I have a 2015 Forester the CVT had what dealership called catastrophic failure. 54000 miles . Rebuilt transmission under warranty. The car was driven like an old lady or man but i was coming back from a long hwy trip with lots of big hill. The car was hitting some high rpm. The car is running great now. Looking back at 30k I did a drain and fill with Castrol CVT fluid, that might have caused problem.....don't know.
Subaru CVT
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Originally Posted by IMPALA08
I have a 2015 Forester the CVT had what dealership called catastrophic failure. 54000 miles . Rebuilt transmission under warranty. The car was driven like an old lady or man but i was coming back from a long hwy trip with lots of big hill. The car was hitting some high rpm. The car is running great now. Looking back at 30k I did a drain and fill with Castrol CVT fluid, that might have caused problem.....don't know.
The CVT in my FXT started throwing codes and needed substantial work at 80kmiles, so I was very happy that Subaru had extended the warranty coverage for it from 60k to 100k. I had a dealer do a 60kmile service and hassled them about the special fluid my high torque CVT (2.5l Foresters have a different unit) needed and they swore that they knew what they were doing. I took it back to this dealer for the warranty work and forgot to ask them about the CVT fluid when I picked it up, so I called them back later that day. The SA was annoyed with me and said the fluid that went in was as green as the fluid that came out, and I said that was really odd because the high torque CVT fluid was orange. He blew me off and I started to panic...15 minutes later, the mechanic himself called me back and said I needed to bring my car back in ASAP. The SA must have started telling the mechanic what a PITA moron I was and then the latter realized that they had blown it (twice).
So, my car got the wrong CVT fluid at 60k, failed at 80k, and then initially got the wrong fluid again after the repair (can't remember the details but I believe it was some kind of clutch???).
I sure can't prove that the improper fluid led to the CVT damage, but that is definitely my suspicion.
But, as mentioned before, there is a reason Subaru extended the CVT warranty coverage to 100k, and it wasn't generosity.
We are all in with 3 Subaru CVT's in the family now, so I am hoping for the best. These vehicles just make a lot of sense for us given our weather and the steep hills we have to deal with.
I have a 2015 Forester the CVT had what dealership called catastrophic failure. 54000 miles . Rebuilt transmission under warranty. The car was driven like an old lady or man but i was coming back from a long hwy trip with lots of big hill. The car was hitting some high rpm. The car is running great now. Looking back at 30k I did a drain and fill with Castrol CVT fluid, that might have caused problem.....don't know.
The CVT in my FXT started throwing codes and needed substantial work at 80kmiles, so I was very happy that Subaru had extended the warranty coverage for it from 60k to 100k. I had a dealer do a 60kmile service and hassled them about the special fluid my high torque CVT (2.5l Foresters have a different unit) needed and they swore that they knew what they were doing. I took it back to this dealer for the warranty work and forgot to ask them about the CVT fluid when I picked it up, so I called them back later that day. The SA was annoyed with me and said the fluid that went in was as green as the fluid that came out, and I said that was really odd because the high torque CVT fluid was orange. He blew me off and I started to panic...15 minutes later, the mechanic himself called me back and said I needed to bring my car back in ASAP. The SA must have started telling the mechanic what a PITA moron I was and then the latter realized that they had blown it (twice).
So, my car got the wrong CVT fluid at 60k, failed at 80k, and then initially got the wrong fluid again after the repair (can't remember the details but I believe it was some kind of clutch???).
I sure can't prove that the improper fluid led to the CVT damage, but that is definitely my suspicion.
But, as mentioned before, there is a reason Subaru extended the CVT warranty coverage to 100k, and it wasn't generosity.
We are all in with 3 Subaru CVT's in the family now, so I am hoping for the best. These vehicles just make a lot of sense for us given our weather and the steep hills we have to deal with.
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
I'll drive that all day! I loved my ' 71 Fiat 850 Spyder.
Longitudinal 850cc inline watercooled four out back. RWD of course.
About 1000 lbs lighter than a Miata.
