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mhoran89

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Everything posted by mhoran89

  1. I had 106,500 miles on my 2011 2.5i and those were damn hard miles. Drove it hard and put it down wet. Never an issue other than a slight jerk/grumble in traffic and sometimes at a stop light, but nothing abnormal. I just ditched the car for something german, but the CVT always worried me but never failed me. It's a shame the things fail like this. SOA has always and I mean always helped me out when something serious like this goes wrong. Hell, they even replaced my broken driver's seat frame which was $850 for free and gave me a loaner, 3500 miles out of warranty (I had 5yr 100k). It helped that this was the third Subaru in the family, and I didn't forget to mention that on the phone. All they did was pull up the dealer quote and then told me to drop it off!
  2. Send it over to blackstone labs. Let them know subaru, legacy, 2.5L n/a, 2012, 121,495mi , it's a CVT, first time changing fluid. That's where a number of us have sent our fluid to and if you do the same it will help us all compare and get more data (from the same place w/ the same testing procedures). It's like $20 and under $5 to ship it, I just recommend doing priority or it will take forever. And don't forget to keep some of the sample at home in case USPS looses it. Then give blackstone labs a call in 7-10 days and check to make sure they got it. They are really good and will e-mail you the results with an explanation, and if you call they are always there to explain whatever else you can't understand on their sheet!
  3. Would you be sending it to Blackstone? Would love to see the numbers and compare them to mine. My CVT fluid had around 81K miles on it.
  4. Better be some sick shots going up from WBM on Sunday....
  5. Great points and well said. However from my understanding (and others) dealerships have their special diagnostic scan tool which allows them to see the exact level, something an average mechanic is not able to do. Fluid, level, then driver are the three deciding factors in how long a transmission lasts. (For or CVT or any AT, unlike shredding gears in a MT).
  6. Possibly setting up a separate thread would be good. But then everyone watching this needs to find the new one. and this is on topic and fine. Honestly if you are in getting a $150 service done to your CVT and cannot afford the ~$25 for this then I'm sorry. But they send you the kit for free and then it's like 20 bucks and $3 and change to priority USPS the thing. It's quite reasonable for what they tell you. Don't really know if crowd sourcing the funds is necessary....
  7. Ok. If you hit up Blackstone Labs they will send you the sample bottle kit for free. Would love to see your numbers at 60K.
  8. You planning on changing it anytime soon? If so would love to get a sample and see what Blackstone Labs says. And then compare to my results. Perhaps your "perfect" one will have less metal than mine which seems to "stumble" once in a while...
  9. Well the results are in. Take them for what you want, Blackstone Labs says my fluid looks normal after approx 80K miles of beating the s**** out of it... I will concur I get the stumble at idle as well. However it's usually after sitting at a light for 15secs or so. Perhaps I start riding the stealership about it.... http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab189/mhoran89/2011%20Subaru%20Legacy/E1AA250D-CD87-4CCE-848D-0DECC6E28212_zpse0t0h5fm.jpg
  10. ^^^^ what he said. There aren't supporting components to run an MT. Additionally, it won't bolt on, will require sorting through a birds nest of wires, and different (or custom) tuning.
  11. Very true indeed. Someone buying a reliable, competitively priced, "Jap" car expects relatively low maintenance costs. Unlike when one buys a MB, Audi, BMW, etc. Hard to gain long term loyalty when the stealership and SOA recommends a $150+ trans fluid change every 30K. as far as oil changes, lots of debate, on oils, intervals, filters, etc. Pick one that's tried and true with a good filter. If it's synthetic run it longer if you would like. Best thing to do is send it to Blackstone. They told me my synthetic 5W-30 (Mobil 1 in a 2.5i and I drive HARD) that had ~6200 miles on it only looked like 4900. They recommended running it 8K miles. That scares me but I might run this one 7K and send it to them. Maybe longer if I get lazy...
