I have an intact 2.5l out of an 07 forester. Bought it and didn't realize it wouldn't fit my 03. Want to sell, or better yet trade for a good motor for my 03.
Little update here. 211k miles. Now has 30k on rebuild, and made 257whp/277wtq on a very conservative tune from alex at Granite state Dyno. Got new struts and wheel bearing. 6k for mainelysubarus members.
You also have to understand that those "lenient" shops are few and far between now, and those of us that know of them aren't very likely to hand out info to someone we have never met before. The above advice is solid though. The small shops out in the country aren't likely to crawl around under...
You are definitely on wastegate pressure. Is it an EBCS, or just stock? If stock you are probably missing the boost pill in the line from the T to the turbo.