New Owner Questions
 

Hey guys, new owner of a RS1.0 here #1237/1500.
She only has 16,400 miles on her.
Anything I need to know about upkeep on the car or the best mods to get?

grats & welcome.

use all the info this forum has accumulated for the past 5 years, there isn't anything new about this platform.

asking the forum what mods you should get is like asking a know it all what religion/politics you should adhere to. i wouldn't go there.

Best thing to do right now and to drive and learn it.

Mod AFTER you feel comfortable with the car, also, maintenance before mods!

My first upgrade was tires.

Welcome to the forum!


You already have an awesome car! Follow the maintenance schedule in the manual.


Must have mods IMO, Tint the windows, add a sub, take out the sound tube.




Good Luck!

Cool car. Welcome!

Did you get a service history with your vehicle? If you don't have this or are unsure, I'd change the oil and filter and then proceed with the recommended intervals from there. Your manual should have all of the intervals and things to check at each mileage milestone. DIY section has tons of information if you prefer to due your own maintenance.

I would spend some time with the car stock and research your mods. "Best" is very subjective. Lots of ways to spend your hard earned money so be patient and smart about it before jumping in.

Don't mod for the sake of mods. For now, don't think about mods. Don't go shopping for mods on line. Just get that out of your head for now.

Instead, drive the car for a couple of months. At some point, maybe earlier, maybe later, you'll think, "I sure wish this car had _____." That's when you go looking for mods. Maybe it'll be cosmetic. Maybe it'll be comfort. Maybe it'll be performance. But your growing relationship with the car will tell you what to do to make it yours.

When the new (to you) car excitement has abated a little, THEN you might start looking into the mods other people have done to see if they'll solve a problem for you. But beware of bandwagons. If you see something that looks really cool, let it simmer for a while and reconsider whether you really need it. The only mod I've done that I hated was a stupid bandwagon mod.

Thanks guys, and yes it looks as if the car was maintained very well according to the records and I'll need to look at the recommendations. I heard a lot of owners who buy used get the transmission fluid replaced.

Funny enough, I actually don't get to drive or even see it for the first time for about 14 days. I'm off at college and I purchased it as a graduation present for myself. I cannot wait!

Previously I owned a manual 2010 GT (don't hate) which had a couple light engine and exterior mods, I like to leave things mostly stock until I see a necessity that needs to be filled.

Gorgeous car! Being an RS1, I'd advise to not do any mod that can't be undone, and to not change anything RS1 exclusive.
Sticking to mods that have TRD/Toyota/Subaru/STI/Modellista part numbers is never a bad idea, but any mod you'll want to do depends on what you want to use the car for.
If you track it, having some high quality tires and upgrading your brake fluid will help alot. If you're looking to improve the looks of your car, a good quality coilover setup with a nice wheel package will address the only visual weak point of the RS1.

What made you decide to sell the Mustang and get a FRS (instead of a newer Mustang or Camaro)?

I really enjoyed the Mustang and its straight line speed (4.8-4.9) 0-60 with my light mods and some quick shifts, but over time I found myself not really using the speed so much and just wishing I had a fun car to drive that got better gas mileage (22 on the highway :( )

So combining the price of the newer pony cars and the better fuel economy it was a pretty easy decision to go with a lightly used FRS. I actually almost bought an S2000 for my first car so the FRS is hopefully filling that itch for me.

CONGRATULATIONS on your purchase and welcome to our forum ...... :clap:

Your new car don't need no mods.

Congratulations on your graduation from college and I wish you well along your career path.

(:bonk: ....... the college I attended didn't pay that much for me to afford cars like those ......:iono:)


humfrz

I think you'll do well here. :thumbsup:

Thanks everyone, cant wait to enjoy the car and hopefully run into some of yall sometime. I'll be keeping it as stock as possible as long as I stay happy with it. Planning on driving the wheels off it and taking it to plenty of car meets in the southeast :)

Welcome and congrats on your graduation, I'm only in my freshman year of college so im working towards that as well :)

Like a few other members mentioned, asking us for mods is extremely bias. I will say that in my opinion one of the most attitude changing mods you can get into doing is your exhaust. Plenty of awesome Axle back and catback systems on the market that will completely change the attitude and identity of your ride while not messing with the reliability or anything at all. That would be MY first mod (it was my first mod)

Congrats again on the awesome car.

