Scion FRS / BRZ Issue Compilation and Questionnaire

[EL_to_TBD]

Hello Everyone,

I recently joined this thread after many months of following it, and a few years of following this car.
I have spent many hours looking through all the threads and compiling the problems that I thought were important or "real" issues in my eyes.
I hope to either buy the FR-S/BRZ or an S2000 but I am undecided so I would like your help in making my decision!
At this point I do not think I could buy a car with ALL these issues but I highly doubt that a late model vehicle has most or even many of these problems.

The following is a chart that I compiled which shows the issue, the description/symptoms and a potential solution (if it exists) and a link to a thread from this site that applies. This is roughly in order of how much this problem concerns me.

I would be buying one made this year (i.e. build date after Jan. 1st, 2013) so if you own one made this year or very close to it, I would really appreciate if you could let me know the following info about your awesome machine:

1. Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT-86?
2. Build Date
3. Mileage
4. Issues that your car has (to make it simple you can just reference the "issue number")
5. If you did have the issue, was fixed and how (again by number)?
6. Any updates to my information in terms of fixes / New major issues / TSB's THAT WORKED on your car, etc.
7. If you knew about the issues you have now before you bought it, would you still buy it?

1. CEL / Idle Drops / Stalling
   CEL, various codes, idle dipping and stalling
   ECU Reflash? http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21868
2. Resonance at 70 MPH
   Resonance drone sound from rear
   Rear diff. replacement http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10986
3. A/C Chirping (1)
   Tweet sound about every 15sec. when on, comes from compressor engaging/disengaging
   White lithium grease on pulley? http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...1&postcount=58
4. ABS/TCS light on
   Lights come on, limit vehicle speed
   Wheel speed sensor/BAS http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26737
5. Whining noise during clutch engagement (1)
   Occurs usually at higher rpm when releasing clutch; worse when clutch is slipping
   None http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19308
6. Cricket Engine Sound (5)
   Cricket noise on driver side from HPFP, often after hard driving
   Use ethanol free gas/ lubricant until permenant fix found
7. Oil Leak (1)
   Burning smell & oil leaking from cyl. head plate
   Remove and re-seal(?) http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26197
8. Vibration Noise under load
   Vibration sound above 3,000 rpm
   Sound tube rubbing against intake manifold. Remove/isolate http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...9&postcount=13
9. Transmission Grinding (3)
   Grinds from 1st-2nd, sometimes others
   Replace trans? Trans/Diff. Fluids - Pentosin http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8437
10. Sheet metal holes (1)
    Rear 1/4 near rear wheel well has holes allowing moisture/dirt/salt in
    Sealant? http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29193
11. Light Condensation (2)
    Rear lights exhibit serious condensation inside housing
    Dealer / Factory Fix http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21868
12. Window Squeaking (1)
    Squeaks on driver passenger side after raining
    Replace Seal? http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11417
13. Driver side window rattle
    Window rattles in full up position
    Resetting? http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15844
14. Gas cap not opening
    Takes 2+ attempts to open
    White lithium grease? http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31067
15. Clutch engagement clunk
    "Clunks" when depressing and releasing pedal
    No updates since 9/12 http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11266
16. Trouble Starting
    Ignition does not work on first/multiple attempts
    None yet http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22351
17. Passenger Auto Window Switch (1)
    Will not operate as quickly as driver side, sometimes significant delay or loss of function
    Potentially resetting it? http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=160
    New switch? http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30560
18. Rear Shelf Rattling (3)
    Popping sound from rear shelf/trunk area
    Lube and punching weld http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21868
19. Rear Shelf Buzzing
    Buzzing from rear shelf, often at speed
    Tighten/pad wireless transmitter http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=358267
20. Trunk Rattling
    Rattling sound coming from trunk in general
    Fix in place with sealant; Insert loose trunk release handle http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...8&postcount=38
21. Popping Sound from rear
    Pop over speed bumps, low speed bumps
    White lithium grease on latch http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=366
22. Grommets not installed
    Jack point & rear strut opening grommets
    Get from dealer & install http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11523
23. Quickly Worn Floor Mats (2)
    Easily worn mats in short period of time
    None

I will try to collect and organize the responses into a list of "occurrences" but I may not have time for this.

I really appreciate any help you can give me , and hopefully this will put myself (rabid FT86 fan) and other people like me into a higher level of comfort and maybe one of these sweet cars

Thanks,
Andrew

EDIT 4/6/2013: Entered in number of occurrences of each issue in red, collected from the 8 responses I have so far (all built pre-2013 as far as I can tell). Looking for post-2013 build dates! But all responses are much appreciated!

[roddy]

1. FR-S
2. April 2012...car #02955
3. 21,000KMs
4. #6...annoying as hell. Shell 91 w/o ethanol, or Sunoco/Petro Canada 94 with 1-2 oz of good quality 2-stroke oil for a full tank will stop the chirp. There is some debate as to wether this should be done or not, and the dealer wouldn't like it, but 1 or 2 ounces per 50 litres is not going to be enough to foul spark plugs/cat. converters/O2 sensors.
#9...pentosin fixed this for me.
#10...Don't plug the holes. Some of the ones in the link look a little sloppy, but they're there for drainage. If you look under one of these cars, you'll find those holes all the way up the rocker panel (4 or 5 on each side). If you plug them, any water that gets in can't get out.
#12...Clean glass rubbing on damp rubber will squeak. Normal as far as I'm concerned.
5. Nothing really to be fixed until/unless they come up with a cure for the crickets.
6. I believe there is now a TSB for the crickets in Canada, but those that have had it done in the USA have reported the crickets come back shortly after the "fix" was done.

