toby.jhnsn

Yeah I filled the front diff to the top of the level plug at the time so shouldn't be any issues there. Used the factory manuals to do the work - torque to spec etc.

The issue I was describing happened today as I was reaching the top of a hill with traffic lights. I braked a little as I got to the top of the hill - when I let the brakes to come to a stop that's where I noticed the strange surging issues. I would expect the car to come to a slop with smooth deceleration but it felt like the CVT was grabbing a bit (slowing the car down too fast) before letting go. It definitely felt different to when the car puts the brakes on during adaptive cruise - really hard to describe it to be honest. Its quite possible that I may have convinced myself there is an issue when there isn't but I'll do the upper engine clean and see how I go - might drop by the dealer at the end of the week before work goes back and see if they can give it a quick test drive and/or give me a spin in another 3.6R to see if the issue is also there (although it'd be a newer model). One other thing I have noticed is that if I start the car and immediately put it in drive (sometimes I forget to wait a second) it clunks into gear quite loudly and jerks the car a bit, even with the brake applied. I notice that if I wait a few seconds before doing it it goes into gear much more smoothly.

Cheers for the detailed help... Overall the CVT drives relatively smooth once acceleration is steady, but at low speeds its a bit jerky - also sometimes breaks the car during deceleration, especially up hill. and then seems to let go as it decides that it wanted to change gear ratios. It just doesn't feel right at times and that is what's been giving me suspicions about it. I did my own servicing about 4 months ago which comprised an oil/filter change as well as front and rear diff service. Although the fluids where not Subaru they were high end and met all the specs required as per the manual. I have been worrying myself that the diff servicing may have been somewhat related to this but I believe that its highly unlikely. I used Castrol Edge 5W-30 engine oil and Castrol Sytrax Universal Plus 75W-90 for the front and rear diff. Drained and topped up the diff fluids until overflowing out of the fill plug on a level surface so don't see any reasons for this to be the issue. What I did however neglect to do was the upper engine cleaning procedure. I was not aware that this was required until a friend mentioned it to me shortly after but thought I may be able to get away with it until the next service. The car does seem to idle a little roughly, although its barely noticeable and I really only notice is as a slight feeling sitting at traffic lights - no real noticeable change in rpm or anything. I will take your suggestion on performing the cleaning and see how it goes. I think the upper engine cleaner will require an engine oil change though no?

Thanks for the feedback guys... I have double checked my oil and its a little under the full mark so I guess its not that - however, some of the symptoms in that tech tip do sound similar to what I believe I am experiencing.

Yeah... really not sure if its in my head or not but it definitely drives quite differently from the 2.5L Outback, albeit they are different year models and makes. Not sure about the CVT extended warranty in Australia as there doesn't seem to be anything published about it online. Have emailed them to ask. I have also undertaken the CVT reset procedure available online which involved disconnecting the battery, turning the car to the on position and off a couple of times etc. Not really sure this made a difference and if its applicable to non US variants.

Hi Guys, I've owned a 2015 3.6R for close to two years now - it currently has about 68,000 km (42,000 miles). I have always felt that the CVT was a little jerky at low RPM and realise that this is really just a nuance of they way they behave. Its pretty annoying in stop start traffic, although I can get around it with careful throttle control. I have also never really been a fan of the manual paddle shifts as they seem to cause the car to lurch a bit between shifts - it just doesn't feel right. Recently, however I feel that the 'jerkiness', for lack of a better word has become worse, not only at low RPMs but also under heavy acceleration. I have noticed that as the car winds out and reaches the simulated shift points it tends to jerk a bit as the CVT changes gear ratios. The feeling is almost like the change in acceleration you feel when using the paddle shifts, but not as strong. I have noticed this during the normal 'I' driving mode and I haven't tested it in the sports modes to see if its there. I recently drove my mother's 2017 outback (2.5L) with only about 20,000km, and although this is a completely different engine and CVT I was hoping to find that it behaved similarly. This was not the case though - the CVT felt much more refined and smooth, with hardly any hesitation or jerking. What are your experiences with the 3.6R CVT? Is what I'm experiencing normal behaviour? Perhaps a symptom that arises with more kms? Potentially a software issue that could be flashed out? Any help/feedback would be great. Thanks!