Good luck with the buy back. I doubt they purchase back for you when they have a fix for the detonation problem. What octane are you running. You do realize this car was designed to run on 93 octane and running less can cause problems. Just get it reflashed and quit whinning. This has been talked about for months and you knew about the problem before you bought yours. If you had a concern about it, then you should not have bought it. I have almost 3000 miles on mine and not a single ping. I drive it hard and I use 93 octane. Sory for the flame, but you have been on this forum for a long time and you knew what was going on.

 

I agree with GForce. Get your car reflashed and see if you notice any difference. Make sure that your delaer and regional rep are aware of your concerns prior to getting the reflash. Just clearly state your expectation in writing to them. If you have any problems go from there.

 

No offense but it sounds to me like you just want to get rid of the car. Good luck, but I really doubt they will buy it back.

 

how much to buy it? and where located?

 

No offense but it sounds to me like you just want to get rid of the car. Good luck, but I really doubt they will buy it back.

Yeah really, that is what it sounds like to me too. I remember you saying how you hardly have time to drive it anyway. I mean you just recently hit the 1k miles mark after almost 3 months or so. Before you get all bent out of shape I would definitely get the car dynoed before and after because I heard some people say they were pushing a little more PSI than stock which might be the reason for some people detonating, so you might have more hp now and after the reflash be at the claimed 300, just my guess. Also you know what the owner's manual states about det. How bad is yours doing it? A small ping here and there might be unavoidable with a learning ECU at first. I have not been following this anymore but I remember some people saying that after a while their cars did not seem to ping as bad and some said they did not get it at all anymore. I made the one ping topic a sticky and we have had what, 4 people give case numers and that was 2 months ago. Seems like a real small percentage based on the number of people that come to this forum. BTW, what was the reason for saying you will just buy a Skyline? Is that suppose to be some sort of threat or are you just throwing that in our faces? :roll: Either way sorry to hear your problems and hope things work out for you.

 

Yowza Batman ,

I was hoping for some feedback of a more positive disposition than that. I admit my original post was a little too much of a rant than a structured complaint but geez. Sorry if i upset you hard core subaru fans that much. As to the people who say i just don't want the car and am whinning about it. I have spent over $9,500.00 in a custom stereo, wheels, tires and original JDM STI accessories for this car already. I have bought all the Impreza Hyper REV spotlight books(vol. 12, 28, 59 and 74) and complete impreza techinal manuals from my local Mitsuwa Store. Hell i spent 4 of my 10 "vacation" days in japan last month doing nothing but driving tuned Imprezas, learning whats with the JDM Impreza scene and scouting out parts with my friends help. Would i do all this for a car that i "don't want". Heck no i wouldn't. I am just dissapointed that this car has this problem from the factory and that it seriously lowers its resell value. I surely wouldn't buy a used car that had detonation problems from someone. Basically i want an STI that's engine hasn't had any detonation at all. So when i start modding it next spring and the engine blows i will know it was completely the aftermarket's fault and not subaru's at all. Anyways I will post a better version of my complaints tonight when i have the time.

P.S. : Subaru contacted me earlier today. They want me to get the ECU remap done. If i am still unhappy they said i would be compensated to whatever extent is reasonable. In other words a buy back or a new car with an engine that hasn't had any detonation at all.

Peace!!

 

X-Japan,

Good luck. Let us know what happens. I'm curious about the HP loss issue that you mentioned as well as what Subaru will do for you if you are not satisfied.

I'm glad that you elaborated on your frustrations. It puts your original post in perspective.

 

No offense, but just because it has finally happened to you, this isn't a new situation. Please add your rants and raves to the previous "My car pings and I'm pissed discussions.

 

Hey all,

I've always put 93 octane in my STi and try to drive it so it'll last. I heard the ping twice-- both times on a hot day going up a hill, but that's twice too many so I had the car flashed. Other than the long wait (driving a complimentary Camry, which was solid but bored me to tears) it was a totally positive experience. The car feels a little smoother (feels like more torque way down low to me) and I haven't heard a hint of a ping since. I honestly think I'm happier with the car now than before I heard the first ping.

IMHO, SOA has done a great job.

P.S. If enough people freak out, maybe less STis will sell or Subaru will detune next year's car. I hope so-- I'd love to have a collector model.

 

Don't fear the reflash!

PING! :wink:

 

X-Japan, I hear your frustration and I drive my STI all the time.... Its a great car, no doubt but it does suck that we've got this pinging problem to deal with.

I've had my STi for 7 weeks now, and 5200 miles later, I have hear the pinging sound, too many times to count.... so I am getting the reflash done this week....

Either way, don't lose hope. I share your concerns too as an STI owner but give the reflash a chance & you will see a better outcome at the end. Peace out....

 

Fog Lights

My STI has 5000 miles now and I have not heard a ping yet. Maybe the other noises (turbo, tranny, squeeky brakes,) are drowning out the ping. I don't know. I run 94 Sunoco Ultra sometimes 93 when sunoco is not available.

