CVT Transmission

[TKZ]

Hello All,

 

I wanted to gain your thoughts on the Subaru CVT. I have had geared transmissions over the years. I have never had an issue.

 

I hear that the Subaru CVT is not usually repaired, so if issues develop, they "recommend" replacement. This seems to be an $8k replacement item.

 

Is the Subaru CVT servicable?

 

I keep my cars a long time. The thought of possibly needing a new $8k CVT is about as appealing as having a $2k LCD electronic instrument cluster go bad and need replacement on a fancy Lexus!

 

It makes me second guess the servicability for a new Legacy.

 

Thanks,

 

TK

[Max Capacity]

In the Gen Chat forum there is a sticky for vacation Pix's that will get you to the service manuals.

 

I haven't heard a lot of issues with them, other than early on in 2010. But there were very few issues even back then.

 

The http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/ may have more history for you.

[Pilot1226]

Generally speaking they’re solid. There was a modification to the torque converter in October 2013 via TSB. Apparently the washer style in MY2013 and older back to 2010 when first introduced was prone to failure, and the TC wouldnt unlock.

 

The chain is solid. I haven’t heard of a single instance of the chains breaking. That’s the meat and pita of the transmission. The weak point is the computerized valve body that can get gunked up with sludge.

 

The jury is out long term because Subaru has no suggested drain and fill interval unless you are towing. Hard to imagine the fluid can outlast the engine in their mind.

 

The turbo Forester and the 3.6 versions are a high torque CVT.

[TKZ]

Thank you for the commentary on the Subaru CVT. It seems pretty reliable.

 

My current car is a 1998 Volvo S70 and love the simplicity of the car. For the same reason, I like Subarus.

 

For The Subaru CVT, it seems like a good idea to do transmission fluid changes for the CVT rather than letting that go.

 

Glad to hear that you are having good luck with the Subaru CVT. Very encouraging for sure.

[Pilot1226]

See I’m not sure I would do the changes. The unit is sealed. If I do a fluid change I am introducing air and potentially dust/pollen etc into it. Also any sediment at the bottom of the pan will potentially get stirred up when I introduce the new fresh coolant.

 

It’s a tricky scenario. I don’t know what to do. So I’m planning on trading in my car when the extended warranty expires at 100-105k.

[wbrawley]

The turbo Forester and the 3.6 versions are a high torque CVT.

 

What about the WRX Limited with CVT? High torque or regular?

[Setnev]

Other than the fact that Subaru issued a warranty extension of the torque converter for the CVT that seemed to fail prematurely on the 2010-2013 models, they are pretty reliable. If you're a purist when it comes to transmissions, you're not going to enjoy how the CVT behaves. It makes it sound the car has a very bad slip in the transmission. The NA cars do not benefit at all from the CVT, despite what Subaru and the EPA says. For example, Subaru and the EPA state that average fuel economy on an 09 Legacy 2.5i with the 4EAT is 22 mpg, however in independent driver reports, it is 27.4 mpg. Compared to the 2010, which was the year the CVT was introduced on that model, EPA states 26 combined and independent testing reports 26.1 mpg.

 

So on paper, yeah the CVT gets better fuel economy, but in real life testing, the CVT is accurate to the paper claim, but the 4EAT and 5EAT have consistently bested the EPA estimates by 5-6 mpg. In fact, my 99 with a 4EAT gets 24-26 mpg combined while the EPA states I should get only 21 mpg.