Tweedbean

Yes it charges but only at 0.5A so if you're using it as a satnav & playing music etc you'll probably find it still drains, but slowly. I use a usb port in the 12v outlet which charges significantly faster

Since day 1 my gearbox has not been acceptable in its operation. 1st to 2nd has always been crunchy, 2nd to 3rd intermittently crunchy and general gear selection poor. It would often clunk all the way to the back axle when engaging first which is a sure sign the clutch is not fully breaking and is dragging. The car went back to Toyota twice for "adjustment" with no improvement. I fitted Redline MTL oil and had Abbey fit MTEC shift springs. A little improvement but not significant. I read on the FRS forum about altering the bite point lower and tried this. Whilst it improved driveability it actually made the problem worse and the placebo effect soon wore off.
 
I have been convinced from day 1 that the issue owners experience is clutch drag. Have experienced this so many times on bikes with cable operated clutches if the cable is not kept well lubricated and adjusted.
 
Yesterday at The Trundle I sat in Subota Boys car and felt his clutch - ooer ! Totally different to mine. After he sat in my car we both agreed that my clutch felt like it had air in it. I was all prepared to do some bleeding this weekend when today I strayed across an excellent website. Read it through a couple of times and it all made sense. Watched the video a couple of times and the guy actually has a clutch assembly on the bench to show you what to do (same as moving bite point). I set my clutch this afternoon EXACTLY how he says and double checked it. The actuator is on top of the clutch housing so you don`t need the buddy he mentions to check actuator operation.
 
I have just been out for a spin and can`t believe the difference. Bite point is probably now higher than from when I got it but gearchanges very very good. You can just feel the massive improvement. No baulking, no crunching and much much smoother. The pedal is more solid and feels exactly how it should, not like it has air in it.
 
I highly recommend anyone with the crunchy nut gearbox to try this. It is just a 10 minute job. Read the website and watch the video a couple of times. The setting is quite critical it would appear. Perhaps this car is quite sensitive to the set up and a general assembly at the factory is not sufficient ?
 
I`ll keep you posted but so far very very impressed.
 
Toyota could do with taking note of this site:
 
http://www.jackstransmissions.com/pages/clutch-drag-kills-synchros
 
and the video here:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vYJxQyjIhUw

As long as battery is disconnected shouldnt be any issue. Why wait 15 mins though? It'll proba take you 30 mins to swap them anyway

You only get problems if you go for seats with out the Airbags or Pressure sensors in. 
 
Will be fine going from cloth to leather. The car sees them as no different. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Toyota-GT86-Subaru-BRZ-RHD-Arm-rest-Armrest-/381109958004?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item58bbec7574
 
claims to be genuine and less than £100, my one came with it and I can safely say that I'm glad it's there, would be uncomfortable without it especially on the longer journeys

99% sure that's correct Nige
 
Wouldn't make sense for Toyota to build a completely new loom just for cars with the heated seats option

18x9.5 all round? How does it feel compared to stock Kev? Can you still get the tail out and stuff?

Rota Torque in Hyper Black 18x9.5 et 35 wrapped in Contisport 5's 235x40x18

Wanted to get a before and after of the exhaust. So these videos are with the resonated mid pipe that comes standard with the Invidia    [TUBE] [/TUBE]   [TUBE] [/TUBE]   Tomorrow will be the same videos but with a straight (unresonated) mid pipe   Watch this space!

Couple of updates from the weekend
  1st off was to finally sort out my ride height. As the coilivers have settled over the weeks, I kept looking at the car and thinking that the front was too high and the back was too low   So, I put the front down by 10mm and raised the rear by 10mm, resulting in her sitting perfectly     Alignment will be done again on Friday before the final round of TSS at Rockingham on Saturday   Then it was time to get some rear tints sorted, something I've wanted to do for a while   Had to build some ramps to get into the workshop though....     Went for 20% on the rear 3 windows and the finish is top notch       And it meant I was finally able to get rid of the 5 year warranty sticker...which is probably the only part left on the car covered by warranty!  

