May 24, 2026

Radiator - post scripturm

There’s a postscript to the radiator replacement. Less than two weeks after that saga, I was just driving the Forester like nothing had ever happened when suddenly huge clouds of smoke started pouring out from under the hood. This is what I found when I pulled over:

The hose for the turbocharger coolant expansion tank had split open along a 3 cm section. Everything was covered with coolant. It’s a shame nobody noticed it during the radiator replacement, especially since the hose was obviously badly swollen. Naturally, the cooling system immediately got air trapped in it, and the engine started overheating quickly. I drove back home. Even though I only had a few kilometers to cover, a lot of coolant was lost - 2.5 liters. As luck would have it, I had a spare hose that I bought together with a new expansion tank for the Type-R:

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April 29, 2026

Mini H1 Bi-xenon

Today I found a bit of time to do a conversion of JDM headlights to bi-xenon. The original headlights aren’t suitable for use on our side of the road, so the conversion seems like a good idea. I ordered a kit from HIDRetrofit, which includes:

Mini H1 bi-xenon projectors,
Mini Gatling Gun lens shrouds,
X35 12V35W digital HID ballast kit,
H1 NextGen 4500K bulbs,
CAN-bus decoder (probably unnecessary).

The new wiring harness is made quite neatly, (almost) all connectors are waterproof Superseal types. However, the layout itself is poorly thought out and doesn’t make for a tidy routing in the engine bay. Number 1 in the photo below is the power supply from the car harness, 2 is the bulb connector, and 3 is the high-beam solenoid connector. No matter how hard you try to arrange and fit it, 2 and 3 end up almost at opposite ends of the loom. The solenoid connector is of particularly poor quality, to the point that the pins in the left projector completely fell apart and I had to solder those wires permanently.

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April 15, 2026

A Crime Drama in Three Acts

Act I - Introduction
A detective and his partner: an aging veteran and his alter ego, twenty years younger. They make a perfect duo. One night, he watches her onstage in a local pub, playing with a band, radiant with life and joy. It’s the moment we understand she won’t survive the next scene.
Act II - Confrontation
A murder with no witnesses, no clear motive, only a symbol left at the crime scene, connected to a series of unsolved cases. The detective falls into an obsessive state, trying to solve the mystery of his partner’s death.

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April 10, 2026

83082FA110OE, 83082FA090OE - NLA

This is a story similar to 90871FE040 – NLA. Unfortunately, the GC8 has reached the point where certain parts have simply become impossible to obtain. That’s exactly the case with 83082FA110OE and 83082FA090OE - the window switch housings for LHD facelift coupes.

Admittedly, having the switches the wrong way around is a small thing, but it’s one of those details that separates an OK car from one that’s truly worth remembering (or so I’d like to think).

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March 10, 2026

KK 5550V

For years I’ve had a keen eye for licence plates. Back in the UK I’d find myself, almost subconsciously, checking them all the time. You get so many good ones. Pure vanity aside, plates like “B16 BOB”, “BO55 MRK”, there are matching his-and-hers sets, initials, business references. Some can get super creative as well. I remember when we had windows fitted and two vans showed up with something along the lines of “S4 SSH” on one and “CA5E WIN” on the other.

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December 31, 2025

Maintenance: 2025 Impreza Log

2025 06 20

64983 km

Engine oil change (Motul 300V Competition 5W40),
Air Filter Replacement,
Pitch stop mount,
Engine mount,
Throttle and intercooler air duct hose,
Brake fluid and clutch fluid replaced.

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December 31, 2025

Maintenance: 2025 Forester Log

2025 02 05

327784 km

Engine mount subframe.

2025 04 18

331741 km

Wheel alignment.
Door triangle gussets,
Passenger side window mechanism.

2025 05 24

332430 km

Engine oil change (Castrol Edge LL 5W30),
Air filter replacement,

2025 10 30

342351 km

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December 31, 2025

Maintenance: 2025 Type-R Log

2025 10 16

154703 km

STI 2.0 N14 Spec-C Short Block,
Clutch Release Bearing,
STI Oil Pump,
Heat Exchanger,
Right Inner Timing Belt Cover, Impreza GT,
OEM Subaru Timing Belt,
Timing Belt Tensioner,
Timing Tensioner Pulley,
Double Row Guide Pulley,
Single Row Guide Pulley,
Timing Tensioner Mounting Base,
Turbo Water Pump, Three Ports,
1.6mm Head Gasket,
Oil Pan,
Oil Pump Pickup O-ring,
Waterpipe O-ring,
Small Valve Cover Gasket,
Right Valve Cover Gasket, Subaru EJ20K,
Left Valve Cover Gasket, Subaru EJ20K,
NGK Spark Plug,
Oil Pump Pickup, Impreza GT/WRX,
Valve Cover Bolt Gasket, Impreza EJ20G,
Exhaust Manifold Gasket,
OEM Oil Filter,
Intake Valve Seal,
Exhaust Valve Seal,
Millers CRO 10W40 5L Engine Break-In Oil,
HTT G11 60L Coolant Fluid,
Camshaft Seal,
Valve Cover Bolt,
Timing Belt Cover Bolt,
Timing Pulley Bolt 8x55x20,
Intake Manifold Gasket, Impreza GT98,
Downpipe Gasket,
Upper Uppipe Gasket,
Coolant Expansion Tank,
Turbo Intake Pipe, Impreza GT 1993-1998,
Knecht Air Filter,
Serpentine Belt (multi-ribbed),
Front Crankshaft Seal.

2025 12 27

155102 km

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December 27, 2025

Preparations for the First MOT

I’d like to think that the wheels of the TDT bureaucracy are grinding away at my application (exemption for the short VIN). In the meantime, I managed to sort out a few things in the break between Christmas and New Year. Hopefully, this will pay off during the MOT prior to the permanent registration.

First, I replaced the headlights. I’ve been hunting for original European spec ones for a long time. So far, I’ve only managed to buy the right-hand one, maybe the left will show up on the classifieds someday. In the meantime, I fitted a Depo aftermarket. To be honest, the quality seems to be very good and, apart from the branding, they’re no different from the originals. I bought the right one with electric height adjustment, so if I ever find a matching left-hand one, I might have an idea for my next hobby project.

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