Hi guys, I’ll keep it short and sweet. If this has already been covered please link us over!

COVID has put me slightly behind on saving, but we’re almost there. Blobeye WRX is what I’m needing assistance on from those of you that are experienced with these.

Mileage is going to be around 85k+ - under 100k. Can anybody advise on what needs to be checked with this kind of mileage, a service interval sheet would be much appreciated so I can cross reference. I’m pretty confident on the basics, however I’m not sure if there’s anything specific to watch out for on these models. I’ll be only buying a non modified example.

Thanks in advance
Jack

 

Rust is the big thing to check for. Especially check on the inside of the rear wheel arches for rot as they can rot from the inside out. Just because it looks ok on the outside does not guarantee how it is underneath.

 

@RockyRoad nice one, got that on my list. Is there any other common places for rust on these apart from where you’ve already stated? Thanks again

 

The front U brace can be another common area for them to rust badly and it can cost £100's to replace. The radiator support also is bad for rusting through but can be very hard to check without removing the radiator and wiring loom. Give the sills and subframes a good check over too. Basically it's at least a 15 year old car by now so give the whole thing a good check over everywhere. Be wary of freshly applied underseal as it is often just applied to cover up a problem.

 

As another poster has said, look out for rust! Aside from that, I wouldn't fret over mileage given the age these cars are - buy on condition and history first and foremost. For example, you may find a 120k+ mile car that has a comprehensive service history, new clutch, recent timing belt, suspension refresh, refurbed brake calipers etc etc. This would be a much better buy than one on 80k with only the bare minimum of servicing done.

 

see if vehicle recalls have been done like the “airbag” one and hpi it yourself 👍

 

As above, 'cept they also rot from the inside in. The inner wing is a double-skin, and there is no protective liner, the rot is really very high up inside the wing and not detectable without either putting it on a lift or taking the rear wheels off so you can get a camera phone way up inside to take pics. (I think it's called the rear turrets) Often by the time it's detected, it's an mot fail. Plenty of them being broken up for that reason. Also around 100k the head gaskets start to fail...
Have a read of this thread...
https://www.scoobynet.com/general-technical-10/953502-rear-strut-towers-rusted-through.html

 

rust on the offside rear jacking point and sill area , next thing would be check the engine is good , look into the non pressured expansion tank after a good run if it’s putting out little bubbles all the time then likely to be hg going or gone , if it’s hg it needs a full rebuild as crank bearings will fail not far down the road , check if it’s been rebuilt and by who ?

 

I don't think you should limit yourself on mileage. When the car gets to this kind of age I'd be looking more at the maintenance history and body condition. If it hasn't been maintained to a high standard then you will find you end up needing to replace lots of little things that are perishing due to age and the costs add up. I sold my 2004 WRX last year with 104k miles on it and it still had the original clutch from the factory so these cars are built to last if they are maintained.

 

Awesome feedback guys thanks so much. I’ll keep a sharp eye out for rust.

So there shouldn’t be any issue with a 100k+ motor if it’s been looked after properly, even if HG haven’t been replaced in its life? If not how much would I be looking at to have these replaced as a precaution?

Also is the non pressurised tank the one that feeds the turbo?

thanks again chaps

 

Not to say HG don't go on the 2lts, they were far more common on the 2.5ltr. When the HG does go it can mean a bottom end refresh but not always.

 

To add to the list as a lot of people covered the most of things, my Blob is on 138k now and still pulling strong. Rust rust rust just because it looks ok doesn't mean its ok once i put a wire wheel i fond few bad places. particular ones are at the rear top of wheel arch get your whole hand in there and have a feel around, you will most likely be met with soil and crud so just take that off and then check behind that. Jacking points would be naff and it will be unlikely that the car will have the side skirts off to check the sills but worth asking if any work been done on them. That said welding would be around 300-500 quid to rectify rear arches and sills so not end of the world as long as the rest of the car is not a rot box.

Frames check for leaky fuel lines and corroded break lines on the rear as they can be getting there on blobs this age.

Mechanically ask when cambelt was done, clutch, if those have been done have they done the crank seals, i suspect the owner may not know so get under there and see if sump and generally under the engine where the frame is covered in oil or if its clean any leaks etc. Again all these things are fixable just cost money or your time if you are willing to do yourself. From the top you should be able to have a look for cam covers to see if those leaking particular driver side as that the warm area so tend to go there first. Get a tourch in there have a look.