Edit: Some maintenance advice, change oil pretty frequently. I change mine every 4,000. These cars need attention. Give them what they need and they'll be bulletproof for the most part. I drive the auto with the paddles so this didn't apply to me but sometime take your skid plate off and check general areas for oil leaks as these cars are known for them (cam plate is a huge one if you drive manual, many people replace them off the bat)

I'd also recommend a magnetic drain plug for your car. When you do your first oil change and realize how ignorant and small the OEM drain plug is you'll remember reading this. :)

What? No.

Thanks for all the input guys. I'll probably put some synthetic oil in it as soon as I get the chance just to make sure I start off on the right foot. I will also look into the magnetic drain plug:thumbup:

There's one of those where I park, the yellow is nice.

"I found myself not really using the speed so much and just wishing I had a fun car to drive" is a one-sentence description of the whole idea behind the car, something many find hard to understand. You bought the right car!

Synthetic is the only oil you should use in the car; that's a factory requirement, not an "enthusiast" recommendation.

Re/ another poster's recommendation to add to the car's "identity and attitude,"... to each his/her own. My personal identity is more tied to skills and what I have to offer than to what I look like and what my exhaust sounds like. Same for my car.

Some things I've done to improve performance..

1. I add a cup of sugar to every gas tank. Sugar has a LOT of caloric energy and that's released when it burns. A great way to improve power and efficiency.

2. Even a lightly rubbing brake pad (and they all rub slightly) can reduce efficiency and speed. I coat my rotors with silicone spray before every drive.

3. Do NOT forget to change your headlight fluid at least monthly.

4. You'll notice that the stock seats don't let you slide much, making the car a bit difficult to get into. This also tends to wear out the stitching on the driver's side seat bolster. A great, easy mod is to work a bunch of wheel grease (synthetic if you like red, or regular dark brown/grey is fine) into the seat... gob it on. You'll slide right in.

5. For a sports car, this car has surprisingly good visibility which can ruin the sports car experience. Try putting a bunch of opaque stickers on all of your windows where you'd like to have the expected blind spots.

6. A great attitude/identity mod - place a wireless mic inside the resonator tube, then pipe it through the car's sounds system. You won't BELIEVE the increase in attitude!

7. The air filter really restricts airflow. Remove it.

8. For track days, when you need extra cooling for the engine, add a tray or two of ice cubes to the coolant reservoir. If you make them out of Gatorade, the color matches best.

9. Over time, the car does tend to develop some rattles and buzzes in the dash. I've found that playing the stereo very loudly seems to quiet them. Not really a mod, but surpringly it works; I have no idea why.

10. One last one, for safety. This car is pretty low, height-wise, and you'll find yourself being cut off frequently by SUVs and trucks who don't look down far enough to see you. I put a big advertisement board on top of my roof, like you see on many taxis. Not only did it increase my visibility to other traffic, but I gained another, but admittedly small, income stream. The efficiency hit caused by the induced drag is more than made up for by the addition of sugar and silicone-coated rotors in the first two tips.

Always here to help!

AND.. just in case anyone here is brand new to the planet, it's all jokes.. do NOT put sugar in your gas tank or coat your rotors with silicone. Gatorade ice cubes are a bad idea too, and removing the air filter ain't a good longevity choice either. All the other stuff, if it sounds good, go for it. The headlight fluid is for real.

I was NOT kidding about the synthetic oil.

Congrats on the car. Based on your reasons for buying it, you're going to LOVE it. As a few others have said, routine basic maintenance, drive it for a while to decide what you want to change.. or even if you want to change anything. I put in Sard seat covers, a WeatherTec trunk liner, and 3dMAX floor mats, and that's it on mine. All three were very worthwhile to me.

Best to you!

No.. what? lol

:slap: ........you put waaaaaay too much thought into that ..... :D


humfrz

Taking irony to a whole new level!


https://media.giphy.com/media/b9aScKLxdv0Y0/giphy.gif

Pure genius hahah, thanks for the laughs :thumbsup:

Magnetic oil drain plug is useless since nearly everything is aluminum. Better off just buying a new plug every 5 or 6 oil changes.

