Was going to buy WRX, but....
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Was going to buy WRX, but....
I was this close to buying a wrx wagon my04....the perfect car in my eyes. But I've been scared off by this glass transmission/clutch shudder/SOA are criminals when it comes to warranties BS. I've seen a ton of my02 problems with the clutch and tranny prob, and am starting to see some on my03 cars as their mileage gets up there. I'm thinking nothing has changed from 2002 to 2003 to 2004 as far as this problem is concerned.
So I'm going to hold off on my purchase until later (like December) to see if any problems arise or if SOA grows some ***** and fesses up, or if someone sues them with a successful class action and makes them respect the warranty. They're losing potential customers left and right cuz of this! Unfortunately, there are no competitors for the wrx wagon.
So I have three questions for you guys:
1) does the tranny go out only when ppl do clutch drops or do they just go out no matter what.
2) do they go out if you just accelerate hard?
3) can someone plz tell me they've done something to ameliorate the prob for the 04s?
........I did a search but came up empty
So I'm going to hold off on my purchase until later (like December) to see if any problems arise or if SOA grows some ***** and fesses up, or if someone sues them with a successful class action and makes them respect the warranty. They're losing potential customers left and right cuz of this! Unfortunately, there are no competitors for the wrx wagon.
So I have three questions for you guys:
1) does the tranny go out only when ppl do clutch drops or do they just go out no matter what.
2) do they go out if you just accelerate hard?
3) can someone plz tell me they've done something to ameliorate the prob for the 04s?
........I did a search but came up empty
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 243
From: Boston
Car Info: 2004 Black Wrx
A lot of these problems are from people doing stupid stuff. Subaru realizes this and isnt going to pay for peoples stupidity. The clutch shudder problem has been fixed for 04. The biggest problem with the tranny isnt the tranny itself but the awd system. You dont really get wheel spin with awd cause the power is all sent to the wheels and they launch extreamly well. Well when you launch a rwd car the power slips to the wheels and takes strain off the tranny. When you launch with awd it puts a lot more stress on the tranny, clutch, whatever. In turn the harder you launch the more stress you put on the tranny. People modify their cars past 250lb's of torque, which is all these trannys can really handle everyday and then wonder why it breaks. Just accelerating hard isnt going to do any damage to the tranny. If you are sloppy with your shifting and kick the crap out of the car its not going to treat you well. But then again, what car will? There is a post a few threads up. Some kid dropped his clutch at 6k and broke the clutch and tranny. He is lucky soa is covering his tranny. But thats the sorta dumb stuff im talking about. Im not calling him dumb, just his action. People need to learn more about their cars before they destroy them.
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Blkrx, that makes me feel a lot better......I kinda wanted someone to say what you said so I can just buy my Wrx in peace! So the clutch shudder is completely gone? Was it gone in 2003MY also? So basically, launch smoothly, and things will be ok. I'm thinking that the majority of people do not have problems with their awd/tranny- even though I've seen a lot of problems reported. It just seems as if the ppl who are complaining of the problems say that they have done nothing to bring on the problem, just drove it normally.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 82
From: NJ, USA
Car Info: 2004 WRX Sedan
Well said.
Originally posted by BlkRx
A lot of these problems are from people doing stupid stuff. Subaru realizes this and isnt going to pay for peoples stupidity. The clutch shudder problem has been fixed for 04. The biggest problem with the tranny isnt the tranny itself but the awd system. You dont really get wheel spin with awd cause the power is all sent to the wheels and they launch extreamly well. Well when you launch a rwd car the power slips to the wheels and takes strain off the tranny. When you launch with awd it puts a lot more stress on the tranny, clutch, whatever. In turn the harder you launch the more stress you put on the tranny. People modify their cars past 250lb's of torque, which is all these trannys can really handle everyday and then wonder why it breaks. Just accelerating hard isnt going to do any damage to the tranny. If you are sloppy with your shifting and kick the crap out of the car its not going to treat you well. But then again, what car will? There is a post a few threads up. Some kid dropped his clutch at 6k and broke the clutch and tranny. He is lucky soa is covering his tranny. But thats the sorta dumb stuff im talking about. Im not calling him dumb, just his action. People need to learn more about their cars before they destroy them.
A lot of these problems are from people doing stupid stuff. Subaru realizes this and isnt going to pay for peoples stupidity. The clutch shudder problem has been fixed for 04. The biggest problem with the tranny isnt the tranny itself but the awd system. You dont really get wheel spin with awd cause the power is all sent to the wheels and they launch extreamly well. Well when you launch a rwd car the power slips to the wheels and takes strain off the tranny. When you launch with awd it puts a lot more stress on the tranny, clutch, whatever. In turn the harder you launch the more stress you put on the tranny. People modify their cars past 250lb's of torque, which is all these trannys can really handle everyday and then wonder why it breaks. Just accelerating hard isnt going to do any damage to the tranny. If you are sloppy with your shifting and kick the crap out of the car its not going to treat you well. But then again, what car will? There is a post a few threads up. Some kid dropped his clutch at 6k and broke the clutch and tranny. He is lucky soa is covering his tranny. But thats the sorta dumb stuff im talking about. Im not calling him dumb, just his action. People need to learn more about their cars before they destroy them.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 243
From: Boston
Car Info: 2004 Black Wrx
Driving normaly is a relative statement. What might be a normal drive to one person may be abuse to another, ie. I dont drive a car the way my mom would. But as far as clutch shudder, I know that people with my03's have reported it but i have yet to hear of it surfacing in my04's.
