Loya1ty

Dropped it off at the shop over the weekend with freshly painted front LCAs, Super Pro Rear Bushings, Whiteline Inner Bushings, and Moog front end links all sitting in the trunk. Riding nice now. Needed the caliper pins cleaned up/serviced as they are causing noise, but didn't have those parts in and the shop didn't either. Just ordered them and will be installing myself next week.

I'd be interested in those LCAs as long as there are no bends.. need to do the same bushings, and it'd be easier to get the arms ready for install/swap before taking the car out of commission up on the stands

Something I'd love to see done is keeping the fog covers, but fabricating an electronic piston that opens them when the fogs get turned on. Best of both worlds! Or you could just get a mounting bar for the front lol - Keeping with the thread... I cringed a lot hearing the front right control arm bounce around due to bad bushings.

Currently at 155k miles on the '13 Legacy 2.5i CVT. Have had no issues with the engine. *knocks on wood* Simply have done the maintenance intervals, had a reputable 3rd party subie shop perform the work, and kept the oil guzzler happy every 5k miles with a quart (the recall requires a quart every 3k >_<). Major maintenance done by subie shop was replacing the water pump and pulley tensioners (apparently there is no belt to replace, but rather a chain I learned). I've done DIY for suspension and braking. Unrelated to motor work!

Thought I'd make it to the spring to replace the bushings.. but I think the stiffer suspension did 'em in. Hearing a little bit of clunking in the front-right. Here are the bushings from when I did the struts/springs: Left: Right:

Got it all sorted out on Saturday. Only took me about 2 hours too! I've restored my confidence in wrenching. Just have to not be a b*tch when torquing A thread for old parts if anyone is interested: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/nova-oem-13-springs-and-rear-shocks-270919.html?p=5818079#post5818079 Having issues uploading pics again. I'll get em up tomorrow.

Thanks, and no doubt they are taking advantage. There wasn't even an alignment report provided (my wife took it to the shop while I was at work). I'll probably drive over sometime over the next two days to ask some questions.. They are usually good over there for the basic stuff as a local chain shop, and aren't super pushy about all the extra suggestions even though it's clear they want more sales from you even if it's not needed. Anything major I take the car out 45 min to the Subaru specialty shop. As long as the car isn't all over the road, I'll probably just wait and risk any short term tire wear until the fall to take it there for a good aligning - since I've decided to wait on the bushings. Not feeling dropping another $150 right now.

I just got the vehicle aligned yesterday because I wanted to be safe (and it went in for the safety inspection), but when I got home the invoice said castor and camber would be additional charges.. I'm trying to figure out what exactly they did.. the toe? Either way, I feel pretty good about going through the DIY approach with some string/90 degree type rigs that I've come across on the forums and teh webz. Any tips? Do you recommend getting an aftermarket camber bolt for the lower one, or will the top OEM provide me the range I need? I'm definitely trying to avoid paying another $100 after taking the struts off again. With the Koni/H&R set up, it's definitely sitting lower and looks great. I'll get some pics this weekend after I clean her up.

That makes me feel a bit better about it. I really appreciate the extra insight from your many built sets. Looks like I'll be lifting the car up again this weekend and finishing those out. Now only if I can get some LCA bushing before then..

Damn.. I'm pretty sure I measured out 11-7/8" though. Here are some pics of the 2 cuts I performed. IIRC, after the first guided cut along the silver cap I was left with 12-3/4" of tube. I then measured out the remaining distance (7/8") and performed the second cut. Here are the struts once inserted.. I have the black sleeves on, but you can see the lip pretty easily. It looks like I definitely have too much insert remaining above the housing. I'm thinking I was getting nervous about torquing too hard and let that energy cloud all of my prep info (i.e. knowing I should pull it all the way). And yes, I got a separate bolt to do the heavy work. No hammering or hitting, but I did apply some static pressure to get the insert down to the nubs, along with a light oiling to help it along. So with all of that. What next? Should I plan on cranking again this weekend? I'd need to drive 3 hours back to PA.. unless I can find someone in Northern VA that has a driveway/garage, jack/jackstands, and a vice clamp.

I pretty much answered my own question about bottoming out the insert into the housing with this pic: Here is what mine looked like: My question still remains about how long do I have to get this straightened out without causing damage? (I imagine I'm already risking it though)

