At 95,000 miles I began to notice that my CVT would act strange when warmed up to operating temperature. The torque converter lockup which usually occurs around 20-25 MPH was delayed to 30 MPH and when lockup did occur, it was harsh.
I took the vehicle into the dealership and they kept it to investigate. Their first attempt did not replicate the behavior, but they tried again and were able to feel it. After having the vehicle for a few days, they "re-lined the transmission" with no success at fixing the problem. The next step in Subaru's troubleshooting was to replace the valve body within the CVT. The service manager said this problem would typically throw a CEL trouble code, but I had no warning lights or trouble codes.
After waiting over a week for them to replace the part and refill the fluid, they tested again and said the problem was fixed. I picked it up last week and have not had any problems since.
Subaru covered the repair under their CVT warranty extension. Out of curiosity, I asked how much this would have cost outside of warranty. The valve body alone cost the dealer $950. When you factor in a markup on the part, cost of the replacement fluid, and the required labor, I would estimate you are looking at ~$2,500 in repair costs if it were out of pocket.
As the vehicle approaches the end of coverage on the CVT warranty (will end in July or at 100,000 miles, whichever is later) I will have to assess whether I am comfortable owning the vehicle any longer with the potential repair costs.
I took the vehicle into the dealership and they kept it to investigate. Their first attempt did not replicate the behavior, but they tried again and were able to feel it. After having the vehicle for a few days, they "re-lined the transmission" with no success at fixing the problem. The next step in Subaru's troubleshooting was to replace the valve body within the CVT. The service manager said this problem would typically throw a CEL trouble code, but I had no warning lights or trouble codes.
After waiting over a week for them to replace the part and refill the fluid, they tested again and said the problem was fixed. I picked it up last week and have not had any problems since.
Subaru covered the repair under their CVT warranty extension. Out of curiosity, I asked how much this would have cost outside of warranty. The valve body alone cost the dealer $950. When you factor in a markup on the part, cost of the replacement fluid, and the required labor, I would estimate you are looking at ~$2,500 in repair costs if it were out of pocket.
As the vehicle approaches the end of coverage on the CVT warranty (will end in July or at 100,000 miles, whichever is later) I will have to assess whether I am comfortable owning the vehicle any longer with the potential repair costs.