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I would second, third the "stupid stuff" evaluation.
Manny people start modifying things in a haphazard way, anytime you decide to start a mod project it is important to plan the entire build up. If you are looking for serious power gains, you need to make sure all of the other components downstream are up to the task. Clutch, gearbox, diffs, cv joints, brakes, suspension etc. If they are not, well then you need to do them first, before you start the power mods, you also must be ready to WRITE OFF most of the manufacturers warranty, be a responsible adult and say to yourself, "self....I wanted more than they designed it for, therefore I broke it, therfore I need to pay to fix it. Period.
Anything less is dishonest, cheating and basicly being a theif.
My 03 wagon has been trouble free, yes the window does squeal a little when I put it down on a very humid day, a little grafite powder does the trick, my clutch does not shudder, I have 6600 miles at this point mostly combination driving. The only "Mod" to date are 17" battles with Goodyear F1D3's. They stick like no other street tire I have driven, but they will put more stress on the driveline.
Would I buy another, YES, but I need a little more room, so the Mrs is getting an XT auto
. Maybe a set of Actions 
.
But thats my 2 cents, and MHO.
Greg
Manny people start modifying things in a haphazard way, anytime you decide to start a mod project it is important to plan the entire build up. If you are looking for serious power gains, you need to make sure all of the other components downstream are up to the task. Clutch, gearbox, diffs, cv joints, brakes, suspension etc. If they are not, well then you need to do them first, before you start the power mods, you also must be ready to WRITE OFF most of the manufacturers warranty, be a responsible adult and say to yourself, "self....I wanted more than they designed it for, therefore I broke it, therfore I need to pay to fix it. Period.
Anything less is dishonest, cheating and basicly being a theif.
My 03 wagon has been trouble free, yes the window does squeal a little when I put it down on a very humid day, a little grafite powder does the trick, my clutch does not shudder, I have 6600 miles at this point mostly combination driving. The only "Mod" to date are 17" battles with Goodyear F1D3's. They stick like no other street tire I have driven, but they will put more stress on the driveline.
Would I buy another, YES, but I need a little more room, so the Mrs is getting an XT auto
. Maybe a set of Actions .But thats my 2 cents, and MHO.
Greg
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I thought you said that they fixed the clutch shudder? The only reason we haven't heard of any 04 problems is cuz they've only been out for a few months. And what about the having to double clutch to get the thing into 1st gear? Did they ever fix that problem?
And by normal drive......I mean I probably drive like your mom would- until my road rage kicks in.
And by normal drive......I mean I probably drive like your mom would- until my road rage kicks in.
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No double clutching on this 03, sometimes it's a little reluctant to go in reverse, but so was my 85 GTS Corolla, My 78 R5 cup car, my 73 TR6, my 66 Cooper S. Just about every standard trans I have ever driven, try a non syncro gearbox sometime, it makes you appreciate a modern box...
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 243
From: Boston
Car Info: 2004 Black Wrx
Ive never heard of having to double clutch a syncro tranny. Ive heard of people with trannys that dont really want to go into reverse too easily. There was a post somewhere on the board where the guy thinks he figured out a solution though. Just let the clutch out about 25% and then push it back in when shifting into reverse. As far as clutch shudder, I have heard many times that it is solved but thats not the official word. Since Subaru did do an official recall for it before the release of the 04's I would imagine that they did indeed fix the problem.
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Hi Joe,
My wife drives a 2004 and no clutch shudder problems. No problem shifting into 1st gear either. I tried it 2 nights ago and got the car into fisrt going 40 km/h but didn't release the clutch. Just wanted to check if the problem still existed.
My wife drives a 2004 and no clutch shudder problems. No problem shifting into 1st gear either. I tried it 2 nights ago and got the car into fisrt going 40 km/h but didn't release the clutch. Just wanted to check if the problem still existed.
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A lot of sense is being said in this thread. I too got a little nervous reading all the "tranny blowing to pieces stuff". But after trying to assimulate data on this from other sources (rather than just these forums) I have come to the conclusion that:
1) Most people don't actually have tranny problems with this car. Reading this forum makes it sound like every second person has, but ALL the WRX owners I know (16) have been trouble free, Consumer Reports have not identified any problem from their membership and so on. I just don't see it.
2) Having said that, the tranny probably is not the strongest link in the WRX chain. Add significant power mods, AWD, and abusive launches and trouble can be had.