SO install complete... and it did not go smoothly. I literally spent the ENTIRE weekend Hiccups: 1. Rain all weekend 2. Brother in-law's pipe cutter wasn't large enough - run to home depot 3. Father in-law didn't have a 9/16 or 1/2inch drill bit - separate run to home depot 4. Father in-law's garage is a MESS. Took me about 2 hours before starting to get tools in order, and probably another 1 or so during the install to make sure I had what I needed. 5. Advanced Auto didn't have the right tool to rent... bought what they had in store but didn't work with the lowering spring's spring gap - Ran to a new Harbor Freight in town (thank god) and got the ones I needed for $20 6. Are those Koni hex bolts made out of play-do? With that out of the way.. I have an immediate concern regarding the inserts and the donor strut housing. I definitely measured the f*ck out of it and that is good. BUT after deburring, filing, and sanding the edge like hell, the insert still struggled to slide in easily (I wish I got a pic of it, but I feel like I got unlucky with a fat weld at the base of the insert -- I filed one down a bit but was too late for the other. totally shredded a sticker on one of them too). I eventually got the insert's nubs down to the housing's edge and began the threading to 'suck' it in. I got the nubs to pull into the housing, but I don't think I made it a full 1/4inch. I have a photo from the bottom of the housing showing the donor threads still about 1/8in. Is that technically 'bottomed-out' since the strut housing is domed at the bottom? Both struts ended up like this which is why I didn't push my luck. For some reason all of my photo uploads keep failing.. will try again later. I honestly couldn't torque anymore without feeling like I was going to damage something. Those suckers are tight! Is this something I need to immediately correct and/or how long until I should rework it? Will the insert settle down further from the weight of the car and bumps, causing the hex screw to stick out slightly where I can go under and tighten (I imagine the top strut bolt would need tightened too)? (Also see play-do comment) I want to order 2 spare screws for the future if I ever need to remove/reinstall. My concern is that if I need to address immediately, I may be looking for someone in the N. VA area to give me a hand. The in-laws live 3 hours away in PA. I did drive the vehicle home last night, and it definitely felt improved on basic turns and on/off ramps notably (full turn on all 4 corners). I set the camber full neg, and will be getting an alignment over the next two days IF I don't need to wrench some more on these things. Thanks in Advance.

A nice wash and interior cleaning.. Will repeat this weekend with some photos.

I'll be joining the Koni Krew.. If you see any items there of concern, feel free to let me know! The inserts are the 1447 (Fronts) and 1055 (Rears). Was originally going to go with Eibachs, but they would be special order and $35 more.. trying to get these done this weekend. Need to order some random hardware now just in case.. Also plan on sending the KYBs back. Those are my 'oh sh*t' contingency plan in case I screw this up. Edit: Wish me luck! My first mod beyond plug-and-play installs, but thanks to the community here I have all the info I need! (don't forget the damn washers!)

I've convinced myself on the Konis.. I would definitely regret doing KYBs. Just gotta convince the Wifey now. Also.. I've pretty much decided on all of my parts except the tophats. What are recommendations? I know I could probably keep the OEMs based on information across here, but what are the downsides to that or vice versa, the upside of using after markets? And if you have any persuasive essays on the 'boat' effect that I can present my wife, that'd be great! The only thing I've got so far is taking on and off ramps faster than usual and say "SEE! This wouldn't happen with Konis!"

I'm really tempted to splurge for the Konis.. but it seems as though the only option for our model years are the inserts? (i.e. needing to go the donor route). Might be more than I'm willing to spend time on, so the KYBs would be just fine for my use. Feel free to convince me otherwise . Eibachs Bushings 15 WRX RSB + Endlinks I'll probably skip the braces and control arms (for now) Time to start part/price searching.

Not too much stiffer, but willing to accept it for better handling. This thing seems like a boat sometimes, but mostly due to my 08 being like a go-kart. I'd be happy with the 1 inch drop. The wheel gaps on oem set ups these days are atrocious. I'll search the Eibach set ups on here and on teh webz. Thanks! Also taking it to a local subie shop next Wed. for the major interval, so I'll have their take on recommendations.

So I'm a bit of a legacy noob and having been searching around the forums for some info (own a 08 impreza and frequent nasoic). The wife's '13 legacy just hit 150k miles and I'm thinking it's time to replace the stock struts and springs, along with some other suspension bits. It's mostly a commuter, so something similar to stock would be preferred. Any input on a safe, budget friendly set up? Just as important though, those other suspension bits that folks usually don't think about that you'd recommend replacing would be extremely helpful. Trying to go to 300k I have oem wrx struts and RCE blacks on my impreza and I would say that's stiffer than what I want on the legacy...

If my legacy trim didn't include fogs, what other components/hardware would i need to complete the install with these lights? Just the bezel and cover with the light hole?

I'm glad this thread already exists.. I am actively scheduling the 90k maintenance on my 2013 2.5i. Current the car is at 94k, so I need to get it in asap! But basically, I have the same questions as OP. I am going to get the oil consumption test done for sure, as I've had to replace oil between changes the last 3 times (although I have a feeling I might fall outside of the 'excess' parameters). Worth a shot, because a short block replacement just before 100k miles might be a good thing. But if this pans out, I too would like to know other items I should preemptively replace during this work. I'm pretty limited with my knowledge of internal car parts (belts/pullies/gaskets/etc.). I'll gladly keep this thread updated as well. I should have the car into the dealer within the next 2 weeks, and then 1200 miles after that (which will probably go quick).