bwhinnen

Don't forget to wax your babies after the good polishing you give them! A couple to look at are Autosol and Swissol. Autosol is akin to Meguiars / Mothers in quality, ie better than average and around the same pricing. (Autosol also make polishes as well) Swissol ranges from $100 for a tub to $3 - 4k per tub. I used the Shield (about $160 a tub) and its great for harsh climates like Darwin or the tropics. Cheers Brett

There was no way I'll get it as an option at that price. I'd have to drop the prem brakes or both the prems and the 18's or the hard tonneu cover if I was to pay that amount! The new car's a way off yet (I'm sure the series II will be out by that time ) so just getting my options together at this stage, just keeping the dream alive. Cheers Brett

I rang the dealer today to see if I could option an XR8 bonnet onto the XR6T, I just love the look of the XR8 bulge! Yes it can be done, but at a premium of $2300!! Anyone priced an XR8 bonnet as a spare part yet? Cheers Brett

I own a different car altogether, but a turbo none the less. I've had it for 4 years 105000km and the turbo's been red hot on many ocassions (sustained 200+ runs, done legally on trips from Darwin to Tindal and back). There is no indication of any paint failure or any wiring failure. On my car (WRX) the clutch and brake master cylinders sit just behind the turbo and are plastic and have had no effects either. I can't see the T being much different on both paint quality and wiring quality (after all the Subaru paint is pretty thin). Cheers Brett

Any thoughts on a shot glass? My wife collects them and I think this would be a good addition!

Hey c'mon no fair some of us jap car owners know how to appreciate a car regardless of where its made ! Sash: Are you likely to have piccies of the shot glasses as well when you get the beer glasses? Cheers Brett

Its because the car from factory will generally run too much fuel to ensure that all possibilities are accounted for. Most aftermarket ECU's will lean out most area's the major one being part throttle application where you spend the most time (cruise is generally fairly lean anyway on most modern cars), this is why you will see a difference in economy. As to using more fuel to make a bigger bang, that's not technically correct, different engines will make more power on different air to fuel ratios. On a turbo car the more fuel can have a cooling effect on the exhaust charge (it can also, depending on the timing have a positive effect e.g. anti lag applications and earlier spooling of the turbo via retarded timing and increased fuel usage) which will mean the turbo will not spool as quickly as cooler exhaust gases will generally move slower creating pre-turbo back-pressure, less scaveging of exhaust gases etc (this is just a rough example btw before techincal purists jump all over me). Snappertom, sad to see you move away from the rexie but I think you've made a good choice with the T. I know its where I'll be heading, except with the retention of the rexie as well... Cheers Brett

bwhinnen, Shouldn't you Polish after you wax ? I've Polished after Waxing on my wifes scooby doo and it looks tops Correct me if I've applied it in the wrong sequence. Daniel Polish should go on before the wax. The coat of wax is designed to protect the shine the polish gives the paint (not to mention the paint itself). Cheers Brett

Is this problem happening on cars that have done over a certain mileage? I'm wondering if its part ECU and part mechanical, such as some buildup of crap in the idle stepper or similar? The fault sounds almost like given a certain scenario the ECU is trying to close the stepper motor too quickly and thus it stalls. Does anyone who has had the ECU software upgrade know if it takes longer to settle back to idle than it did before? Cheers Brett

Hey Andrew you forgot a step between the paint prep and the wax, the polish Also instead of the Scratch X which is a mild abrasive is the Paint Cleaner or a Clay Bar, I find the Clay Bar easier to use than either the Paint Cleaner or Scratch X, it gives the paint that wonderful smooth feel, a terry towel cloth should glide across the roof and not stop if the paint is truly clean. The wax is just the protective layer, the polish is what will give you the shine. Another tip that is really good is to finish up with some Meguiars Final Inspection or Quick Detailer when you've finished. Just a note, this is something I do every 6 months or so to my car. Cheers Brett

