Just bought a used 04 STI 15 days ago. Drove it 1100 km's home in one day with no problems. Pulled into the parking lot at work the second day back heard a big clunk and then the car was lopsided because one endlink was bent 45 degrees. I got it fixed (which took 3 days to overnight the parts from toronto). Now on my second day driving my car back to work it did it again. I entered my parking lot going about 5mph or less. How cheap are these damn parts. Anyone else had these problems?

 

I have never heard of something like this happening before... especially with daily driving. You bought the car used so could it be a really really bad alignment? Notice any really uneven tire wear? (Just a shot in the dark.) At least you now have the opportunity to get better after market endlinks. :-) Good luck and sorry for your trouble.

 

the stock endlinks suck. Get some perrins or some hotchkiss endlinks and you'll be good to go.

 

they shouldnt just break going 5 mph in a parking lot they do that with a heavy sway bar and only when cornering hard

is it the same side?
if so you have binding someplace or a bent swaybar or it has shifted to one side

 

Pics? If your car is lopsided you probably have a problem with one of your rear struts. The car should sit totally level on level ground with or without the sway attached.

 

Um, i had the same problem with my 04 while going into a 76, both sides popped.

Got perrins with a stiffer swaybar and now coilovers, no problems whatsoever. Stock endlinks on the STi sucks. And helladumb, when one of the endlinks is bent that much, it pulls the swaybar up and therefore his car will be lopsided, same thing happened to my car, after new endlinks if it still sits lopsided though, then there can be something wrong.

 

Very common if the car is lowered. The anti-roll bar will literally roll over the endlinks on a berm and bend or snap the endlink. And yes usually happens at slow speeds when you can feel a rear wheel lift in the air and all the weight is laid on a single side.

 

The alignment was checked at my out of province inspection and was good. The tires are the originals still (41000kms) and the treads are nice and even. I've since taken the sway bar off and found the driver side link had flipped and that's why it was so lopsided. I'm definitely getting aftermarket end links and possibly looking at a new sway bar at the same time.