Tommy G

So...I just got back to the car after doing some shopping to find both drivers side doors dented and my drivers mirror pushed all the way forward. The rear door has a 1-2 inch long vertical dent (not TOO bad, but can be seen quite visible when looking along the door), with the front door dent being pretty obvious and missing some paint. I spoke with the Westfield Security who don't even have video surveilance of their carparks, so not much I can do to find out who did it. The car was previously in mint condition, and it just makes me so angry that someone would do this without leaving a note. The MOST annoying thing is that its probably not worth losing my no-claim bonus over to get repaired under insurance. Any panelbeaters around Blackburn/E. Suburbs Melbourne who would have a guess as to how much for a respray of the two side doors/fender if required? (cash job). Cheers, Tommy

Hi, I currently have a series 2 Stagea with cloth seats (see photos). I've been wanting to get some properly fitting seat-covers for it, but the leather re-trim option sounds even better to me. Firstly, are you able to get front/rear seat leather retrims to suit the Stagea and will they fit over my seats? Are they the same price as above? Cheers, T

I sent Just Jap a big email explaining the probs I faced with the stainless 3" front pipe. Hopefully in subsequent productions they will resolve the probs, or release a manual and an auto version of the pipe if this is indeed the issue. Speak to Darron or one of the other guys at Just Jap - they may be able to put the 1" bend in the pipe for you before you pick it up???

You'd recommend the heat-wrap? I haven't used anything on mine - I'd hate for anything to melt or burn because I haven't shielded something...

Thanks Rinmak, Phew - doesn't sound too serious by the sound of that. T

$1150 Just Jap, Kirrawee. Best price I could find anywhere.

Aftermarket cat-back is a breeze to install - have a go at it yourself, seriously. You should get an exhaust place to fit front pipe IMO. You couldn't pay me enough to go through the pain of fitting up the front-pipe again

I haven't had any probs with scraping yet - mine is sitting at std factory height though. Is your car lowered?

Hey All. I have an almost 'buzzing' sound when in neutral and pressing/depressing the clutch in my '00 model Stagea RS-Four Type S. Everything still appears to work okay, but I thought I'd put the question up here incase this is a sign of something more serious. It seems to be worse when the car is cold, but it did it the other day randomly after a big drive on the Hume at 110km/h. Would this most likely be the clutch, or transmission or a belt somewhere or...?

Hey Fellas, I fitted the full exhaust system up last week - bought it all from Just Jap at Kirrawee. Can't recommend these guys enough. Awesome pricing and very helpful/friendly. I was lucky enough to get access to a friends diesel workshop in my week off work, and the hoist and great tools made things heaps easier. It took us about 2 hours to get the factory exhaust out and cat-back exhaust fitted up, but we had a few head-aches when trying to put the new JJR front-pipe in! As was mentioned earlier, it seems the orientation of the big 3" pipe doesn't quite line up with where the factory front pipe runs, so gets seriously close to the x-member under the gearbox (well, it is in my manual RS-4 S anyway - is this different for autos and if so does this front pipe fit in no worries?). I have no doubts that the pipe would have 'hit' the cross member when driving around. Anyway, after taking the front pipe off and putting it back on again literally 4 times, we decided it wouldn't fit. We took it up the road and had the pipe bent about 1 inch horizontally towards the passenger side of the car so as not to hit the x-member. After that it all fitted together superbly once we took off the cat-bracket and bent to a new shape. Really happy with the result. Word of warning - if using the new gaskets, make sure you use some 'gasket-goo' or other high-temp silicon to seal the pipes - I had a few 'leaks' between various pipes and had to unbolt everything so as to fix it which took ages. The HKS Silent Hi-Power is a tremendous exhaust for anyone considering a hi-flow system. It actually sounds pretty loud around town (I can only imagine how loud the standard hi-power is!) But at idle, or cruising on 100-110km/h it isn't too droney at all. Very nice at steady throttle, with a bit of burble and growl when accel/decellerating. The Catco 3" cat is very nice also. Power is now up noticably, and the highway fuel econ has improved from 9.6L/100kms to 8.9L/100kms to boot! Just gotta replace the O2 sensor now - the existing one looked pretty charred when I took it out. Anyone know where I can get a new replacement cheaply?

Got a new one - all sorted.

Thanks fellas. I'll give it a shot, and if I get stuck I can always take it up to an exhaust place/mechanic. Sounds like a bit of worry re the x-member as I have a manual also. Oh well, we'll see what happens.