 

You spent $9500 in mods already and you're worried about pinging and resale value? How much of that $9500 do you think you'll get back at resale? If you're willing to spend that kind of coin on mods, either wait for the UTEC, or have a proper tuner use the XEDE or E-manage to get rid of the ping now.
****Also; there is absolutely no proof that the reflash results in a power loss.....and there is no reason that it should. If your car is pinging, you will probably not be realizing optimum power......ping is going to cause a power loss!
Read this: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=415700
If you just want to get rid of the car, that's another story. However, the hit you'll take on resale now is ridiculous....even if the car didn't ping.
One more thing....you never answered the question about octane......what are you running? Are you in CA running 91?

 

I don't remember where I heard it, but I heard that the cars that were pinging were actually running much higher boost that they were supposed to (higher than 14 psi). I think the reflash brings the car back to where it was supposed to be from the start.

In any case, pinging indicates a problem. Although it may be possible to lose power in the process of attempting to reduce the pinging, eliminating the cause of the pinging should result in an increase in power.

 

My car has just crossed the 1,000 mile mark and pings occasionally...........BUT I'm in SoCal and the gas is max 91 octane.......also it only seems to ping after a slow drive(traffic) or stop-n-go(red lites) and then surprise it with boost before the underhood air can clear out(through forward motion)...........
I'm installing a boost guage this week so I'll know if it's too much(?) boost or not............
Also I'm gonna get it dyno'd at PANN Motrorsport(they've got a NEW AWD dyno) before ANY mods or Re-flashing is done so maybe we can end this debate.............

X-Japan...........$9500 stereo?????? Ouch!
How about a $1000 stereo and $8500 in ECU mods etc.........

Also why don't you tell us where you are because Fuel Quality, Octane rating, Altitude, Weather AND driving style can affect the way tou car runs................ :wink:

 

He is in IL not too far from Chicago and he said $9500 on stereo, wheels, and some other stuff. Oh yeah, we have 93 octane in IL.

 

running 93 octane but still hear ping? damn, i'm over 1k miles and i hope i won't hear any detonation. i'm scared

 

I took my STi out for a three day road trip around Colorado last weekend and for the first time heard the dreaded detonation just above 4000 RPM when I hit the gas hard coming out of a tight, uphill corner. Well, I took it in to the dealer yesterday to get the ECR reflashed. They said they'd air ship the ECU to SOA and I should get my STi back this Friday. I was relieved that they didn't require me to demonstrate the pinging to them, because with my car I have to be getting into it hard to get it to ping. :wink: BTW, we're stuck with 91 octane in CO. :evil:

 

I also get trace pinging on ocassion around 4RPMs in 2nd,3rd and 4th gears when going WOT under heavy-load conditions using 93 Octane. However, the manual does state that trace pinging on ocassion is supposedly normal.

Instead of the reflash that SOA offers, which supposedly will decrease your car by 10HP, I will probably wait for an after-market company to fix this problem AND increase HP. Apparently, I have read that pinging still happening on some cars that had the SOA reflash so that does not give you alot of assurance :roll: . The preliminary Vishnu Stage 1 for the STi is reporting a 60 IB-FT and 50HP gain at wheels and solves the pinging problem . Yes, this would void your warranty but it is tempting. At least we will have other options from other folks (Vishnu, Cobb etc.) to provide a remapped ECU instead of soley relying on SOA.

 

Totally Agree

Can someone please tell me how a ping sounds like? is it loud? can you clearly tell the sound comes out under the hood?

 

Sounds like two marbles being smacked together and yes you will clearly hear it. I have not had a problem with my STi but I did have this on another car before.

 

My pinging is not loud at all. In order to hear it I have to have the windows up, radio off and no other acessories on (e.g., AC). Even if you do all that and you are not listening for it, you may not hear it. I have had passengers telling me they couldnt hear it because they didnt know what it sounds like.

 

Here's a link to a sound file of an example of engine detonation:
www.turboxs.com/_images/12 gear steep hill.wav

 

I hear pinging in my STi as well. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th around 3500 to 5000 rpm. Only in boost. BUT, only sometimes!! If I drive around off boost for awhile, the first time that I kick the loud pedal under the above conditions, I will hear det. Usually this makes me curious and I'll try to repeat it. Most of the time, I can not! This is evidence in favor of what Shiv has said in his post about det. and the STi ECU. Bad programing that has resulted in bad learning skills with regard to knock correction.
What I don't understand is why some cars have it and some don't? The cars are all made at the same place, right? They are all made with the same parts, right? They all have the same ECU with the same code, right? ( :-? Maybe, maybe not.) I think we have seen that octane is not a factor in our situation. Some cars running 91 don't ping. Some running 94 do.
Two hypotheses.

#1 All the cars are detonating to some degree or another, some audibly, some not. (Ouch! Ouch! Stop burning me!)

#2 Subaru in an effort to get to the magic 300 tuned the engine with out enough regard for what passes for gasoline in this country. That they tuned it for 95 octane and thus it is almost impossible for our cars NOT to ping.

I'd really like to hear from more folks who have had the reflash. Does it still ping? Does it drive the same? Or more specifically, is the power band the same? Did Subaru fix the problem or just detune that problem area in the rpm range?

These were just some idle thoughts rolling around in my noggin. Any thoughts?

 

Check out our website. I've been running the unleaded stuff in my car for 4,500 miles and haven't had any problems so far.

There is also a product called GTA which for you "engineer" types, is a Pure Hydrocarbon, does not harm anything whatsoever .....

Check it out!