I got mines at 52 miles and now I’m pushing 60k. My only issues was the throw out bearing which it a common problem needing to be replaced. I’ve had zero issues since then. I did place a bracket to the firewall to stabilize the clutch feel and flex of the firewall just to be safe. I love my WRX.
When trying to put the car into reverse always put it in another gear before putting it in reverse. Reverse doesn't have a synchro so putting into let's say 1st gear synchronizes all of the gears. You'll notice if you try to go into reverse before any other gear you'll have trouble getting it in there. This is normal and doesn't signify any issue with the reverse gear.
Its one of the biggest complaints about the WRX. Definitely going to be a topic of discussion. Transmission and ringland failure are the most common issues on peoples minds with WRX. Wasnt meant to be a review of the car. Thanks for watching man!
To everybody thinking oh I can change my own fluid .......LOOSEN YOURE FILL PORT FIRST! That way you know you can put fluid back in it before you drain it
The dealership had to pull your transmission and tear it down to replace 3-4 shift fork and they would not put a clutch on your car with much reduced manual labor costs? They wanted to charge 900 dollars which would have labor included like they had to pull the transmission to replace the clutch or was it the cost of of parts, (a throw-out bearing, pilot shaft bearing, pressure plate and clutch friction disc) that cost 900 dollars? They treated you right and fixed numerous problems under warranty. Are you sure that 900 dollars was not the price for throw out bearing, pilot shaft bearing, pressure plate and clutch friction disc? I see this is an old video but I am asking anyway.
Yea the STI can definitely take more of a beating..plus you get the extra power. I would have gone that route but they are so much more expensive for a clean example.
Hi it is me again! BTW my name is Liviu! Nice to meet you! A little question from a big scoobie fan! Do you think owning and giving maintenance to this WRX model can be difficult from a financial point of view. I mean I know you have shown a lot about the expenses that it can have, but I am referring overall or in general. Thank you for your time and info! Take care and enjoy that wonderful vehicle!
Not really but leave maintenance and save $600 a year for it every year owning it. Gas will only be your biggest factor since it eats gas like 10mpg-25 highway.
Alaa Suleiman go for it bro, sti are known to be more reliable than the wrx. Just check who’s owned it and what’s been done to it, get a tune probably stage one if it ain’t got one. With the right care you won’t have a problem
I’m looking at buying the same model as yours with 120k miles on it, any advice you can give me to treat it properly (it’ll be my first car) would be much appreciated. Also, I enjoyed the video :)
hey man. I think the first things i researched when buying this car is the dreaded Ringland Failure. Of course im not going big power so im safer but the things you want to do to avoid that entirely is get off the stock tune. Get a cobb accessport and go stage 1. Just a better well sorted tune of the shelf. Get a AOS or catch can to bypass oil getting into your intake manifold. The engine is flat so oil gets into all kinds of areas its not supposed to when your whipping it. Change oil like every 3000 miles! Let the car warm up a bit in the morning before you drive it. Make sure they changed that timing belt at 105,000 miles or you will be paying to get it done. LASTLY Get a bad ass exhaust to bring that RUMBLE to life. Good Luck man and you will love the car. Thanks for watching
Yup I did uninstall the cobb AP before taking it in and I also removed my Cobb intake. Converted everything I could back to stock except for my cobb short shifter and bushings. I did not tell them anything and they didnt question me. So I guess they may not have cared or I did enough work reverting to stock that they didnt deny me. Thank god too because that would have sucked paying for some shit I didnt even break. Thanks for watching man!
hi, thanks for all the advice! if i want to buy a second hand 2012 wrx in about 60,000 km could you please tell me what i should be aware of? thank you!
You just want to make sure first that it is not HEAVILY modded. Make sure you are not getting any abnormal amounts of black or white smoke coming from the exhaust because the EJ25 motor has been known to have seal issues. Make sure it pulls clean without any loss in power because that could indicate boost leaks or turbo issues. Fiddle through the gears making sure you can get into them smoothly while sitting still and driving. You dont want to be caught with tranny issues like I did. Lastly take a walk around the car and make sure no body panels are showing any signs of rust. You should be good beyond that man. As long as it feels smooth driving and looks good/well taken care of you will definitely enjoy this car! Good Luck man and thanks for watching!