I agree change the oil around 4k and always get a new crush washer, research your oil needs for your driving style and area. Don't mod the car except for tires and maybe a catback. I would avoid everything else. Also be conservative with cosmetic mods, that's how you stay classy. Also EVERY time you wash it give her a quick coat of spray wax, it is well worth that extra effort.

Most important is drive carefully since it's a special car and your in a special version so proper respect for the vehicle is key. Enjoy the hell out of it because it is bad ass.

Magnetic drainplug = getting that metal thats in your motor out of it as it shreds itself. Also, the washer design of most magnetic drain plugs (I know the greddy one at least) is so much better. Not a crush washer, less leaking.

Yeah thanks I know what a magnetic drain plug is. They are a waste of money on engines that are nearly all aluminum, I've talked with folks who got them and they don't really do anything on these cars.

If you use a new crush washer which cost hardly anything you won't get any leaks. If you change your oil alot and really want to buy some sort of fancy drain plug might as well go with a fumoto valve. I'm too paranoid of leaks or anything hitting it and causing oil to drain out personally. A simple oem drain plug and new crush washer are tried and true and cheap.

This isn't a Ferrari, it's a Toyota/Subaru, and mostly the latter. It needs just as much attention as any other car. You CAN change oil every 4k, but you don't really need to under normal street circumstances. And changing the oil regularly does not mean a lot of attention. Brake pads last damn near forever, coolant is a 100k fill, and plugs go to 60k or 100k depending on the literature you read. Really a pretty easy car to maintain.

And magnetic drain plug for engine oil??? That's what the filter is for. You only need one when there is no filter.

So I'm guessing this is the magnetic drain plug yall are talking about https://www.amazon.com/GReddy-139013.../dp/B009QKEU7E

So if we were to take a vote is this just super precautionary and uneeded/how many of you actually have one?

Also as of right now the only two "Mods" if you can even call them that I have planned are red brake calipers, and a black decal to fill in the yellow TRD on the rear bumper :thumbsup:

It won't hurt to have it but it's completely not needed for engine oil. Just a waste of money. Way more worth it to buy a bundle of crush wahsers and get a used oil analysis every so often.

I took a handful of the magnets from inside hard drives(which are super strong) and put them on the oil filter.
Same thing as just the magnet plug but better since they are covering more area on top of the filter.
Google pics of "magnets on oil filter" and you'll probably do it too. Maybe it helps a little, maybe it doesn't but
the magnets were free and it sure does pull out a lot of metal. My oil change is coming up in 2 months and
I'll post what 4k miles looks like inside.

That would be great thank you! :w00t:

The one mod that we all need: Floor mats https://www.amazon.com/3D-MAXpider-C.../dp/B00IBOKTTO
There's a place online that sells them $10 cheaper than Amazon though. I think it's autoanything.com.
These things should have come new with the car. They're a perfect fit, function and look good.
Found it: https://www.autoanything.com/floor-m...agu-floor-mats

Never heard of that. Clever

Are you sure that the magnets out of hard drives wouldn't interfer with the ECU (being a little computer) ....??

Could it be that the magnets are simply aligning the molecules in the oil so they slip in between the rods and rod bearings easier .. ??

Maybe the magnets are attracting iron particles and interfering with the oil flow through the filter .... ??

As a follow up to that, does it matter which side of the oil filter you put the magnets on depending if you're in the Northern or Southern hemisphere .. ??

Have studies been conducted to determine whether or not the strong magnets would cause the charge of the electrons within the oil molecule to be altered ... ??

Yep, ol humfrz got sucked in with that old magnetic scheme before ...... and I don't fall off the same pumpkin wagon more that once ...... :confused0068:

:D


humfrz

Water, fire, air, and dirt...Humfrz doesn't know how magnets work.

NSFW science song:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bhYMnHb5JY"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bhYMnHb5JY[/ame]

Well ....... CRAP ........ :eyebulge:

I didn't heed the NSFW and opened up that video.

Of course, the volume was up on HI and two granddaughters were right here ...... :bonk:

So, was ma-ma ....... she is NOT happy with me ....... :sigh:


humfrz

I DO know how magnetics work ......... :popcorn:


humfrz

Aw man, I get one of these. :slap:

Hahah!

Just out of curiosity, how long has everyone had their FRS/BRZ and what have been the biggest maintenance "headaches" you guys have been through?