GeneralDisorder

There wasn't any cutoff with the stock halogens either. I'm not saying the stock reflectors are great, but you haven't shown either how this razor sharp cutoff is neccesary, or any evidence that they blind anyone (when properly aligned). Suberdave hasn't had any problems - neither with the police, or with people flashing him. And many others have the same experience. As long as you aim the lights away from oncomming traffic they are no more dangerous than the stock halogens that had no real cutoff to begin with. If this was such a huge problem then you would see legislation to ban the sale of "retrofit" kits. GD

You're not listening - I'm not disputing that the effect exists - just that it matters. You can compensate for the fillament being moved by re-aiming the headlights. My point is that this isn't a super-precise environment we are dealing with - it's a 10+ year old car with plastic lenses and a bit of chrome coating to throw light down the road. A few inches here or there doesn't make any difference worth worring about once the headlights are re-aimed properly. Emperical evidence bears this out. What has not been shown is a single case by you, or this stuffy Stern fellow, showing anything you are claiming. I've already shown one example of a respected member here that switched and will not go back he loves them so much. And I could find countless examples like that - that's why a market exists for these things and they aren't $1 on ebay like all the worthless blue bulbs that no one wants. These kits have a market - at their relatively high price point, and that indicates there is actually a demand for them (ostensibly because they work!). GD

He uses many (probably true) allusions to "science" and then claims the drawback is greater than the gain without one single shred of actual real-world data or experimentation. He's doing what is known as "arm chair" science. Any good skeptic (I consider myself one) should be able to point that out. It's all good to postulize about what may or may not happen "if" I do something, but it's not a substitute for actual data based on real lab-condition experiments. I'm not comparing it to anything - the skeptics challenge does not require it. He isn't following the rules of science. He's making claims without any experimention at all - just like those ebay auctions. I can shout anything I like - doesn't make it true - even if it sounds pretty. Here's a thread from one of our own members - he actually took pictures , and likes the results quite a bit: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68913&highlight=HID+conversion GD

Well the guy sells bulbs - what do you expect him to say? Sure there's lots of science behind lighting, but it doesn't always have to be that technical. The differences, while I acknowledge their presence, can, and often are, overstated (ahem - for the purposes of selling stuff for example). It's the "Illuminaphile" gene that you are experienceing - the need to have great volumes of light, and the need to make it perfect no matter what - OCD for lighting. At the end of the day many, many folks are happy with their HID conversions, and while "stern" may claim they are unsafe he doesn't provide any evidence of it. It's easy to sound technical, and to provide all kinds of "science" and claim it applies and that ALL HID conversions are horribly wrong, but frankly that just doesn't seem to be the case emperically. Lots of people claim that recycling isn't wastefull, and that we caused global warming - and they have charts, diagrams, and numbers to back this up. Sounds very convincing till you realize they are full of $hit. GD

I really don't see the problem - they are brighter than the old ones I had, and I can see just fine. I think this is one of those areas that's much like car/home audio. You have people known and "Audiophiles" that can hear and feel things that - strangely enough - no one else can. I'm going to start refering to this type of personality with automotive lighting as an "illuminaphile". The point is to be able to see the road clearly - which the Silverstars do. They may not last terribly long, but to my eyes they are brighter than stock so that makes sense in a weird way. If you get a year out of them that's fine in my eyes - they don't claim to last forever. Once again - I think this is hair splitting. The filiment is close enough, and the reflector is too. Drive enough light to them and they will work fine. The HID's are plenty bright for normal driving, you can re-aim the beams once they are installed, and LOTS of people have done it and are happy with the results. As long as my lights work better that stock, and last forever I've accomplished my goal with the HID's. I'm not trying to power a lighthouse here. Others here have done HID conversions - I've seen the pics - they look good and the beam length is amazing. I've read what those folks think of them - they like them a lot. And if I don't like em, I'll take em back I agree for the most part, but I haven't yet come across a set of 92-94 EDM headlights. Wouldn't mind having some (I'll still put HID's in them ) Mostly I'm going to do the HID's because I know they will be bright, and will last forever. I hate changing bulbs or driving with one out. Yes I keep spares in the car but it's a hassle and cops hate me. GD

The T-belt on the 2.5's is rated for 105,000 miles so I would reuse it - but that's me. Might do the water pump though as it may have been run dry at some point durring one of those overheating spells - that can spell bad things for the bearings. Belt should be ok though. GD

I have the Silverstar's and don't find them to be "blue" at all (and there's no tint on the bulb itself either). They are quite bright and very white looking to me. And I get them for $39.95 locally. I suspect the info on that site may be outdated and that Osram has replaced the blue tinted Sylvania bulbs with their own "Silverstar" line. They now make a Silverstar "Ultra" as well so that may be a clue. I'm probably going with an HID drop in kit here soon though. My local import house (discount import parts) just got them in. They have plug & play HID kits for all bulb models for $155. Pretty neat and trumps all regular bulbs. GD

The original poster and I have met/hung out in person - as such I know a bit more than it might seem from *just* my post. There's other factors involved I suppose is the best way to put it. At any rate, while people DO mod the EA82T with limited success, I don't sugest that HE mod it. For a variety of reasons which I'm sure are apparent to him, but like a lot of young people - he would rather not pay attention to *those* details. GD