So the issue isn't completely the subaru transmission, just the previous person that drove it didn't know how to drive a stick. I had a 1991 Isuzu Amigo, 2.6L , 4x4, 5 speed (true manual no linkage cables) four banger it had 70K miles I've never had a problem with it other than my sister burning up my clutch pulling a trailer. Just didn't know how to drive.
Just make sure your not seeing excessive smoke from the exhaust. That is to verify your not getting any rod knock or piston ring failure coming your way. Make sure it runs smooth while listening to the egnine and can go into all gears perfectly fine when the car is up to temperature. Those are the most important things I would have to say. Thanks for watching man and good luck!
well the wrx has been primarily the same all the way to 2015. In 2015 they upgraded everything. From like 2001 the engine has been the EJ motor all the way 2014. So you not really going to escape to much of these issues unless you purchase a 2015 and up model. If you do the research and really examine the car before you buy..you should be be fine. Watch out for the super abused and modded ones. I am at 60,000 miles now and so far motor wise everything has been good. Crossing my fingers to 90,000. Thanks for watching man!
+Naveen S yea its actually not that bad but It really didnt need a clutch so I was just mad that the dealership was just trying to get some extra bucks off of me. They just wanted to do it since they had the transmission open already and were not getting paid for the warranty job to begin with. So he said since we have it open it will be 850 for the clutch + labor. He also said if you dont do it now and you come back later to do the clutch alone and we have to open it up again it would be 1600. Crazy!!...trying to get people with that pressure....that is why I will just take it to my friends, I will buy a clutch online for about 300-400 and we will do it ourselves.
I’ve been looking to buy a 2011 wrx and I have done a lot of research already but I just wanted to ask if it’s true that u have to get a tune for every modification that you do for this car? Does that include getting a tune on a downpipe or just a simple muffler delete? I’m sorry if this is a stupid question
Hey Hector, not a stupid question. Yes you will need a tune for a lot of the modifications done to this car. Catback exhaust you will not need one but turboback exhaust which includes the downpipe you will need a tune for. Intake you will need a tune for. Intercooler, Blow off valve, headers etc will need a tune. Simple muffler delete no tune necessary. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
Ha I just got my 2013 hatch back from the shop because it was doing the exact same thing at 30k miles. It was between 3rd and 4th as well. Same stuff replaced.
Yea after I got it fixed, thankfully under warranty, the shifting issues havnt came back. So i dont think it is anything faulty with Subaru parts. I think it may have been user error/driving habits with previous owner. What happens when i buy a used car. Im at 97,000 miles now and everything is cool. Might do my clutch soon though because my throwout bearing is making some noise. Thanks for watching man!
The STI is a bad ass car. The extra power and transmission. But that is really it. So if you can go 6-8 g's over the price of a WRX its definitely a better investment. But keeping that 6-8 g's in your pocket can really help you do some dope mods also. So its really personal preference. Thanks for watching man!
Where are you getting your information from in saying that this is a car that is not to be beat on? Of course it is a car that is meant to be ridden aggressively - a WRX is not just a commuter car. Anything over 200hp it meant to be driven aggressively.
Hi Noel! I have the same problem as yours! when i shift from 2nd to 3rd. i feel like i am grinding the gears. my car has 46k miles. actually right now, my car is currently in the dealership for my rod bearing. I also brought this issue to them but ill have to follow up with them after they repair my rod bearing.
hi Azaian...did they ever end up fixing your clutch grinding? Subaru ended up pulling my tranny and replaced some syncro's and the shift fork under warranty. Grinding gone..although it is still difficult to downshift sometimes. Tranny works way smoother when you rev match. Thanks for watching dude!
I feel bad for you bro. I hear time and time again how bad the transmissions are in these wrx's. they really are a little sensitive but honestly if you know how to drive this car you can beat the crap out of it with out an issue with proper maintenance, differential fluid changes on time. 30, 60, 90k miles. Also oil changes every 2500miles or 3000 miles if ur lazy. It has a turbo, it gets hot as crap. Change the oil. I have an 08 with over 100k miles. Stage 2, custom tune, stock clutch and transmission. Over 30k on stage 2. Its kids that beat the snot out of this car with out 1 concern for maintenance or just someone who doesn't know how to feel the car out. Just my 2 cents✌🏼
I agree man...i have been doing all my maintenance on time...just hit 70,000 miles so im driving the F** out of this thing being this video was a little over a year ago and i was at about 35k at this time and it has been nothing but reliable so far. I did another video at 60k highlighting a lot of this stuff. This video was just a basic vid on what you hear all over the internet..the common things people talk about. Sucks that it does have this rep with ringland failure and transmission issues. The tranny does react differently and takes a little getting used to but once you get the hang of it your good to go. Every transmission is different from my G35 to my prelude. All require time. Car itself is a BLAST. Cant wait to get back to modding this spring. To damn cold out to do anything right now lol. Thanks for watching man!