Hey All. I'm currently running Vortex fuel in my RS-Four Neo. We do a lot of interstate travelling and I'm wondering if there would be any adverse effects of using regular unleaded. Is this just a bad idea?

Just wondering if any other Stagea owners here have purchased/installed the JJR 3" Front pipe and/or catco high flow 3" cat? Are they terribly difficult to install yourself? I might be able to get access to a proper car-lift. Is it just a case of getting under there and undoing bolts? Cheers.

Hi Chef, Just wondering which city you're in/near? I am fairly interested in the exhaust (turbo-back) and cooler. Can you tell me what brand it is (cat/muffler/front pipe etc), and if work was done here or in Japan? Also wanting to know what sort of condition its all in (ie how many km's each item has been used for etc) I have an S2 with a Dayz front-bar. Would any cutting/fabrication be required to fit that cooler, or would it drop straight in? Are you able to send me the dimensions of the intercooler? (I'm guessing its not 100% sold yet) Many thanks.

Not exactly a Volvo story, but was driving past a taxi-rank the other day and got 'hailed' in my yellow Stagea! The bloke looked pretty ticked off when I didn't give him a lift. Anyone else had a similar experience?

Thanks so much to everyone for all your advice. Just two questions; 1. Regarding air-filters... Is there a noticable power/intake difference between a full-on 'pod' setup and just using a factory-fitting high-flow panel? I'd like to keep the engine bay looking fairly clean (and be able to get it through inspections!) I know pod-filters sound cooler, but would they really 'suck' twice as much air as the factory airbox with hi-flow panel? Has anyone done any dynoing to compare? 2. Dump pipe... I can get a 3" pipe through Just-Jap for about $180. I'm not planning on doing any major mods to the car (planning on keeping the factory turbo and just upgrading intercooler and computer). Would installing a dump-pipe be necessary in my circumstance? (i.e should I just get a hi-flow cat and muffler) or would the dump pipe be really worthwhile?

2000 model, stock standard Stagea Type S; Averaging 420-450km to a tank around town. Got 9.6L/100km on the Hume Hwy to Sydney last month. That sound about right? I thought the highway consumption was not too bad (still pretty dodgey around town though ).

That's really interesting about the manuals running 10psi - I have never really been able to tell what pressure mine's at. The factory gauge indicates around -7mm/Hg at idle and about +3mm/Hg under hard boost. (Would be heaps easier to read if in psi or bar) You sure got a lot of gear for your money - good hunting. How loud is the big exhaust when upgraded with dump pipe, highflo cat etc? We do a lot of interstate driving, so a loud, droney exhaust is going to be a no-no. (thus the suggested HKS 'Silent' : ) What sort of 0-100 and quarter mile time would you estimate you get from your setup, D?

Anyone got one of these they'd like to sell? http://www.hks-power.co.jp/products/exhaust/muffler/lineup/31019an010.html

I got my 2000 model Stagea a few months back, but have got to say that after owning a 180SX previously, I'm finding the big rig a bit low in the mumbo stakes. At this stage the car is stock standard (just turbo-timer). I am wanting to know what other people have done performance-wise (on a budget) to improve their power. I was thinking; * HKS Hi-Power Silent Cat-Back Exhaust ($1150) * Hi-flow Calsonic Air-Filter (not pod-type) ($100) * Cooling Pro Stealth Intercooler. ($550) The above will net about $1800. I am reasonably handy - how hard would this gear be to fit yourself? How much could I expect to gain? (10%, 20%?) Any comments or suggestions welcome!

Hi, Just wondering if anyone knows where I can get the above cast-back exhaust for under a grand (if possible). I have seen the S1 systems for $999 at Boostbitz, but the cheapest I have been quoted the S2 is $1500!!! (I'm guessing this is pretty much the same for any new gear coming in to Oz as a result of the current economic situation/ex rate).

I wouldn't hold your breath...I asked the same thing about 2wks ago and stilll haven't heard back.

I'm having a bit of trouble finding any new HKS Hi-Power Silent Systems for the Series 2 Stagea in the country. (Code # 31019-AN010) http :rolleyes:/www.hks-power.co.jp/products/exhaus...1019an010.html I can order it from Japan, but with the freight/conversion rate etc it would be way too $$$ey. Anyone know where I can get one here?

Awesome. Thanks everyone.