Gripes about the BRZ
 

-Paper thin front windshield. I don't know when, where or how I got it, but there's a small ding in the front windshield. I know that it's only going to get worse in the future and develop into a crack across the whole windshield. -Auto windows. They both don't go up/down together. I have to push one first and wait a few seconds before I can press the button on the other one. -Crickets. After almost a year of owning this vehicle, I still get the crickets. -Cold weather. The windows refuse to work when the vehicle gets too cold. -Bumper. The left side of my bumper where it meets the fender is loose. The dealer refused to fix it and said it was because the bumper wasn't smooth so it's causing that 3-4 cm gap. -Headlights. Cheap plastic. I hand wash my vehicle and there are tons of tiny little small scratches on the headlights. You can see them at night when the headlights are on. -2nd gear grind. My 2nd gear has been grinding ever since I owned the vehicle. It's not as bad as before, but it still grinds. Other than that, I still like the vehicle...but these are issues Toyobaru need to address.

it gets cold in houston?

It's a lightweight sports car. Glass is heavy.

Both my windows go up and down at the same time, and they work even when there is snow outside. I suggest seeing your service department or trying the window reboot scheme.

Agreed. Toyota and Subaru need to recommend to dealerships new service routines for vehicles having 2nd gear grind or having trouble getting into gear when cold.

There's a fix for the auto window operation (not the cold weather issue). http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30560

yes 30 degrees is cold for us ;)

Paper thin windshield.......... I'm so glad that it is not a monster piece of glass that weighs twice the amount of the current windshield. That is what insurance is for. In many states, Windshield replacement is a full paid insurance item. Even if there is a deductible that cost $50 or $100 dollars, I would rather have a very light windshield...no matter if there is a higher chance that it could crack.

.. until some meathead comes to replace your windscreen and whilst removing the silicone sealant with his knife, puts scratches in your pillars which you don't see and leaves you wondering in 5 years why you're starting to see rust around your screen.

At least he didnt whine about it being slow...

I been driving my car in 30 degree weather, no issues with auto windows, crickets are there but not annoying, and 2nd gear only grinds when the car is still cold.

Today, a big ass gravel rock hit my windshield but I didnt have any cracks, and my headlights have ZERO swirls because I use clean rags that dont have dirt in them and I always use the "Two bucket wash method".

no matter what car you get into, they ALL will have compromises/quirks, especially a sports car on a brand new never before seen chassis in it's first year

Wtf is crickets?

fuel pump squeak sounds. Basically it is a chirping that can be heard in the engine bay. I have yet to have them with 3500 miles on the car.

I agree with the windshield as I recently discovered the chip on mine.

I also agree with the power windows issue.

The chirping is normal. It does not bother me, however, I had the dealership replace the high pressure fuel pump under warranty. It solved the crickets issue for about 2500 miles and now it's back.

Thick or thin makes no difference when it comes to getting a chip in your windshield.
A crack all the way through is another matter.

Indeed to whole car has some issues with getting pitted, dented, etc from stones. It's a price to pay for a low-cost lightweight sports car I suppose. A clear bra can doa lot for the headlights and bumper/hood, but the windshield (I notice mine is already pretty bad after 900mi) is just going to have to be something we live with.

As for the "Crickets," I think there are two types that people refer to. One was a design flaw that has been fixed on new production, but may need to be done if you have a older car. The other is the fact that it sounds a bit like a diesel at idle. This isn't unheard of in other DFI cars as far as I know. It kinda sucks when you pull up to an intersection next to an outside restaurant or something and your awesome looking car sounds a bit like a TDI Golf :lol:

Windshield - seems like luck. I have no problem with them currently.

Windows - you may have faulty windows, mine will go up and down at the same time driver/passenger side

Crickets - I have them, and yes they are kind of annoying.

Head lights - I had them wrapped with 3M with 60% tint, looks bad ass and protects them.

2nd gear grind - I read in the fluids/oils section that if you change out your tranny fluid to a high performance fluid (which you should any ways and get rid of OEM fluids, IMO) it fixed the 2nd gear issue. Huge topic about it, may be worth a read.

The crickets have NOT been fixed. There was a revised pump which is a short-term fix (the issue reappears). That is it.

Windshields happen, I'm coming to this car from a Jeep Wrangler (flat windshield), I've been replacing windshields once a year for as long as I can remember. Get full glass, they come to you, you stand there while they fix it (or you can do a drive-in place), not really stressful.

I found that if you drive the engine hard it seems the crickets go away for a while...

Window fix already noted here, but one I recently came upon...you can't shut both doors at the same time. It causes some sort of push of air and whoever is weaker will end up having to reshut their door. At first I thought the wife was just being girly with the door but then I realized it wasn't the case. Not really a catastophe.