30k = 3 motors for that car. My si honda 380k orignal motor orignal trans trans. Still runs and looks like new. If I was to buy a Subaru it would be that car pearl white
Hell yea man...I was looking for one in pearl white...tough to find for sure but super worth it if you can pick one up. That black and white contrast is so clean.
The car will wear down according to how much you abuse it. If you drive it like a race car or a rally car you better be prepared to repair it like the big company that owns those competition cars, that's freaking obvious. It pisses me off how people abuse a car and thrash it like hell, doing launches beating the hell out of the clutches with drag or street races, drifting it all the time, then when the components wear down they cry accusing the car of being unreliable, dumbasses do that to BMW's all the time
Thanks for the video I am currently in the market for a WRX hatchback so this helps a lot I appreciate it
No problem man. Thanks for watching!
I got mines at 52 miles and now I’m pushing 60k. My only issues was the throw out bearing which it a common problem needing to be replaced. I’ve had zero issues since then. I did place a bracket to the firewall to stabilize the clutch feel and flex of the firewall just to be safe. I love my WRX.
When trying to put the car into reverse always put it in another gear before putting it in reverse. Reverse doesn't have a synchro so putting into let's say 1st gear synchronizes all of the gears. You'll notice if you try to go into reverse before any other gear you'll have trouble getting it in there. This is normal and doesn't signify any issue with the reverse gear.
I noticed this when test driving a wrx at a dealership. It was my first time driving manual and I thought I was losing it 😂
That’s good to know. I was so scared my car was having issues already with how difficult it was to get it into reverse sometimes.
You should call this 2012 wrx transmission review
Its one of the biggest complaints about the WRX. Definitely going to be a topic of discussion. Transmission and ringland failure are the most common issues on peoples minds with WRX. Wasnt meant to be a review of the car. Thanks for watching man!
To everybody thinking oh I can change my own fluid .......LOOSEN YOURE FILL PORT FIRST! That way you know you can put fluid back in it before you drain it
Nice car!
The dealership had to pull your transmission and tear it down to replace 3-4 shift fork and they would not put a clutch on your car with much reduced manual labor costs? They wanted to charge 900 dollars which would have labor included like they had to pull the transmission to replace the clutch or was it the cost of of parts, (a throw-out bearing, pilot shaft bearing, pressure plate and clutch friction disc) that cost 900 dollars? They treated you right and fixed numerous problems under warranty. Are you sure that 900 dollars was not the price for throw out bearing, pilot shaft bearing, pressure plate and clutch friction disc? I see this is an old video but I am asking anyway.
so to maybe avoid this issue. is to get an sti. cuz they can take a little more beating. or get one with warranty
Yea the STI can definitely take more of a beating..plus you get the extra power. I would have gone that route but they are so much more expensive for a clean example.
I feel you
if it starts to grind the gears again make sure the clutch is all the way in while your shifting
the grinding doesnt happen anymore it was something wrong with the shift forks and subaru replaced it under warranty THANK GOD!!...thanks for watching
Hi it is me again! BTW my name is Liviu! Nice to meet you! A little question from a big scoobie fan! Do you think owning and giving maintenance to this WRX model can be difficult from a financial point of view. I mean I know you have shown a lot about the expenses that it can have, but I am referring overall or in general. Thank you for your time and info! Take care and enjoy that wonderful vehicle!
Not really but leave maintenance and save $600 a year for it every year owning it. Gas will only be your biggest factor since it eats gas like 10mpg-25 highway.
I'm thinking of buying a wrs sti 2011 , 120000 km , do you think I should go for it or just forget about it ?
Alaa Suleiman go for it bro, sti are known to be more reliable than the wrx. Just check who’s owned it and what’s been done to it, get a tune probably stage one if it ain’t got one. With the right care you won’t have a problem
Great video man
Appreciate it! Thanks for watching!
