CVT fluid

[horse123]

So Subaru claims that CVTF in their Imprezas never needs to be changed. I disagree. I'm at about 45,000 miles and I think it wouldn't hurt to change it at this point with my driving conditions. Problem is I can't really find any info beyond how to do it. I'd rather buy aftermarket than pay the dealer for their stuff that they might give me a hard time about anyway.

Are there brands of metal belt CVTF that are considered the best?

 

[Andrew1972]

The kind that meets Subaru cvt spec is best......

 

[Rand]

Each CVT has a specific fluid. I would use the Subaru CVT fluid.

Drain CVT at ambient temp. Measure fluid. Refill with fresh fluid exactly how much you drained out.

Otherwise you need a dealer tool to do it IIRC.

Originally Posted By: madRiver
The kind that meets Subaru cvt spec is best......


There is actually multiple subaru cvt fluids depending on which CVT it is.

 

[CKN]

I have a feeling at 45,000 miles you will be changing out perfectly good fluid. UNLESS, you fall under the "severe" service category.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Smitty's, Valvoline, and Castrol make great CVT fluids that would work well in your car

Amazon has Castrol CVT at a great price, under $6/qt. They also sell Cam2 CVT for even less.

 

[Michael_P]

Meijer is running a sale on Valvoline CVT fluid this week. 1/2 price clearance.

 

[Fsharp]

I'm a bit of a Lubegard shill, but their Complete CVT Fluid looks pretty good. However, it is $19 a quart.

http://www.lubegard.com/pdfs/LG_Complete-CVT-Fluid_sellsheet_fnl.pdf

You can probably find Lubegard's old CVT fluid for less.

 

[901Memphis]

If had a cvt I'd use Amsoil cvt fluid. It's $13.70 a quart and cheaper If you contact Pablo and become a preferred customer.

Here is the specs they recommend it for, I have full confidence in Amsoil recommendation even though they aren't all certified

APPLICATIONS
AMSOIL Synthetic CVT Fluid is recommended for belt- and chain-type continuously variable transmissions requiring the following:

Audi/VW TL 52180, G 052 180, G 052 516BMW 8322 0 136 376, 8322 0 429 154, EZL 799ADaihatsu Amix CVTF-DC, CVTF-DFEDodge/Jeep NS-2, CVTF+4®, MOPAR® CVT 4Ford CVT23, CVT30, WSS-M2C933-A, Motorcraft® XT-7-QCFT, MERCON® CGM/Saturn DEX-CVT, CVTF I-Green2Honda HMMF, HCF-2Hyundai/Kia SP-CVT 1Mazda CVTF 3320Mercedes-Benz CVT28, 236.20Mini Cooper EZL 799A, ZF CVT V1Mitsubishi DiaQueen CVTF-J1, CVTF-J4Nissan NS-1, NS-2, NS-3Punch EZL 799AShell Green 1VSubaru e-CVTF, i-CVTF, Lineartronic® CVTF, K0425Y0710, CV-30Suzuki CVTF 3320, TC, NS-2, CVTF Green1, CVTF Green 2Toyota/Lexus TC, FE

 

[LexAtlanta]

I installed Amsoil CVT into my Nissan Sentra about a month ago. I did another drain and fill on Friday as well so I have replaced 10qts so far on a 7.7 qt factory fill. I should have 99.99% Amsoil in there now. I plan on driving this Amsoil fluid ~40K to 50K before changing it again. I might cut that back to 30K and just do another 5 qt D&F. We will see how it goes.

So far so good. I have driven approximately 1,120 miles since the first D&F. The whine is gone and I think it takes off from a dead stop a little better.

Be aware that you will likely receive replies from people warning you to not use any CVT fluid but what comes from the manufacturer. I think the Amsoil is a better fluid then OEM and I am out of the CVT warranty so I made the switch. I will also send out a sample of the fluid the next time I do a D&F to Blackstone to see how it looks.

Be aware of one thing with the Amsoil CVT fluid..........it STINKS. I mean it smells really bad. I spilled some on the garage floor and even though I cleaned it up my garage smelled the entire weekend. If you splash any on the exhaust it will likely make the whole car smell until it burns off.

Amsoil does have a warranty. You can scan the QR code on the CVT bottle or e-mail tech services for a copy of the warranty. Its all a bunch of legalese but if you have a question about your Subie and Amsoil CVT, e-mail Amsoil Tech. They are a responsive group.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[Whitewolf]

Originally Posted By: horse123
So Subaru claims that CVTF in their Imprezas never needs to be changed. I disagree. I'm at about 45,000 miles and I think it wouldn't hurt to change it at this point with my driving conditions. Problem is I can't really find any info beyond how to do it. I'd rather buy aftermarket than pay the dealer for their stuff that they might give me a hard time about anyway.

Are there brands of metal belt CVTF that are considered the best?


I'm going to be one of the people that advises to use the OEM recommended fluid. There is no such thing as a true 'universal' product in my opinion, and I'm not alone in that.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
If had a CVT I'd use Amsoil CVT fluid. It's $13.70 a quart and cheaper If you contact Pablo and become a preferred customer.

Here is the specs they recommend it for, I have full confidence in Amsoil recommendation even though they aren't all certified

APPLICATIONS
AMSOIL Synthetic CVT Fluid is recommended for belt- and chain-type continuously variable transmissions requiring the following:

Audi/VW TL 52180, G 052 180, G 052 516BMW 8322 0 136 376, 8322 0 429 154, EZL 799ADaihatsu Amix CVTF-DC, CVTF-DFEDodge/Jeep NS-2, CVTF+4®, MOPAR® CVT 4Ford CVT23, CVT30, WSS-M2C933-A, Motorcraft® XT-7-QCFT, MERCON® CGM/Saturn DEX-CVT, CVTF I-Green2Honda HMMF, HCF-2Hyundai/Kia SP-CVT 1Mazda CVTF 3320Mercedes-Benz CVT28, 236.20Mini Cooper EZL 799A, ZF CVT V1Mitsubishi DiaQueen CVTF-J1, CVTF-J4Nissan NS-1, NS-2, NS-3Punch EZL 799AShell Green 1VSubaru e-CVTF, i-CVTF, Lineartronic® CVTF, K0425Y0710, CV-30Suzuki CVTF 3320, TC, NS-2, CVTF Green1, CVTF Green 2Toyota/Lexus TC, FE

I will probably use Amsoil CVT fluid for my daughter 2014 Accord LX. It's a little more than Honda fluid but Amsoil is known to make higher quality fluid than OEM.

 

[JTK]

horse- we have a member here who had the pan dropped and fluid changed on his CVT equipped Imrpeza by a Subaru dealer. I believe it had a lot less miles on it than ~45K. There was a lot of debris on the filter, which the Tech was able to clean out in a parts washer and re-use. I believe this service was in the high $200 range. He posted his experience over on NASIOC about this as well.