I went for the following kit to use with the DA:
 
Dodo Juice Buff Daddy DA
Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Detailing Spray
Hexlogic Pads 4" in Orange, green, white, and black
Lake Country 3.5" Dual-Action Backing Plate
Detailing tape 
Menzerna 250ml Sampler Polish set of 4
 
 
I leart using the Junkman videos on youtube.   His channel can be found here and it covers everything from a 2 bucket wash to polishing to applying wax:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvqM4p ... g656WLmuOg

Worth a watch, here are the videos around his polishing technique, be warned he talks a lot and they are very long: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP-eAddv2sk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_0nr6XPEHM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyJYtYhz9RQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0rbZOeNN4o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuGMg0wwo6E

I was looking at the STI brakes from the impreza.  Interested in refurbing a set and giving them my own personal twist.  

Noticed your thread about lowering on the other site. If you want the same ride height as Pitman, Spec K and myself it's only a 25/20mm drop IIRC. Which is good because anymore and you can compromise the handling as it messes with the geo. We all run Tein Streetflex with EDFC Active Pro. Spec K and Pitman run 6/6kg whilst I run 5/6kg. I should add Rob has the exact same setup as me. 
 
At that height it doesn't seem to be an issue in regard to clearance unless you have high square speedhumps in which case you'll need to run a wheel over them as it will scrape your exhaust if you put a wheel either side of the hump! I manage okay. 

So earlier in the week I booked a test drive in a GT86 for today, which has meant I have spent the week excited about finally driving one of these after talking about them for the last 6 months.  Last night I got a call from Toyota to say someone had crashed the demo car so I would need to rebook for something later in the week.  As someone who doesn't give up that easily, I met up with Rich this morning and rang around a number of dealerships until we managed to find a GT86 ready for a test drive in Nuneaton.  Before I went out for a test drive I had a good look around the car and I was happy with what I saw.   Negatives first, no leg room and small boot opening which I dont care about.  The stock headunit looks pants and needs replacing.  Styling wise inside and out they have done a great job.  There is a lot of leather inside which is good and the build quality isn't a let down and I would say is at least on par with the R56 in terms of materials and build quality.    Now onto the test drive itself, I have seen a lot of reviews by car people/magazines saying its an amazing car, others have said it just doesn't have enough power.  I went in with none of this in mind as I wanted to make up my own mind based on what I experienced.   The guy from the dealership was happy for me to drive it how I wanted to, so off I went and straight away I can say it isnt slow, it may not be a fire breathing monster however for what it is and what Toyota set out to create, it has enough power.  It felt as fast as a Cooper S for me, these are 200bhp, although it didnt have that kick in the back you get from a turbo, it certainly didnt feel sluggish.  It also made all the right noises, it had drama, from the moment you press the push start button there was a burble of an exhaust then when you rev'd the engine the cockpit was filled with noise from the engine bay courtesy of a sound tube piping sound from the engine bay.  That boxer engine makes a great noise.  When it came to corners you could feel the back end slip easily without me pushing it in the wet today (in a controlled way).     This car has the drama I wished my Clubby fJCW had out the box.  When I got back into my clubby, it felt silent, just no drama, no noise, all the things the GT86 had.  One thing it took me most of the test drive to realise ,which is a little annoying, is that I drove it like my clubman.  I expected power in the lower rev range, however once I realised the power in this engine was up high in the rev range, it suddenly clicked and I found power I didnt realise was there.  I saw enough on that test drive to seal the fate of my Clubby.      So all my local Toyota dealerships have my details and are trying to source one for me.  Options wise, for me I am only interest in the alcantara seats, although if I can get one cheap with cloth seats, a set of bride reclining seats may be purchased  I am going used as I am going to modify this car heavily so there is no point in getting a new one for me.  Colour wise I decided today after seeing both colours in the flesh that it has to be white or orange, no other colours will do.     First major mods would be to remove the spoiler and fit a TRD duck tail type one, a set of wheels and coilovers.  Then future mods would include a turbo/supercharger kit and I am 70/30 on a rocket bunny kit which is a irreversible mod as you have to cut away the arches to get it to fit.  