I’m looking at buying the same model as yours with 120k miles on it, any advice you can give me to treat it properly (it’ll be my first car) would be much appreciated. Also, I enjoyed the video :)
hey man. I think the first things i researched when buying this car is the dreaded Ringland Failure. Of course im not going big power so im safer but the things you want to do to avoid that entirely is get off the stock tune. Get a cobb accessport and go stage 1. Just a better well sorted tune of the shelf. Get a AOS or catch can to bypass oil getting into your intake manifold. The engine is flat so oil gets into all kinds of areas its not supposed to when your whipping it. Change oil like every 3000 miles! Let the car warm up a bit in the morning before you drive it. Make sure they changed that timing belt at 105,000 miles or you will be paying to get it done. LASTLY Get a bad ass exhaust to bring that RUMBLE to life. Good Luck man and you will love the car. Thanks for watching
You got a cobb ap? Did you have to uninstall AP before taking it in? If not did you tell the service guys beforehand?
Yup I did uninstall the cobb AP before taking it in and I also removed my Cobb intake. Converted everything I could back to stock except for my cobb short shifter and bushings. I did not tell them anything and they didnt question me. So I guess they may not have cared or I did enough work reverting to stock that they didnt deny me. Thank god too because that would have sucked paying for some shit I didnt even break. Thanks for watching man!
hi, thanks for all the advice! if i want to buy a second hand 2012 wrx in about 60,000 km could you please tell me what i should be aware of? thank you!
You just want to make sure first that it is not HEAVILY modded. Make sure you are not getting any abnormal amounts of black or white smoke coming from the exhaust because the EJ25 motor has been known to have seal issues. Make sure it pulls clean without any loss in power because that could indicate boost leaks or turbo issues. Fiddle through the gears making sure you can get into them smoothly while sitting still and driving. You dont want to be caught with tranny issues like I did. Lastly take a walk around the car and make sure no body panels are showing any signs of rust. You should be good beyond that man. As long as it feels smooth driving and looks good/well taken care of you will definitely enjoy this car! Good Luck man and thanks for watching!
So the issue isn't completely the subaru transmission, just the previous person that drove it didn't know how to drive a stick. I had a 1991 Isuzu Amigo, 2.6L , 4x4, 5 speed (true manual no linkage cables) four banger it had 70K miles I've never had a problem with it other than my sister burning up my clutch pulling a trailer. Just didn't know how to drive.
thanks for the review video, Looking to buy a 2013 wrx hatchback with 45k miles from a dealership for 20K here in souther california. any advice?
Just make sure your not seeing excessive smoke from the exhaust. That is to verify your not getting any rod knock or piston ring failure coming your way. Make sure it runs smooth while listening to the egnine and can go into all gears perfectly fine when the car is up to temperature. Those are the most important things I would have to say. Thanks for watching man and good luck!
So should I get a 2013 subaru impreza wrz
well the wrx has been primarily the same all the way to 2015. In 2015 they upgraded everything. From like 2001 the engine has been the EJ motor all the way 2014. So you not really going to escape to much of these issues unless you purchase a 2015 and up model. If you do the research and really examine the car before you buy..you should be be fine. Watch out for the super abused and modded ones. I am at 60,000 miles now and so far motor wise everything has been good. Crossing my fingers to 90,000. Thanks for watching man!
Thanks and no problem man.
850$ is not bad for a clutch, obviously it isn't a Honda clutch where you pay 400$. G35 clutches are around 1500-2000k
+Naveen S yea its actually not that bad but It really didnt need a clutch so I was just mad that the dealership was just trying to get some extra bucks off of me. They just wanted to do it since they had the transmission open already and were not getting paid for the warranty job to begin with. So he said since we have it open it will be 850 for the clutch + labor. He also said if you dont do it now and you come back later to do the clutch alone and we have to open it up again it would be 1600. Crazy!!...trying to get people with that pressure....that is why I will just take it to my friends, I will buy a clutch online for about 300-400 and we will do it ourselves.
I’ve been looking to buy a 2011 wrx and I have done a lot of research already but I just wanted to ask if it’s true that u have to get a tune for every modification that you do for this car? Does that include getting a tune on a downpipe or just a simple muffler delete? I’m sorry if this is a stupid question
Hey Hector, not a stupid question. Yes you will need a tune for a lot of the modifications done to this car. Catback exhaust you will not need one but turboback exhaust which includes the downpipe you will need a tune for. Intake you will need a tune for. Intercooler, Blow off valve, headers etc will need a tune. Simple muffler delete no tune necessary. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
Dude my 11 hatch just got the 4th gear grind... and I’m out of warranty :(( how much you think it would cost to get your fix done?
