shoggoth43 Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Exactly. ALL of the maintenance on mine was performed at the Subaru dealer save one simple oil change. If there was something they asked me to do it got done no questions asked. If there was maintenance that should have been done that wasn't done because it wasn't listed somewhere this falls on Subaru not adding this to their maintenance schedules. Mine threw a solenoid code so most likely it's clogged with dirty fluid which probably was never checked, drained, replaced, whatever. It's listed as sealed and no service is required. Clearly this is not the case, although being sealed means you can't easily get at any filters or things like solenoids either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nacron Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Exactly. ALL of the maintenance on mine was performed at the Subaru dealer save one simple oil change. If there was something they asked me to do it got done no questions asked. If there was maintenance that should have been done that wasn't done because it wasn't listed somewhere this falls on Subaru not adding this to their maintenance schedules. Mine threw a solenoid code so most likely it's clogged with dirty fluid which probably was never checked, drained, replaced, whatever. It's listed as sealed and no service is required. Clearly this is not the case, although being sealed means you can't easily get at any filters or things like solenoids either. P0026? I'm getting that too. Bought the oil pressure sensors for both sides as the CEL could be that also and because they are much cheaper first Troubleshooting step Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoggoth43 Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I wish I'd known to try the pressure sensors. But we were getting AT Temp lights and such so it probably wasn't just a pressure sensor. We ended up with the super expensive repair. Subaru and the dealer kicked in the 5k fix to cover the remaining loan on the original car, the bank and I covered the rest of it and the new car. Needless to say I will be having them check the fluids and such in this new sealed transmission. Given their willingness to at least work with us on this, if not flat out cover it, I suspect this is a known issue for them and they will likely be adjusting their servicing schedules to address it. It doesn't help me at this point, but if other people find these threads at least they can have their dealers pull the plug out and replace the fluid before they get whacked with a completely unnecessary repair bill in the thousands of dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gforce13 Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 So what are your mileage and driving habits? I'm trying to gauge what the best interval is to change the cvt fluid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoran89 Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 So what are your mileage and driving habits? I'm trying to gauge what the best interval is to change the cvt fluid. 81K and counting. And I drive it off the rev limiter like I stole the damn thing. Everyone I know says I am the hardest on cars out of anyone they know. And dealer said fluid looked ok a little while ago. I may have my local shop change it very soon for peace of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoggoth43 Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 most of the miles I had were highway driving in the 70 mph range. Didn't usually accelerate heavily. Last year or so there was less highway driving but not heavy stop and go traffic usually other than in pockets. Usually just nonhighway roads in the 30-40 range with the occasional downshift to keep the car from hitting the bottom of the hill at 60+. No telling if certain batches have issues or if they switched the factory fluid during those years or what. Just guessing. I'd certainly have them at least look at it during the "big" maintenance intervals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradze Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 this thread scares me. my plan is to drive my car until the transmission dies. then i will trade it for a 3.6R with a 5EAT and swap everything over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffmazz Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 Update on my 2013 CVT. I now have 96,000 miles. Had dealer change fluid at 75,000 miles (I hope they actually did it). So far the CVT feels and acts as good as it did from day 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orndog Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Did they drain/fill or flush? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoran89 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Did they drain/fill or flush? I second this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 And if they did, how many did they perform? A single drain/refill only replaces part of the fluid. There's a couple ways to do the fluid replacement the right way. Either do several drain and fills, or do it via a fluid exchanger (aka ATF flush). I'm still looking into who has ATF flushing machines that are compatible with Subaru CVT. The best and only ones to use are those that do NOT force fluid in. Basicall, you've got a big bag of fresh fluid being sucked in, and the old one being spit out in another separate bag by the transmission's own pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffmazz Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 They did a drain/fill. The dealer claimed there is no way to flush a CVT as you can a standard automatic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRONZ1184 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Hey wassup guys, my 13 legacy is at 118k miles soon to be 119k... and i recently learned i need a new transmission, it all started when i started to hear a humming/buzzing sound everytime i slowed down, took it to the dealer and the mechanic chked it out, from there they