Good write up especially for people looking to buy an 86.

Glad you had fun today!
They are fun on the road but wait until you take it on track, that's when I really "clicked" with mine.Awesome cars.

Hope it's not too long before you find something!

Awesome write up and glad you enjoyed it! The fact that you are loving it already as stock, reckon you'll have a whale of a time when you start modding it!

So earlier in the week I booked a test drive in a GT86 for today, which has meant I have spent the week excited about finally driving one of these after talking about them for the last 6 months.  Last night I got a call from Toyota to say someone had crashed the demo car so I would need to rebook for something later in the week.  As someone who doesn't give up that easily, I met up with Rich this morning and rang around a number of dealerships until we managed to find a GT86 ready for a test drive in Nuneaton.  Before I went out for a test drive I had a good look around the car and I was happy with what I saw.   Negatives first, no leg room and small boot opening which I dont care about.  The stock headunit looks pants and needs replacing.  Styling wise inside and out they have done a great job.  There is a lot of leather inside which is good and the build quality isn't a let down and I would say is at least on par with the R56 in terms of materials and build quality.    Now onto the test drive itself, I have seen a lot of reviews by car people/magazines saying its an amazing car, others have said it just doesn't have enough power.  I went in with none of this in mind as I wanted to make up my own mind based on what I experienced.   The guy from the dealership was happy for me to drive it how I wanted to, so off I went and straight away I can say it isnt slow, it may not be a fire breathing monster however for what it is and what Toyota set out to create, it has enough power.  It felt as fast as a Cooper S for me, these are 200bhp, although it didnt have that kick in the back you get from a turbo, it certainly didnt feel sluggish.  It also made all the right noises, it had drama, from the moment you press the push start button there was a burble of an exhaust then when you rev'd the engine the cockpit was filled with noise from the engine bay courtesy of a sound tube piping sound from the engine bay.  That boxer engine makes a great noise.  When it came to corners you could feel the back end slip easily without me pushing it in the wet today (in a controlled way).     This car has the drama I wished my Clubby fJCW had out the box.  When I got back into my clubby, it felt silent, just no drama, no noise, all the things the GT86 had.  One thing it took me most of the test drive to realise ,which is a little annoying, is that I drove it like my clubman.  I expected power in the lower rev range, however once I realised the power in this engine was up high in the rev range, it suddenly clicked and I found power I didnt realise was there.  I saw enough on that test drive to seal the fate of my Clubby.      So all my local Toyota dealerships have my details and are trying to source one for me.  Options wise, for me I am only interest in the alcantara seats, although if I can get one cheap with cloth seats, a set of bride reclining seats may be purchased  I am going used as I am going to modify this car heavily so there is no point in getting a new one for me.  Colour wise I decided today after seeing both colours in the flesh that it has to be white or orange, no other colours will do.     First major mods would be to remove the spoiler and fit a TRD duck tail type one, a set of wheels and coilovers.  Then future mods would include a turbo/supercharger kit and I am 70/30 on a rocket bunny kit which is a irreversible mod as you have to cut away the arches to get it to fit.  