I just don't drive mine. Problems solved. Takes me forever to get to work though...

navigation screen has QC error
 

MY screen has a green dot, meaning a damn DEAD pixel.

I think thats pretty ridiculous.

The engine noise is a little unsettling. My 03 impreza makes some noise but it never made me worry. Like it just sounded natural and you got used to it. The BRZ makes some weird ass noises that are far from the usual boxer quirks. :(

I'm getting a truck for work.

I think DD'ing a brz can be hard on the tires because mine are gone fast and tire rotation back to front tires messed up the handling, having less treads to grab on. I'll probably need new tires and another clutch by the summer.

My biggest gripe - can't shut the nav system off! WTF was Subaru/Toyota thinking? Why is it impossible to disable or shut this system down? It would not affect the cars driveability whatsoever. There is so much light coming off this screen at night I can hardly drive after dark. I am having someone make me a custom cover so I can block it out. Should be noted as a SAFETY item by the manufacturer. Just STUPID engineering by geeks who are always looking at computer screens.

Is there no brightness setting for the screen either?

It is bright, isn’t it?

The NAV display has a bright and a dark option, a DAY/NIGHT option; I use the dark option for night use since, as you say, it is too bright otherwise.

Mostly, though, I do not use it at all.

I turn it off altogether, leaving the panel dark and no longer the dangerous distraction that it can be.

Here’s how one turns it OFF:

Press the AUDIO button and HOLD it until a special “display” screen comes up. In the upper right corner, as I recall, there is a soft button labeled OFF.

Press this OFF button, and the display will go entirely dark and stay off.

...

You owe me a beer. ;)

You can turn down the brightness using the light toggle knobs left of the steering wheel column.

@Pete156 Hold down the audio button until you get the display options. You can change the brightness levels (they save individually for day, night, and night with interior lights at max), and on the top you can turn it off completely (audio stays on, only display turns off). There is also an option to override the current day/night mode.

There is also an option within the unit menus to tie the day/night mode to headlights or time of day.

I have it saved with Day and Night with interior at max saved to the highest level, night saved to the lowest and it's perfect.


This all reminds me of one of my gripes. The car has auto headlights, but doesn't turn them on with the windshield wipers. I don't think I've seen that before. Usually with auto lights they know to go on when you turn the wipers on, and I think it's a legal thing in most areas (though the DRL's might suffice legally). It would be nice if they came on automatically with the lights, but left the nav screen to use the light sensor.

I have replaced mine at $250 a piece deduct, TWICE in 2 months....

Time to get a better insurance plan.

I never noticed, because I never trust those kinds of auto features. I always turn my headlights on manually when I need them, and off when I don't, it's not like it's something your messing with several times while your in the car.

I hate that the doors don't stay open when you open them all the way, they "bounce" back on any hint of an incline.

Yeah, this is a weird one that I forget about all the damn time! I'll park my car in front of my house, open the door, put my left leg out the door, then SLAM! My left leg is now cut off and has rolled underneath my car where the crickets have eaten half of the now detached foot.

I haven't had any issues with the windshield cracking. You just need to stay back a bit from other cars, especially trucks, on the interstate. I cracked 3 windshields back when I had my S2000 and it drove me CRAZY:mad0260: All were on the interstate, but I was never that close to another vehicle. After cracking the 2nd one I changed my comprehensive insurance over to a $0 deductible for glass/vandalism. Still a pain, but what can you do.

Low slung sports cars are naturally going to get wear on the front from road debris/sand blasting. Its not a fault of the vehicle. If it bothers you that much there are plenty of solutions out there, like the aforementioned protective paint/headlight coverings, i.e. "clear bra".

I've been having a problem with my window switch, as a few others have mentioned. The passenger switch (on the driver's side door) doesn't like to activate the "auto" down/up feature. Gonna have the dealership look at it soon.

Otherwise my complaints, inherent to the car's build, are:
-heavy flywheel
-boring/too quiet exhaust/engine noise
-too slow

This adjustment does not affect the Nav screen

You're right, I thought it would thanks for the clarification.

I would owe you a beer if this actually worked. My system does NOTHING when I HOLD the AUDIO button. No Display screen comes up. WTF?

That is strange. Does yours say "DISP" just above the button? Holding it for 3 seconds or so you should get a couple of options on the top and bottom of the screen. The majority of the screen stays the same.

-the third brake light really gets in the way of seeing things in the back. it obstructs a lot of the headlights of cars behind me. wish it was integrated into the roof instead.

-radio and electrronics turn off after you push the engine start/stop button. sometimes i want to park and listen to the radio a bit more before getting out for work

-i'm only 5'8" but getting into the car is cumbersome. probably need to get an arm rest support myself as i lunge in. i'm currently trying to use the ebrake when it's up but that thing is so hard.