told me it was the transmissiin something is wrong with it... so they called the subaru adjuster or cvt expert and he came and took a look at it and he decided i needed a new transmission... nowni waiting for the new tranny to arrive, im still driving my car though until i get he new tranny installed.... throughout the 2+ yrs that i had my car, ived only did maintainence on the trans 1 time because everytome i asked the service rep i want my trans maintainenced they would say its not time its a cvt it dont need to be maintained that often plus the cars guide book doesnt say when to do trans maintainence... so after 95k i felt like it was time to do it and got it done.... i waiting for another 30k to come and go so i can do the trans again til the problem started to happen.... my best advice do maintainence on your cvt when its due, which i guess its every 30k or 1.5 yrs whichever comes first.... and your best bet to get that done is at the dealer you cant really trust just any mechanic because cvt hasnt been around for long and there arent many that knownabout cvts except the dealer... i dont think they flush the cvt either they drain and fill it up again im not sure though but thats my best bet... hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orndog Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Bronz... CVTs have been around for decades. You'd want either the dealer or an experienced shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 They did a drain/fill. The dealer claimed there is no way to flush a CVT as you can a standard automatic. The only thing you need as far as I know, to perform a fluid exchange, is a drain and fill plug. The CVT has both. The principle is quite simple. Allow the transmission to suck in clean fluid while it is spitting out the old fluid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFLegacy Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 For my 2010 CVT (56K) I guess I am looking at a $2000 torque converter and/or $7000 entire trans change at around 100k miles. Really, the longest lasting midsize car? So get aftermarket insurance or dump at 80k or so. I also have a 2014 Forester that my wife loves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gforce13 Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 For my 2010 CVT (56K) I guess I am looking at a $2000 torque converter and/or $7000 entire trans change at around 100k miles. Really, the longest lasting midsize car? So get aftermarket insurance or dump at 80k or so. I also have a 2014 Forester that my wife loves. What kind of driving do you do? Mostly highway, mostly city, what percentage mix? Just trying to get an idea how city/highway driving affects these CVTs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFLegacy Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Mine has not failed yet,just doing research and not getting that fuzzy feeling that I have a low cost car that will go the distance. It seems to me the risk ($7000+) may not be worth the reward. Love the car but a hand built Rolls Royce trans may be less expensive.Thought about picking up a low mile (<20K) trans from a junk yard and shelving it as a back up.Anyone else getting nervous or am I over reacting. I have seen some high mile examples so its hard to tell what makes them fail.If the CVTs start to fail then Subaru will be in trouble for sure because they went "all in". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxray Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 For my 2010 CVT (56K) I guess I am looking at a $2000 torque converter and/or $7000 entire trans change at around 100k miles. Really, the longest lasting midsize car? So get aftermarket insurance or dump at 80k or so. I also have a 2014 Forester that my wife loves. Not so sure about the insurance. I'm at 55k on my 2010 4 cyl Legacy. Original warranty insurance still in force. Just called for an oil change and mentioned the near stall on stop. Said they would have to do a complete diagnostic, then charge me, but surely it is just something that needs some cleaning, like a throttle body. Insurance won't pay unless something is broken. I.E. they won't find anything but will charge me $150+ so I can get this on the record. I know they won't find anything because it is so hard to reproduce, although it slowly seems to be getting worse. I never bought the extended warranty before because of this game. I won't ever again. Hopefully, my CVT will just continue this irritating near stall forever. If not, and it fails after the extended warranty (6 more months to go), I won't be getting another Subaru again. Other than that, at the 5 year mark love everything else about this car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoran89 Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I know what you guys mean when you say "insurance", but the correct term is warranty. In the industry, there is no such thing as insurance to cover parts that break down due to manufacturer defects or wear and tear. When you say insurance it is taken to mean auto insurance, which never pays for part failures unless there was a covered event. mhoran89, if you do an analysis on the CVT, definitely report back, we'd love to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoran89 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) 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. Edited March 15, 2015 by mhoran89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoran89 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 (edited) Ninja edit. See below. Edited March 16, 2015 by mhoran89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Can you clarify, what did the machine look like? Are you sure it wasn't a fluid exchange system, meaning a transmission flush machine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoran89 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 (edited) 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). Edited March 16, 2015 by mhoran89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now