So earlier in the week I booked a test drive in a GT86 for today, which has meant I have spent the week excited about finally driving one of these after talking about them for the last 6 months.  Last night I got a call from Toyota to say someone had crashed the demo car so I would need to rebook for something later in the week.  As someone who doesn't give up that easily, I met up with Rich this morning and rang around a number of dealerships until we managed to find a GT86 ready for a test drive in Nuneaton.  Before I went out for a test drive I had a good look around the car and I was happy with what I saw.   Negatives first, no leg room and small boot opening which I dont care about.  The stock headunit looks pants and needs replacing.  Styling wise inside and out they have done a great job.  There is a lot of leather inside which is good and the build quality isn't a let down and I would say is at least on par with the R56 in terms of materials and build quality.    Now onto the test drive itself, I have seen a lot of reviews by car people/magazines saying its an amazing car, others have said it just doesn't have enough power.  I went in with none of this in mind as I wanted to make up my own mind based on what I experienced.   The guy from the dealership was happy for me to drive it how I wanted to, so off I went and straight away I can say it isnt slow, it may not be a fire breathing monster however for what it is and what Toyota set out to create, it has enough power.  It felt as fast as a Cooper S for me, these are 200bhp, although it didnt have that kick in the back you get from a turbo, it certainly didnt feel sluggish.  It also made all the right noises, it had drama, from the moment you press the push start button there was a burble of an exhaust then when you rev'd the engine the cockpit was filled with noise from the engine bay courtesy of a sound tube piping sound from the engine bay.  That boxer engine makes a great noise.  When it came to corners you could feel the back end slip easily without me pushing it in the wet today (in a controlled way).     This car has the drama I wished my Clubby fJCW had out the box.  When I got back into my clubby, it felt silent, just no drama, no noise, all the things the GT86 had.  One thing it took me most of the test drive to realise ,which is a little annoying, is that I drove it like my clubman.  I expected power in the lower rev range, however once I realised the power in this engine was up high in the rev range, it suddenly clicked and I found power I didnt realise was there.  I saw enough on that test drive to seal the fate of my Clubby.      So all my local Toyota dealerships have my details and are trying to source one for me.  Options wise, for me I am only interest in the alcantara seats, although if I can get one cheap with cloth seats, a set of bride reclining seats may be purchased  I am going used as I am going to modify this car heavily so there is no point in getting a new one for me.  Colour wise I decided today after seeing both colours in the flesh that it has to be white or orange, no other colours will do.     First major mods would be to remove the spoiler and fit a TRD duck tail type one, a set of wheels and coilovers.  Then future mods would include a turbo/supercharger kit and I am 70/30 on a rocket bunny kit which is a irreversible mod as you have to cut away the arches to get it to fit.  

The OEM Impreza STI Brembo kit is great value for money in my opinion! 
 
Cost £600 to get them on the car with new pads including refurbish. 
 
They stop very well, i've never had over heating issues on the road! I've done a 20 minute Snetterton Session and didn't have any problems and Maz has done the sprints on them and not had problems. 
 
They stop very well, looks great, bigger discs and a good price. The low weight of the GT86 helps a lot! 

I am pretty lucky the salesman recognised my Clubby which was nice and he is a mini nut so he is happy for me to give it a proper test drive.  He certainly didnt take it easy test driving my car to give me a trade in price.   

Agreed, unlike some people, I wasn't wowed by my test drive, the sales guy did let me floor it a bit but until you are by yourself and you really throw the car around corners, you won't truly appreciate the car for what it is, a true drivers car.

Dont fill your hopes up too much or set high expectations for the test drive. You will find the engine feels quite gutless coming from mini's, and you dont appreciate the car in the fullest with a salesman sat next to you.
 
The sounds generator sounds very odd on the first couple drives, now I dont notice it. Everything else is pretty good, interior quality isnt as good as mini either.
 
I still prefer the gt86 to my purple mini though.

So the clubby is looking a little different right now, from this, one of my shots from a magazine feature recently:
 
Tweedbean MM-2090739 by miniFOO UK, on Flickr
 
To this:
 
2009 fJCW Clubman by tweedbean, on Flickr
 
The car has been fully parted out and back to stock, which can mean only one thing, I am getting ready for a new project   I have been to look at a couple of GT86's this week and I have a test drive booked in for Sunday at my local dealership as I havent driven one yet.  I was happy with the interior and exterior look of the car in person so I am hoping the drive lives up to expectations.