Ha I just got my 2013 hatch back from the shop because it was doing the exact same thing at 30k miles. It was between 3rd and 4th as well. Same stuff replaced.
Sorry, 2012* I fat fingered that.
Yea after I got it fixed, thankfully under warranty, the shifting issues havnt came back. So i dont think it is anything faulty with Subaru parts. I think it may have been user error/driving habits with previous owner. What happens when i buy a used car. Im at 97,000 miles now and everything is cool. Might do my clutch soon though because my throwout bearing is making some noise. Thanks for watching man!
At 30k miles it's grinding ? Wth
all it takes is a lot beating, you can drive it nice for 100k or you can beat it to piss for 5k you pick
All I got from this video. Is how the sti is much better.
The STI is a bad ass car. The extra power and transmission. But that is really it. So if you can go 6-8 g's over the price of a WRX its definitely a better investment. But keeping that 6-8 g's in your pocket can really help you do some dope mods also. So its really personal preference. Thanks for watching man!
Where are you getting your information from in saying that this is a car that is not to be beat on? Of course it is a car that is meant to be ridden aggressively - a WRX is not just a commuter car. Anything over 200hp it meant to be driven aggressively.
Hi Noel! I have the same problem as yours! when i shift from 2nd to 3rd. i feel like i am grinding the gears. my car has 46k miles. actually right now, my car is currently in the dealership for my rod bearing. I also brought this issue to them but ill have to follow up with them after they repair my rod bearing.
hi Azaian...did they ever end up fixing your clutch grinding? Subaru ended up pulling my tranny and replaced some syncro's and the shift fork under warranty. Grinding gone..although it is still difficult to downshift sometimes. Tranny works way smoother when you rev match. Thanks for watching dude!
You really think they did all that “warranty” work ? Lol
LOL...well im at 118,000 miles now so I hope so hahaha...thanks for watching man!
lol you cry too much about the trans... Im 500 whp on stock trans just act clutch
13ALEKZ your car blow up yet?
they call the wrx trans the glass box
+TheCriminal3k iv heard...i would love to have the STI 6spd.
I feel bad for you bro. I hear time and time again how bad the transmissions are in these wrx's. they really are a little sensitive but honestly if you know how to drive this car you can beat the crap out of it with out an issue with proper maintenance, differential fluid changes on time. 30, 60, 90k miles. Also oil changes every 2500miles or 3000 miles if ur lazy. It has a turbo, it gets hot as crap. Change the oil. I have an 08 with over 100k miles. Stage 2, custom tune, stock clutch and transmission. Over 30k on stage 2. Its kids that beat the snot out of this car with out 1 concern for maintenance or just someone who doesn't know how to feel the car out. Just my 2 cents✌🏼
I agree man...i have been doing all my maintenance on time...just hit 70,000 miles so im driving the F** out of this thing being this video was a little over a year ago and i was at about 35k at this time and it has been nothing but reliable so far. I did another video at 60k highlighting a lot of this stuff. This video was just a basic vid on what you hear all over the internet..the common things people talk about. Sucks that it does have this rep with ringland failure and transmission issues. The tranny does react differently and takes a little getting used to but once you get the hang of it your good to go. Every transmission is different from my G35 to my prelude. All require time. Car itself is a BLAST. Cant wait to get back to modding this spring. To damn cold out to do anything right now lol. Thanks for watching man!
30k = 3 motors for that car. My si honda 380k orignal motor orignal trans trans. Still runs and looks like new. If I was to buy a Subaru it would be that car pearl white
Hell yea man...I was looking for one in pearl white...tough to find for sure but super worth it if you can pick one up. That black and white contrast is so clean.
The car will wear down according to how much you abuse it. If you drive it like a race car or a rally car you better be prepared to repair it like the big company that owns those competition cars, that's freaking obvious. It pisses me off how people abuse a car and thrash it like hell, doing launches beating the hell out of the clutches with drag or street races, drifting it all the time, then when the components wear down they cry accusing the car of being unreliable, dumbasses do that to BMW's all the time