mhoran89

I just had the CVT oil service performed on my '10 outback 2.5 @121,495 miles. I have a sample of the fluid that came out of my car if anyone wants to see the test results tell me where to send it. To my knowledge this is the first time the service has been performed. I have had no issues with the transmission or car thus far. I met a lady with a similar car with 297k miles with original CVT that has been serviced every 60k, so it's possible to make it to high miles.

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!

I also did the drain and fill. One time driving the slipping happened for few times. I thougt - that is it.. Will need to change the CVT. But since than some few thousand km it's all ok. Have the old oil in bottle and will send it to lab. The old oil is 150k km.

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.

What's the history of SOA with fluid changes? Think back to the change interval for motor oil. It has been revised based on experience. It used to be that on turbo engines you could use regular oil and run it for 7K miles under certain conditions. This has changed, all turbo engines are now under severe driving interval, with 3750 mile change interval and synthetic is the recommended oil. So, as consumers, we're watching out for long term reliability and not becoming a stat. Therefore I would argue that at any point outside the warranty period, if you drive your car in city traffic, it might be a good idea to have a fluid drain and fill prior to the 100K mark. This doesn't have to be rocket science and the fluid change isn't that difficult either; it is in the realm of a shade tree mechanic doing it.

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).

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....

Not planning to until the 60k visit. I had a 2003 LGT 5MT wagon forever, and I really like this CVT more than I thought I would.

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.

45,000 miles on my 2013 Legacy 2.5i CVT, and it's perfect; I drive it pretty hard. Car is bone stock, so no extra torque from any mods is hitting the tranny.

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...

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

Because from a customer satisfaction's standpoint, as little maintenance as possible always scores big.

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...

My 2011 Legacy had the CVT replaced at 85k km and now has 134k km on it. So, the new CVT only has 49k km on it. The maintenance page on Subarus web site recommends doing the fluid at 96k km as part of the major service.

 

I've had 4 Honda vehicles before this and always changed the transmission fluid once a year. Yes, I know it's overkill but my transmissions have been running smooth and thankfully without issues thus far - (178k km on my 05 Odyssey).

 

Anyway, my question: Is there any reason to not do the transmission fluid in the CVT before the major service at 96k km? Would there be harm if I wanted to do the transmission fluid once every year? Or once every 2 years?

 

Thanks.

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....

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...

No retrofitting...just buy these led housings and literally just swap out the oem housings for the led ones. 15 minute job tops

Ahh I'm going to hate my already huge AMEX bill even more...

That settles it. Thanks!

The transmission fluid exchange would be done while the engine was running, with the transmission operating as well. The pump would be pushing out the old fluid and sucking in the new fluid. This is how a total fluid exchange is done, and normally needs right around 13 quarts for a trans that holds around 10.

In your case, the fluid you have now is 60% new mixed in with 40% old.

Good to know. I need to get my fluid out to Blackstone, just been way too busy right now.

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?

Can you clarify, what did the machine look like? Are you sure it wasn't a fluid exchange system, meaning a transmission flush machine?

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).

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.

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.