FAILBOT

If the touch up paint from the dealer is a perfect match, you can fix this to be almost not noticeable. You just keep adding layer after layer to fill in the chip. Once it is filled a little past the void, you can wet sand it down smooth to the finish and buff it out. I had to do this to mine, unfortunately the oem pearl white is not an exact match to mine.

Well, if there is no wire on the back of the head unit for reverse and it's auto sensing, then it sounds correctly wired. As far as the rear view in that you say is audio, I'm assuming you mean an rca jack that is the video input for the camera. Once the camera has power, it will send video. Can you upload pictures of the wiring diagrams for the camera and head unit? I could guide you better with those. EDIT: I found the wiring for the head unit. Do you have the purple wire on pin 3 of the head unit wiring harness? If so, that need to be hooked to the reverse wire as well. That sends the signal to let the head unit know you are in reverse and display the video input from the back up cam.

Which wire did you splice In? The camera itself? Did you hook up the wire from the head unit to the reverse wire? Does it even have one or is it auto sensing the video input? Does it need to be enabled on the head unit?

I would have to double check what I had do. I know mine doesn't interfere with any mounting. I would have notched it or extended the holes where there were tabs to make it work as oem if that was the case. I don't remember having to do that.

I haven't taken my bumper off since but, I don't see it making it any harder to do so. My lip is bonded to the bumper with 3M body adhesive though. No screws or push tabs

This won't fix the issue. The switch goes straight to the cluster and is just for menu access and features. It in all actuality it electrically disconnected until you push the buttons. The airbag is info that is being sent via CAN bus. I don't remember if he had an airbag light issue or not. But changing the airbag won't fix it unless you actually have a problem with the airbag. The dealer absolutely can't program the mileage on this cluster. Even if you have one fail and order it brand new, they just put a sticker in the door noting the mileage differance.

The mpg and temp gauges are both analog signals. The wiring at the plug is the same for them regardless of how the gauge cluster is laid out. The new cluster just has a digital representation of the mpg and an actual gauge for the temp instead of the red and blue lights for high and low temp. The signal is still the same.

There was something about these clusters that made it so they can't change them with their tool. Even most places that do the mileage programming couldn't do it. The guy on here that had it done had to search for a bit to find a place he could ship it to. I think they open up the cluster to get at the chip that stores it and they flash it with the new mileage.

If I'm not mistaken, the wiring may already be there for them. You would have to buy the switch and I believe the rear shroud for the steering wheel. Then install them. There is no programming needed for them. If for some reason the wiring/plug is not there, then if I remember correctly you only need to run one or two wires up to the cluster. If you have to do that then I also believe you have to add wires to the pin locations for them. I only think you have to add them for the years that that cluster wasn't an option. Its been a while so for the older models you have to come up with a way to get the wiring through the steering wheel. Either an spare wire in the clock spring or change out the clock spring for the newer one.

It won't recognize the gears on a manual. I helped someone on here get one in their manual. These clusters are designed for automatics only. We were able to trick it to show the gear we wanted but, it caused even more of a Christmas tree of warning lights do to the extra module needed for it. It's all pretty much done over can bus communication. I highly doubt the transponder would ever revert back. It's stored in the cluster and I have not heard back from the guy who did it with any issues. I was gonna do it to mine but it will be an expensive conversion I don't want to dive into right now. At least to do it all the right way.

There is a place you can send the cluster to have the mileage reprogrammed. I can't remember where though.

Those are on perscitus's. Not sure what's on M3trooper's

The whole car? Why? For protection? I liked the ziptied bumper but, I guess if you need the clearance.

I kinda like it. Looks like it screams MOVE BITCH GET OUT THE WAY! lol.. Makes me wish I'd kept my older legacy when I didn't have to worry so much about every little scratch.

She's dirty but, summer shoes are back on with the new lugs!

The more I look at it, it must use the the wheel speed sensors and rpm. There is nothing else there. I wrote more about it but, stupid phone deleted it. There are programming options but, not sure if gear ratios are in there. Can't manipulate it either as it is all transmitted to the cluster via can bus. Any manipulation on the other end would cause other problems. Programming would be the only way.

You may be right. I was looking at it and found what I was looking for on the auto but, couldn't find it on the 2.5 manual. Hmmm, I swear I had it printed out before. I'll look through it a bit more since some of that stuff is burried in parts of the manual you wouldn't expect it to be.

I'm no tuner but, I may be of some assistance in getting it to show the correct gears through wiring. I'm somewhat familiar to the legacy transmission switch that determines the signals sent to the B.I.U. for display of which gear you are in. Not so much the STI but, that's all in the "vacation pics". If you are willing to do some rewiring, I can look into both to let you know what needs to be done if possible. Only reason I know is when I was messing around helping out someone on here put the updated cluster in a GT. That was going from the auto to manual trans of different years and electronics. Ended up not finishing that part do to some CAN bus issues from different components of manual to auto versions. Did get it to display gear numbers on the cluster but, it had other trouble lights come up. If it's just manual to manual, it might just take some moving of wires for the switch.

Yes, I understand that. Yes, I've had cars make cracking noises like that in the cold due to things being frozen and breaking free. This is not so much like that. This is loud enough that the first tjme it happened I thought my rear window broke. Like someone hit it with a hammer. It's not the normal type of sound you would expect. If it was I would have heard it by now over my 20+ years of driving in the winter. So, lol believe what you want.

Trust me, every car doesn't do "this". It's not ice or snow. I've had many cars over many winters and none with this problem. It did it the first time before any snow, ice or rain that froze. Something is shifting with the cold after it sits for a while. As soon as I make a turn or hit a bump it makes a loud pop in the rear window and never does it again until the same scenario of sitting in freezing cold for a while. I do however buy into it may be the trunk seal freezing to the deck lid and then breaking free. Why it would do that without snow, rain or ice.. I don't know. I haven't bothered to look at it yet. No time for now.

I have also noticed this in mine under extreme cold. I figure it's something in the rear deck popping and resonating through the window. I've had suspicions that my car has been wrecked or at least completely repainted though do to some areas I can tell were repainted. Since you have the same noise, it gives me hope that it's more of a 5th gen issue. I don't get this noise in my 6th gen.

It's here!!!!

Sounds like the same noise I had when I put mine in. For me, it came down to the tophat not on correctly plus the torque on the nut at the top of strut. The misalignment was causing a bind when turning. I didn't relize when I put them in like I have countless others, that the H&R springs, to sit right, don't sit in the same indentation up top as the oem did. Was almost 180 degrees off. Plus I think I ended up have to use the oem nut on the top of the strut do to the one that came with the koni's binding on the bearing in the top hat?

Winter set on. Freezing rain on the way!

So it begins... Going to have to break out the winter set soon.