Check the usual brake disk and pads you/ tyres can tell if that needs doing any time soon tyres while you there check cv boot gators drop links again if you see cracking tearing in rubber covers then most likely will need a change. While you under there you can get grab hold of anti roll bar check if there any play in the rubber bushings front and back.

Struts, check for leaking or misting, check if the car feels like a boat on water then probably will need changing, on the drive quite often these start to knock on the back and you will hear that, again means that top mounts may need changing.

But just dont go there thinking you going to buy it and approach the car as objectively as possible, best advise is to go and look at 5 or so and then make a decision, wear scrubs get on the floor and have a good look around.

 

the 2 litre hg is much less likely to fail , if a hg goes on a 2 litre then change it then no point doing it before , the 2 litre will have around 25 per cent chance of the bottom end failing after the hg has gone , hg failure on a 2.5 is more common ( it does not mean they all fail) , if a 2.5 hg fails it’s around a 75 per cent chance the bottom end will go , so if a 2.5 hg fails do the bottom end , i can say that from a bitter learning curve , hg went on one car did not do bottom end as it sounded fine it went with in a year , second car hg went , i said full rebuild when it was stripped the crank bearings were just starting to go , do not be put off by engine failure just budget for it , once they are forged it’s a more reliable car , plus can run higher boost if you want , on a new age there is a tank clear ish plastic attached to the radiator at the front right , if it’s bubbling all the time that’s hg going , a sniff test on coolant does often not work , if it bubbles a bit then stops normally all is ok , they are great cars mine apart from engines lol have been very reliable , in 198000 miles one drivers door window motor a 5 £ weld all done , one 02 sensor which may have been ok , one boost solenoid 25£ second hand , and a pair of front arb links 20£ plus a wish bone bush 25£ , it was broken in the end due to rust on a sill that could have been repairable but car was looking a bit sore after my other half tried to go through a not wide enough gap ouch

 

@Vxr2010 Awesome stuff mate. And that’s the reason my mrs won’t be driving mine😂

By the sounds of it I HG shouldn’t be too much of a worry if it’s been looked after, and no point forking out to have them done if there’s no sign of them failing - good news. I’m budgeting as much as I can for “what if’s” and general wear and tear to be expected with any 15yr old car really. It’s good to see yours has done so many miles, even if you’ve had some bad luck with the motors the majority that are up for sale are way into the 100k’s, which to me is a good indicator that when maintained properly will do the high mileage. Impressive for a performance car IMO.

Thanks again, if you think of anything else shoot us a message over👍

 

For rust:

• Poke between the skirts and the sill seam as the skirts hold mud that then rusts the sills out. Mine looked okay until I could pull a 6" strip of the seam off in one go and put my fist into the sill on both sides. I've now removed the skirts and covered the mounting holes. This is a much better long term solution if you're not planning to take your skirts off on a monthly basis to clean them.
• Have a good check in the rear arches at the front and rear about 2-3" in from the outer panel. This is as far as they put stone chip on in the factory from the inside of the arch and because there's no plastic arch liner, they rust here from stone damage.
• Stick a screwdriver into the rear corner of the arch liner where it joins with the boot and outer wing skin. This traps mud and rusts through to the boot, which moves us to the next point.
• Take off the plastic boot lip and this will allow you to peel back the boot carpet on each side to check for telltale rust signs in the boot. If it's broken through you'll see rust streaks dripping down into the bowl behind each of the wheel tubs. The biggest problem is that the seam sealer is basically foam with a smooth outer layer, and the metal underneath isn't rust proofed. Water thus breaks through the wheel arch, into the boot and soaks into the seam sealer which then allows the damp to stick against unprotected metal and rust out the seam.
• Front wings are another point; if they say 'just a bubble' I can guarantee you that the inside of the wing will be at least 25% rust. I think I've linked to my thread on Detailingworld before which shows all the work I've done to repair rust on my car but it's an ongoing battle.

Don't let it put you off, most 15 year old cars will be rusty, but you do need to go into it with your eyes open.

 

Yea I bought a Bugeye not long ago, I think it had 90k when I bought it. Unfortantly I didn't check high enough up the rear arch for holes each side.

Saying that it wasn't a bad price. And once had proper look you could tell it had the front subframe replaced and came with a load of receipts for work done.

As you can see holes right at the top. My mate did the welding, pulled the struts out and spent ages pulling out loads of the skin until he found solid metal.

Luckily the chassis looked solid. Same with strut mount area. Inside boot had no visible rust. Still worth buying one but you could end up being the difference between buying a rot box and something that can be repaired to last a number of years.