Yep,I said One -thousand.
Not mine, but same year:
First thing I think when I see a pic of a car like this is that it looks pretty cool.
Then I remember a story a friend of mine told me about coming upon a little convertible like this near his house and it was upside down.
There was a badly injured guy who was desperately trying to turn the thing over...because it was resting on his girlfriend's head.
My buddy and the group he was with got it righted and were treated to one of the most horrible sights you could imagine.
I can still picture his face as he told me about this...
I'll drive that all day! I loved my ' 71 Fiat 850 Spyder.
Longitudinal 850cc inline watercooled four out back. RWD of course.
About 1000 lbs lighter than a Miata.
Yep,I said One -thousand.
Not mine, but same year:
First thing I think when I see a pic of a car like this is that it looks pretty cool.
Then I remember a story a friend of mine told me about coming upon a little convertible like this near his house and it was upside down.
There was a badly injured guy who was desperately trying to turn the thing over...because it was resting on his girlfriend's head.
My buddy and the group he was with got it righted and were treated to one of the most horrible sights you could imagine.
I can still picture his face as he told me about this...
Originally Posted by Cujet
...
2) Subaru CVT's cannot be rebuilt. That means that repairs require replacement, and replacement costs are very high. It's not unusual to see some Subaru CVT's having a $7,000 replacement cost. The part alone may be $5500 wholesale, depending on model.
...
My FXT's high torque CVT was repaired, not replaced, after throwing codes repeatedly and acting funny in reverse.
I would have to dig up the paperwork to give accurate details, but memory tells me that some kind of clutch in the unit was replaced.
...
2) Subaru CVT's cannot be rebuilt. That means that repairs require replacement, and replacement costs are very high. It's not unusual to see some Subaru CVT's having a $7,000 replacement cost. The part alone may be $5500 wholesale, depending on model.
...
My FXT's high torque CVT was repaired, not replaced, after throwing codes repeatedly and acting funny in reverse.
I would have to dig up the paperwork to give accurate details, but memory tells me that some kind of clutch in the unit was replaced.
When my car was ready the dealership told me if it wasn't for the warranty it would have cost me $10k.....☹ï¸
The question I had for him was is this preventable. They recommend to their customers changing CVT fluid every 42000 or every 6th oil change. This dealership knows I'm not local or a customer,
The question I had for him was is this preventable. They recommend to their customers changing CVT fluid every 42000 or every 6th oil change. This dealership knows I'm not local or a customer,
If the dealer put in the wrong service fluid that error is on the dealer, not the factory. Granted 2014-2015 were problem years and there was a temporary warranty extension for a few years.
The fact that Subaru has two very different transmission fluids that are not interchangeable means I would stick with the OEM fluid for your car model and stay away from universal fluids of any brand. Even Subaru's own ATF is a contaminant if the wrong color Subaru ATF was used. It was a good idea of then to color code the two fluids.
The fact that Subaru has two very different transmission fluids that are not interchangeable means I would stick with the OEM fluid for your car model and stay away from universal fluids of any brand. Even Subaru's own ATF is a contaminant if the wrong color Subaru ATF was used. It was a good idea of then to color code the two fluids.
Originally Posted by 14Accent
If I were you, OP, I would base my decision much more on the driving feel than the thought of reliability..
I guess we never heard back from WhyMe on his decision with this, but to me, this is a wise statement.
You might hate the way it drives and this may or may not have anything to do with the CVT.
Out of the three later model Subarus I owned, the one that was most comfortable and practical for me was my 2016 Forester CVT. I didn't really even think of the CVT on it. I did want to do a fluid change on it given I was around 40K miles on it, but I traded it in for the Ram in my sig.
If I were you, OP, I would base my decision much more on the driving feel than the thought of reliability..
I guess we never heard back from WhyMe on his decision with this, but to me, this is a wise statement.
You might hate the way it drives and this may or may not have anything to do with the CVT.
