1/08
Day off from work...I had to pickup a replacement cargo cover at the dealer...since my stock one rattled and popped so bad I stopped using it. I figure based on internet boards that the new one will do the same eventually...I wasn't planning on replaciong it...but at my ECM reflash 3 weeks ago I complained about the popping and rattling, the guy said..."no problem, we will order you a new one."
I also got the rubber floor mats and cargo tray while there. I had a 20% off coupon.
I took the opportunity and asked the parts guy about cutting me a deal on a set of 18" silver BBS wheels...he was more than happy to...I told him that I can get good prices online...but would be happy to give him the business if he could come back with a competitive price. We will see.