3) I'm sure there are a FEW out of the thousands of "normal" WRX owners out there who actually have had tranny problems without abusing their cars. But almost EVERY car model (even high end brands) will have a small number of major component failure occurances due to any number of random problem (e.g. a void in a casting that causes a crack etc....). I worked several summers at a Porsche dealership, and as truly outstanding as these cars are, there were a few suprising problems from time to time.
4) Subaru of America is maybe not the world champ in warranty service, but it is true that many people try to abuse the system by not admitting abuse, "un-doing" mods before going in to the dealer to make a claim etc. Subaru obviously knows this and this colours their approach, which is unfortunate for those with legitimate claims who may not be believed. This talk of class action lawsuits is just that, I think. There really is not a problem, other that the clutch shudder, which Subaru HAS owned up to and addressed. (By the way, not everyone has this problem, my '02 has been fine).
I love the message above that pointed out that should one do power mods, they should be responsible and accept that things may break and they should pay. Agree 100%.
I must also concur that a 6000 rpm clutch drop is insane. I never would do that with any car... it's horribly abusive and I am amazed that anyone would want to do it. But it just goes to show that we are not all approaching things from the same point of reference.
Bottom line: My WRX has been outstanding and trouble free, I love it and I think you would be very happy with one too.
Thanks,
1) Most people don't actually have tranny problems with this car. Reading this forum makes it sound like every second person has, but ALL the WRX owners I know (16) have been trouble free, Consumer Reports have not identified any problem from their membership and so on. I just don't see it.
2) Having said that, the tranny probably is not the strongest link in the WRX chain. Add significant power mods, AWD, and abusive launches and trouble can be had.
3) I'm sure there are a FEW out of the thousands of "normal" WRX owners out there who actually have had tranny problems without abusing their cars. But almost EVERY car model (even high end brands) will have a small number of major component failure occurances due to any number of random problem (e.g. a void in a casting that causes a crack etc....). I worked several summers at a Porsche dealership, and as truly outstanding as these cars are, there were a few suprising problems from time to time.
4) Subaru of America is maybe not the world champ in warranty service, but it is true that many people try to abuse the system by not admitting abuse, "un-doing" mods before going in to the dealer to make a claim etc. Subaru obviously knows this and this colours their approach, which is unfortunate for those with legitimate claims who may not be believed. This talk of class action lawsuits is just that, I think. There really is not a problem, other that the clutch shudder, which Subaru HAS owned up to and addressed. (By the way, not everyone has this problem, my '02 has been fine).
I love the message above that pointed out that should one do power mods, they should be responsible and accept that things may break and they should pay. Agree 100%.
I must also concur that a 6000 rpm clutch drop is insane. I never would do that with any car... it's horribly abusive and I am amazed that anyone would want to do it. But it just goes to show that we are not all approaching things from the same point of reference.
Bottom line: My WRX has been outstanding and trouble free, I love it and I think you would be very happy with one too.
Thanks,
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Originally posted by amjf088
1) Most people don't actually have tranny problems with this car. Reading this forum makes it sound like every second person has, but ALL the WRX owners I know (16) have been trouble free, Consumer Reports have not identified any problem from their membership and so on. I just don't see it.
1) Most people don't actually have tranny problems with this car. Reading this forum makes it sound like every second person has, but ALL the WRX owners I know (16) have been trouble free, Consumer Reports have not identified any problem from their membership and so on. I just don't see it.
That's exactly what I was wondering AMJF. Reading these forums makes one think 95% of ppl have problems with these cars....but I guess only those with the problems would post. Reading the 204 reviews on the WRX at carreview.com, only maybe one or two have complained of the tranny or clutch. (The rating ppl gave for the WRX on there is by far higher than any other car/suv/truck with an equivalent number of reviews) -4.75 out of 5.
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So true,
The same people that complain about Subaru not wanting to fix the tranny under warranty are also the some ones that weeks before were bragging about dropping the clutch at 7000RPM and trying to "light up" all tires on take off. It doesn't matter who makes the car, if you keep abusing it, it will break.
A friend of mine kept shifting his Integra at 6000RPM, now the car is burning more oil than gas and he is complaining that the car is very unreliable. I blame him not the car.
Some people have no respect for what they have....it a shame.
The same people that complain about Subaru not wanting to fix the tranny under warranty are also the some ones that weeks before were bragging about dropping the clutch at 7000RPM and trying to "light up" all tires on take off. It doesn't matter who makes the car, if you keep abusing it, it will break.
A friend of mine kept shifting his Integra at 6000RPM, now the car is burning more oil than gas and he is complaining that the car is very unreliable. I blame him not the car.
Some people have no respect for what they have....it a shame.
Guest
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And just so you know, clutch shudder is not so much a "problem" but an anoyance. It happens the first few times in the morning but will go away. My car has it but I will not have the dealer put a factory clutch back in my car. I doubt they have fixed anything, this anoyance has been around for a long time. Longer than the WRX has been in the US, people with RS's reported it back in 98 and probably people overseas had it happen to them with their WRX's. It will be interesting to see if it comes back in the new clutches they are putting in.