Out of the three later model Subarus I owned, the one that was most comfortable and practical for me was my 2016 Forester CVT. I didn't really even think of the CVT on it. I did want to do a fluid change on it given I was around 40K miles on it, but I traded it in for the Ram in my sig.
Originally Posted by wdn
If the dealer put in the wrong service fluid that error is on the dealer, not the factory. Granted 2014-2015 were problem years and there was a temporary warranty extension for a few years.
The fact that Subaru has two very different transmission fluids that are not interchangeable means I would stick with the OEM fluid for your car model and stay away from universal fluids of any brand. Even Subaru's own ATF is a contaminant if the wrong color Subaru ATF was used. It was a good idea of then to color code the two fluids.
I agree with that comment about the dealer! Cannot be sure if it caused the failure, but there's no way it helped that CVT.
Subaru's high torque CVT was modified during the 2015 model year to add some kind of internal filter that cannot be added to older units. I once found a place online to check which version a car had by VIN, but I knew that my 2014 had to have the old one.
If the dealer put in the wrong service fluid that error is on the dealer, not the factory. Granted 2014-2015 were problem years and there was a temporary warranty extension for a few years.
The fact that Subaru has two very different transmission fluids that are not interchangeable means I would stick with the OEM fluid for your car model and stay away from universal fluids of any brand. Even Subaru's own ATF is a contaminant if the wrong color Subaru ATF was used. It was a good idea of then to color code the two fluids.
I agree with that comment about the dealer! Cannot be sure if it caused the failure, but there's no way it helped that CVT.
Subaru's high torque CVT was modified during the 2015 model year to add some kind of internal filter that cannot be added to older units. I once found a place online to check which version a car had by VIN, but I knew that my 2014 had to have the old one.
Originally Posted by Ws6
A friend of mine had a 2013? Forester 2.0XT. He mainly used it for road trips. The CVT and air conditioning (compressor, I believe) both died at @87K miles, IIRC. He traded it in and went back to MB because he was annoyed and money isn't really something he worries about.
probably a 14, first year for that particular cvt and engine.
They also commonly received the wrong cvt fluid. even at dealers.. took a different type.
A friend of mine had a 2013? Forester 2.0XT. He mainly used it for road trips. The CVT and air conditioning (compressor, I believe) both died at @87K miles, IIRC. He traded it in and went back to MB because he was annoyed and money isn't really something he worries about.
probably a 14, first year for that particular cvt and engine.
They also commonly received the wrong cvt fluid. even at dealers.. took a different type.
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted by Kira
I believe the CVT designs were dusted off or "redrawn" when we all thought cars would be carbon fiber bodied and have 850cc engines in them.
=.
I'll drive that all day! I loved my ' 71 Fiat 850 Spyder.
Longitudinal 850cc inline watercooled four out back. RWD of course.
About 1000 lbs lighter than a Miata.
Yep,I said One -thousand
Not mine, but same year:
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2020/02/full-27717-40761-71_850_spyder.jpg "[Linked Image]")
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2020/02/full-27717-40762-71_850_spyder_interior.jpg "[Linked Image]")
I remember those early 70s Fiats...my dream car then was a TR-6...or even a Spitfire or MG Midget but the Fiats were nice too.....I don't believe any of them (British or Italian) were very reliable like the Miata. How many miles do you think a well taken care of 850cc Fiat could go?.....was 100K doable in your opinion?
Originally Posted by Kira
I believe the CVT designs were dusted off or "redrawn" when we all thought cars would be carbon fiber bodied and have 850cc engines in them.
=.
I'll drive that all day! I loved my ' 71 Fiat 850 Spyder.
Longitudinal 850cc inline watercooled four out back. RWD of course.
About 1000 lbs lighter than a Miata.
Yep,I said One -thousand
Not mine, but same year:
I remember those early 70s Fiats...my dream car then was a TR-6...or even a Spitfire or MG Midget but the Fiats were nice too.....I don't believe any of them (British or Italian) were very reliable like the Miata. How many miles do you think a well taken care of 850cc Fiat could go?.....was 100K doable in your opinion?
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