  12. There really isn't a reason not to do it. I think SOA wasn't planning on guys whacking the paddles and running them hard. Now we are seeing sporadic failures, some after normal driving. CVTs have come a long way but their main drawback is power handling ability. Now we are really starting to see it. (Even in some newer WRXs that supposedly have a beefed up unit). I should know more in 10 days or so from what Blackstone Labs tells me about the fluid. Metal will be present no matter what, because it broke in on the fluid I sent them. What really is important is whether or not the fluid is STILL providing lubrication. Most vehicles on the road use (miles) 45K, 50K, 60K, etc for change intervals. SOA says don't touch it unless you tow (severe duty) and then do it at 100K. I had mine done at approx 80K and the results should tell us a lot. And if they are ugly I will be sure to send a copy of the Subaru dealership's service receipt for the fluid change along with the Lab's results to SOA. And put a call in to them....
  13. And it's off! Shipped yesterday and should be in Indiana Monday!
  14. I've got the sample in the Blackstone kit with me. Now to remember to drop it off and ship it after work today...
  15. Everyone, I have made minor progress. I have my fluid sample in a Blackstone test kit ready to go out to them sitting on my kitchen counter. Now only if I would remember to ship the damn thing. Hoping to hear back within 2 weeks of sending it out. Now for the suspense...
  16. Sorry guys I have been slacking and haven't had a chance to send the fluid out to Blackstone yet. But I did remember to send out my Valentine One for a software upgrade before I got away for Easter vacation. I will try to get to it next weekend if possible. Oh, by the way I'm posting this 36K feet up in the air going over 500mph, LOL. Happy Easter.
  17. OMG I need these. If I already have fogs on my 2011 do I just need the retrofit housings? Or would more parts be required? Thanks.
  18. I have seen this build progress first hand (I work in the same building) and most definitely approve. Great work!
  19. Good to know. I need to get my fluid out to Blackstone, just been way too busy right now.
  20. I am not sure. I could call and ask. The service advisor did mention that there is a pan in the torque converter that cannot be "drained or flushed" so even if they used a machine and siphoned it a bunch of fluid would remain. On my work order it specifically says "drain and fill". Additionally I was billed for 6qts of fluid. That may help determine how much fluid they really replaced. Anyone know the full fluid capacity of the CVT?
  21. I did not see the machine. But they said the fluid supplied was out of my car. And they only changed the fluid, service advisor said no need for a flush. I told them I was sending it out for analysis so I doubt they just grabbed fluid out of a huge tank. The tech verified with me that the fresh fluid goes in a clear blue. This was brown w/ a hint of blue. Anyone know what color other subaru transmissions use? If it's not blue that can help confirm. I believe the "machine" he was referring to is the fancy subaru diagnostic computer; the CVT has no dipstick so when filling it the only way to check the level is through a computer. Does anyone know if the CVT fluid is one in the same as the front diff fluid? Or are they separate? Forgot to ask the dealer when I was there. I called Blackstone earlier, they said no need for fresh fluid, they know what CVT fluid looks like. They stated there will most likely be a bunch of metal in it due to break-in so that's irrevelant. Viscosity, lubricating properties, other materials, etc will be important. I told them their comment on metal is reasonable. This is how I explained it to the guy on the phone, LOL! I said "when you buy a new snowblower and change the oil at 5hrs you expect to see more glitter than a strip club because it just broke in. The subsequent oil change at 20hrs there shouldn't be any. So I understand why metal in the fluid doesn't say much since we are analyzing the original fluid." He laughed and said "yeah, pretty much." But I look forward to getting the results (hope to ship the sample out this week).
  22. Ok guys just got the car back from the dealership. Fluid was changed and they used a machine along with their sophisticated diagnostic scanner to fill it to the correct level. The service advisor was kind of taken back by the color of the fluid. He said the technician was more concerned than him. I did not get a chance to see what new fluid looks like but he explained it to me and the fluid I have with me now (from my CVT) is nothing close to a clear teal blue. It's dark brown with a hint of blue and looks like a drink the devil would enjoy. I am asking a huge favor, can anyone ship me a small sample (a few ounces) of new CVT fluid so I can send both to Blackstone? And I am looking forward to sharing my findings with you. P.S. - I think I scared the dealership lol.
  23. Going in for a CVT fluid change tomorrow at local dealership. I will admit I drive it like I stole it. At 81K and climbing on a 2011. Dealer agreed preventative measures seemed reasonable since I told him they are blowing up left and right. I will also ask for a sample of new fluid, along with my current fluid and see if I can send them both to Blackstone for analysis. They are geniuses over there and I'm sure they will have some interesting results that I will be more than willing to share with everyone here.
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