You're gonna blow that motor sky high.... you know that right? Perhaps you haven't paid attention to the EA82T discussions much, but it's generally accepted that they aren't suitible for reliable modding. Hell they are barely suitible for reliable *driving* bone stock. They blow headgaskets and crack heads/pistons/rings in a pretty reliable way though. EA82T's are best used as boat anchors after being replaced with EJ's. A stock EJ22 *without* a turbo is pushing more power than a modded EA82T and will cost you less. For the price of an STi intercooler you can have a whole donor legacy to do the swap - and might end up with a reliable driver out of it.... instead of a pile of burnt engine parts and a car that doesn't move. GD

Ok - another question then. When did the AUX enabled 6 disc changers come out? My GF's 07 OBS has an AUX jack remotely located near the lighter, and it also plays MP3 discs.... what models and when did these come out? GD

Ok so I have a 94 wagon with a factory CD player. Several questions: 1. The factory AM/FM cass. deck has the AUX jack on the front. I was under the impression that by 94 these were no more. Does this mean the deck was replaced either due to malfunction or because the previous owner wanted the AUX function? 2. The factory CD player will eject discs - but that is all - the display remains dark and it will not accept a disc. You can shove it in there but it won't suck it in. The eject button works to push the disc back out but that is all. 3. Could the CD player be malfunctioning because of some jiggery-pokery done to the wiring when/if the stereo was swapped for the older Aux jack enabled model? GD

Tempo's are TEH HAWTNESS! I nearly lose my sauce every time I see one - amazing body lines too GD

Put an EJ22 in it - they are narrower than the EA82 and I know at least a couple Gen 1 EA82 conversions (with frame rail trim). That little thing would haul with 130 HP AWD. GD

Actually the stop leak is a silca compound that if properly used turns to glass under heat and pressure. Works quite well, unfortunately it's difficult for the shop monkeys to use properly. My point is that there are just as many reasons for Toyota and Honda to not be on the list - I guarantee it. If there aren't now, there sure will be when those damn Prius's start to age and people find out what the batteries for them cost GD

I can downshift without it. You just have to double-clutch. Transmissions didn't always have syncro's young-un! :-\ GD

Yeah, stuff's expensive in Canada from what I saw in victoria and vancouver. But that was a small section of the country as a whole and prices probably vary quite a bit. Might be cheaper in the frozen north. Indeed though - $65 is about going rate here too for regular shops - dealer is around $75 to $90 depending on *which* dealer and what they are working on. GD

Hmmm - yes very important to have the insurance square. That can straight ruin your life if you don't make sure it's proper. Talk to the primary if you aren't it and have them confirm details with the agent. It's also only $40 to rent a dolly from U-Haul..... GD

Yeah those are a biotch - depends on the config of your compressor (inboard or outboard). I've found that getting a size larger in V belts usually helps with situations like that. Sometimes the aftermarket ones aren't quite right in size. I was recently spoiled doing the belts on my new Legacy - ribbed belts for his pleasure! GD

Most insurance policies cover cars automatically that have been "just purchased". As for it being dangerous - you could certainly make a case for that I suppose. But as long as you take it slow, don't do it durring heavy traffic (late at night is best), and turn on the hazards you should be fine. Tow-strapping a car is dangerous too - but I've done it dozens of times without incident. GD

The truth hurts sometimes. Sorry ladys. GD

How is it blown? If the disc disintigrated then the engine will freewheel. If the PP fingers are toast or the cable snapped then you can drive it just fine. I've driven my lifted wagon with no clutch. Start the engine in 1st and just rev match your gears. Once you get to the freeway it's no trouble at all. GD

Heh - yeah that's 100% accurate. I wasn't complaining about the tensioner - just noting that even though it looks very similar it's designed quite different obviously. Reused my 130k tensioner on my 94 because I just couldn't afford the $97 for a new one. OUCH! Been working on a 2.7TT A6 for the last couple weeks. Just over 100k and it needs about $1500 in parts just to get it into leak-free DD condition. Not to mention a month of Sundays to do the job GD

Realistically the phase one EJ25's only have about a 20% failure rate for the life of the car. While this IS high, it's nowhere near enough to do a full recall for it. They redesigned the HG's (6 times ) and went out of their way to create a specially formulated additive to correct the ones that had minor leaks. In large part this HAS resolved the issues. It's *just* a HG job - it's not that big of a deal in the scheme of things. The engines run well otherwise and it's really not difficult to replace the HG's, nor are they major mechanical parts. Yes it is unfortunate, but I see many, many phase one 2.5's for sale with 150k+ and nary a leak to be seen on the original gaskets. Naturally you never hear about those though. Cars are expensive, and NEW cars doubly so. If you can't take the heat get on public transportation I say. It's always going to cost you more (time, money, whatever) to adopt new technologies than it is to use proven tech that is a couple teirs down from the top-of-the-line. Businesses have known this for years - take the IT industry for example - businesses don't buy the latest generation of computer equipment. They buy the "best price point" and they don't upgrade software till the kinks are worked out of it. It irks me that people want to early adopt products on shear impulse and then rant about how it's not "perfect". But they never learn and just keep doing it. Sad really. GD

Even spendy dealer shop time (Infinity, Lexus, etc) is around $80 an hour. Their quote (even assuming a 4 hour job) puts it right at $125 an hour - that's outragous. GD

Not with Subaru - many of their parts there is no decent aftermarket versions of. You can get the parts, they are just inferior. Also the Subaru dealers tend to be very reasonable on PARTS. Labor of course is another story and most shops tend to bid older cars very high - they have less recent experience with them and they don't like to wrench on high-mileage stuff as they are more prone to "collateral breakage". Also they are typically owned by poor, whiney folk that can be more trouble than they are worth (literally $$$). GD