Just stick with a good quality wax to protect your car. I've had my (yes WRX) car for over 4 years and the paint work is still great (champagne silver). It started with Meguiars Yellow wax and then I ended up using a Swissol wax. Good friend of mine who owns a panel shop in Darwin always said if you want to pi$$ your money up against a wall get it, otherwise invest in some good wax. Now a 3M treatment for the interior would be worth it, specially if you've got rugrats. Cheers Brett

Cro pointed me in this direction. Don't own one yet, hopefully this year sometime so I can retire my WRX to the race track Looking at an XR6T Ute, now if FPV have a turbo ute out that would be even better! Great site, with some good info for the prospective owner! Cheers Brett [Edit: spelling]

How long did the Battery last? Its not uncommon for a battery to drop a cell within 10 - 12 months in the NT (Darwin). My first one lasted 2 years, second 10 months and am on my third now (but in Brisbane so its a bit cooler and less humid). This is on my WRX, but my old HSV and the SS prior was the same, generally about 1 - 1 1/2 - 2 years between batteries. As to the brand well I always got either an Exide or another brand I can't remember with 2 years warranty on them. Cheers Brett

I can't speak for bikes and this post may be a little off topic, but Optimax has a higher specific gravity than the other two 98RON fuels in Australia, from what I've been lead to believe from other sources (both in Australia and the UK) is that it also contains a more volatile mix of aromatic hydrocarbons. Aparantly this makes it go off a little quicker than the other 98RON fuels. Having said that one of the guys in the WRX club in QLD (sorry I own one) ran some testing on Optimax versus BP Ultimate with the help of CNJ in Brisbane. Running on the dyno with the fuel taken from the containers rather than tanks, and lines flushed before each test (return running to a seperate container) they checked and retuned the car on each fuel. Outcome, they were able to squeeze an extra 2 - 4kw out of the Optimax over the Ultimate due to being able to run slighty more advance on the timing. And when running the Optimax on the same timing and fueling settings (boost was kept to the same level throughout) it ran richer than the Ultimate. What does this say? That Optimax will allow slightly more advanced timing than the Ultimate (note these were taken from two independant stations with a high turn over of the fuels). I've heard of a few WRX engines letting go when they were tuned specifically for Optimax and the owner used Ultimate instead, coincidence? Possibly. In reality for a standard car (one without a replacement ECU / piggy back / chip) running standard timing, fueling and boost levels will be fine with any fuel. A car that has been tuned aggresively on Optimax (to the ragged edge) may not run on Ultimate or Synergy 8000 (we don't have that in Brisbane so couldn't test) as well and cause pre-detonation or pinging. Cheers Brett

I currently own a MY00 WRX and have so since brand new (4 years and 100+k kms). I've come to know that its a well engineered car (like any $45k+ car sports car), but just like all cars something will go wrong at some stage it can't be helped. Also living in Darwin for many years I learnt the art of patience, you wait for everything up there, and overnight bags and parcels aren't cheap when you can't wait! I'm looking at an XR6T Ute within the next year and reading these posts have not dampened my enthusiasm for one. All its done is shown that like all other cars I've owned (Toyotas, Holdens, HSVs, Subarus, Mazdas and a Fiat) they have problems and issues with some parts and aftersales service. Want poor aftersales service? Buy a Subaru WRX, nice car, shame about the service even after almost 10 years in the Aussie marketplace... What is a noob like me saying? Just that unfortunately we get problems like this. Complain yes, make sure you tell Ford, they can fix their internal problems, let us know about it, sure, we (not me obviously, not owning one) can potentially help. Flame people? What does that achieve besides making some poor bugger pissed off at a keyboard for nothing... Cheers Brett PS. I'll still spend my hard earned cash on one (XR6T that is), (even being a true Expensive Daewoo man) the XR6T kicks the Holdens proverbial all over the ring. [EDIT: Grammar]

Have they (Ford) got a stance on the Manual gearbox failing due to increased engine output? I'm looking at getting a manual when I am ready for my next work car (keeping the current one for a toy) and just know I will mod it, but don't want to have the same black cloud hanging over me that I do with my current car! Cheers Brett

What about adding classic to it? XA bonnet vents, not sure if the bonnet has enough meat on either side for it to look any good... Cheers Brett (newbie)