[Tintiot]

Scion FR-S
#07696
11kMiles
#3. it is there, never thought much about it, might take it in for review when it gets warmer
#5. no clutch here, but the gearbox whines under heavy loads. no answer yet
#6. still no solutions. no matter what gas i put in. only one was tank appeared to be the right one, but it was 500 miles away.
#11. fixed by dealer one side only
#12. have it every time it rains. it should not be there.

[strat61caster]

1. Scion FR-S
2. Build Date 12/12
3. Mileage ~7,000 miles
4. Issues that your car has None, or at least none that I plan on fixing.

[EL_to_TBD]

Originally Posted by roddy

1. FR-S
2. April 2012...car #02955
3. 21,000KMs
4. #6...annoying as hell. Shell 91 w/o ethanol, or Sunoco/Petro Canada 94 with 1-2 oz of good quality 2-stroke oil for a full tank will stop the chirp. There is some debate as to wether this should be done or not, and the dealer wouldn't like it, but 1 or 2 ounces per 50 litres is not going to be enough to foul spark plugs/cat. converters/O2 sensors.
#9...pentosin fixed this for me.
#10...Don't plug the holes. Some of the ones in the link look a little sloppy, but they're there for drainage. If you look under one of these cars, you'll find those holes all the way up the rocker panel (4 or 5 on each side). If you plug them, any water that gets in can't get out.
#12...Clean glass rubbing on damp rubber will squeak. Normal as far as I'm concerned.
5. Nothing really to be fixed until/unless they come up with a cure for the crickets.
6. I believe there is now a TSB for the crickets in Canada, but those that have had it done in the USA have reported the crickets come back shortly after the "fix" was done.

Awesome, thanks! It's good to see that you do not have too many issues, especially considering yours is an early model.

For #6: I figured this is the only fix right now until they figure out what's wrong with the fuel pump. The TSB just replaces it with the same part #!
#9: I hoped that Pentosin would work. Anyone else try Pentosin? And what was the result?
#10: Are you sure this is for drainage? How would water get in there if those holes were sealed?
#12: So you think it's a design flaw? Some of the videos show this being pretty damn loud.

[EL_to_TBD]

Originally Posted by Tintiot

Scion FR-S
#07696
11kMiles
#3. it is there, never thought much about it, might take it in for review when it gets warmer
#5. no clutch here, but the gearbox whines under heavy loads. no answer yet
#6. still no solutions. no matter what gas i put in. only one was tank appeared to be the right one, but it was 500 miles away.
#11. fixed by dealer one side only
#12. have it every time it rains. it should not be there.

Thanks! Do you know your build date (I believe it's inside the door??)?

#3: If it's loud at all, this would drive me nuts. But I could just crank some tunes.
#5: Have you tried changing tranny/diff. fluids?
#12: I agree. Maybe the seal needs to be replaced?

[EL_to_TBD]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

1. [B]Scion FR-S
2. Build Date 12/12
3. Mileage ~7,000 miles
4. Issues that your car has None, or at least none that I plan on fixing.

Thanks.
So you have none of these issues??
Or some of them, but they don't bother you?

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by EL_to_TBD

Thanks.
So you have none of these issues??
Or some of them, but they don't bother you?

I'm sure there are some people who would have rushed my car to the dealer at the first hint of a chirp but it's intermittent, doesn't bother me and has gotten quieter over the miles.

Some owners would have taken my car in 2 or 3 times to try and fix something (an intermittent pop, burning smell, extremely minor condensation around the edges of the taillights which is normal for all newer cars) but I don't see the need. It works as designed and nothing has given me any worry. I'll check for the oil leak when I do my first oil change in the next month, if a noise becomes annoying I'll figure it out.

It all depends on how anal retentive you are.
I bought a ToyoBaru, not a Lexus :happy0180:

[FR-S Matt]

1. Scion FR-S
2. #13151
3. ~4500 miles
4. #6, #9 only when it is a pure cold start (plan on fixing with pentosin)
5. Nope
6. Word on the street, new part # for a new fuel pump will be out to resolve #6. Trying Pentosin for #9

[EL_to_TBD]

Great, thanks.
And a new pump would be awesome. It should just be a matter of time!

[Bonburner]

I get no chirps if I use Chevron - Mobil works too but engine is rougher with Mobil than Chevron.
Issues:
Occasionally passenger auto up doesn't work
2 strips visible on the outside of door windows
Rear deck rattle/pop once in a while
Floor mats - just buy weather techs

everything else I don't have/ meant to (ie. the transmission, it has 'crunchy'/'bad' feel at the beginning of cold starts because of how good it feels after being warmed up)

[EL_to_TBD]

Cool, thanks.

I am hoping I see more people like you without too many issues.

Gona add another question above: would you still buy the car with the issues you have?

I suspect most would say yes.

[FR-S Matt]

Originally Posted by EL_to_TBD

Cool, thanks.

I am hoping I see more people like you without too many issues.

Gona add another question above: would you still buy the car with the issues you have?

I suspect most would say yes.

These "issues" are more annoyances than actual problems. Neither of my issues affect my car being extremely fun. This car is worth it, and the problems people mention are overdramatic drama queens who hear one sound and freak out thinking something is wrong. Even looking through the most major issues, they're really pretty minor.

[roddy]

^ Agreed. I would buy one again in a heartbeat. The crickets do drive me nuts though.