OhBud Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Hello all, Am new to the forum. Have a 2013 Legacy 2.5 CVT and the transmission has started making a clicking sound that is directly proportionate to the wheels turning. My mechanic told me the sound is coming from inside the transmission and my local Subaru dealership confirmed that it is indeed the transmission. It's at 103,500, so 3500 miles past the 10year/100k extended warranty, and Subaru of America is doing zero for me. Have started used transmission shopping and have come across JDM transmissions, but their TR580 letters are different than American sold Legacy's. Does anyone know what the correct JDM transmission numbers/letters that will correlate to my TR580KHDAA? Or any other numbers/letters that will get me the correct unit? They already sold me the wrong one and have to bring it back. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexmed2002 Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 I'm gonna be honest, I would personally dump the car or trade it in. The price for a used tranny + the labor is gonna be expensive, plus a used CVT won't last you long at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgoodhue Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 (edited) I have no idea about the JDM transmissions. What is the problem with the JDM transmission that you bought and have to returned? It looks like on the Subaru parts catalog that the 2013 TR580 CVT shares its part number with 2013 only. (I don't know if that means that only 2013 CVT are only interchangeable.) Do you have evenly worn tires (same tread depth all around)? I would hate to see you replace the transmission only find out the root cause is that 1 or 2 tires were replace. Edited May 22, 2020 by dgoodhue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgoodhue Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 I'm gonna be honest, I would personally dump the car or trade it in. It is going to be hard to trade in a car if the transmission is clicking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeuEmMaiMai Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 are you sure it is not an axle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creep_nu Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 are you sure it is not an axle? to be honest that's my first thought as well, but given the general issues with that transmission in general, paired with the fact 2 shops have taken a look at it and said it's the transmission, i'd be willing to be it's that. still a good thing to inspect first though...a pair of CVs are a heck of a lot cheaper than a transmission Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexmed2002 Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 It is going to be hard to trade in a car if the transmission is clicking. Yup, that would be difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhBud Posted May 25, 2020 Author Share Posted May 25, 2020 Thanks for the replies, everyone...but unfortunately it definitely is the transmission. Trading it in is not an option with it's clicking condition. The JDM transmissions all have the an oil cooler mounted high on the passenger side of the transmission and also they have an electrical box on the lower driver side of it...both of these applications don't apply to my car, as told by the Subaru tech and is visually correct when viewing my cars original transmission. This really stinks, as the secondary market for these transmissions are very high and a brand new one installed is $7,300 by Subaru. The JDM's are actually better transmissions and less expensive, as told to me by a Subaru tech, as their engines are also, but out of luck when it comes to their transmissions for a '13 Legacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexmed2002 Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 This really stinks, as the secondary market for these transmissions are very high and a brand new one installed is $7,300 by Subaru. The JDM's are actually better transmissions and less expensive, as told to me by a Subaru tech, as their engines are also, but out of luck when it comes to their transmissions for a '13 Legacy. Wow that's sad. I had a similiar situation with my current 2013 Legacy since mine started burning oil at only around 80k miles (now at 89k miles). The guy at the Subaru dealership told me he doesn't expect these cars to go past 100,000, and he wanted $2,800 to re-seal the whole engine! I'm currently looking for a newer car and I will trade my Legacy in, I know it's only going to have more problems going forward especially with the CVT like you mentioned. $7,300 is absurd for a terribly designed tranny, that's literally what the car is worth... I hope you manage to find a solution, whether it be fixing the car or dumping it. As much as I hate to say it, I sure as heck will never get another Subaru or recommend it to anyone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amusa Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 ^ I have to laugh, sorry. I have a 2013 Legacy. I have over 100k with no issue. I kept up on the AWD service (diff) and I already changed out the CVT oil before (I don't trust lifetime) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexmed2002 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 ^ I have to laugh, sorry. I have a 2013 Legacy. I have over 100k with no issue. I kept up on the AWD service (diff) and I already changed out the CVT oil before (I don't trust lifetime) Lmao CVT Oil http://www.subarucomplaints.com/cvt/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcor Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 When I sold my 2010 Outback it had almost 123k miles on it and no issues. The only maintenance issue I had on it in 3 years of ownership was a starter. Have you looked into a remanufactured transmission? I did a quick Google search and apparently Subaru sells remans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgoodhue Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Lmao CVT Oil http://www.subarucomplaints.com/cvt/ https://www.carcomplaints.com/Subaru/Legacy/2013/transmission/ 1 complaint for 2013 Legacy CVT and that complaint is for excessive noise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creep_nu Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Have you looked into a remanufactured transmission? I did a quick Google search and apparently Subaru sells remans. eh, even a reman is $2500, and there's no guarantee that the overall faults are fixed and you'll have a bulletproof transmission going forward. add in the cost of labor and you're at 50%+ of the value of the vehicle. financially, does it make sense to drop that money on a 7 year old car with 100k miles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcor Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 eh, even a reman is $2500, and there's no guarantee that the overall faults are fixed and you'll have a bulletproof transmission going forward. add in the cost of labor and you're at 50%+ of the value of the vehicle. financially, does it make sense to drop that money on a 7 year old car with 100k miles? It really would depend on how long a person plans on keeping the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgoodhue Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 eh, even a reman is $2500, and there's no guarantee that the overall faults are fixed and you'll have a bulletproof transmission going forward. add in the cost of labor and you're at 50%+ of the value of the vehicle. financially, does it make sense to drop that money on a 7 year old car with 100k miles? Yeah, it starts to not make sense financial especially with the early 5th Gen's to replace the CVT. You have start to look at the overall mechanical and cosmetic condition the car is in and what the long-term plans are. The 4th Gen 2.5i Legacy are like this with the inevitable head gasket leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creep_nu Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 yep, just depends on what you want to do. i spent the better part of 50% of the value of my car refreshing my engine and clutch and etc not too long ago, and will be spending some money soon on paint work. does it make financial sense? not a lick of it, but i plan on keeping this car forever, and the investment makes sense from a sentimental and longevity standpoint in my books. dropping that money might not for OP, and he might be better off ditching the car and using the $4k or whatever plus whatever he'd get for a trade in as a down payment for another car, just entirely depends on their situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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