O'Reilly CVT in Subaru

[IndyIan]

Get a pail of the right subaru stuff on your dime, and have them do a drain and fill now, and then every oil change until the pail is gone. Don't tell subaru about the first mix up, but have your mechanic document the drain and fills with the right stuff.

 

[SavagePatch]

Is this true for a '23? This Subaru parts site suggests the -III for '24+ Forester.
View attachment 262907
OP, does your manual say??

edit: apologies! I see the "Forester Wilderness" is apparently a model unto itself. 'Cause that makes sense <--- sarcasm

So the user manual says to refer to the Dealer Service Center, which I did, and they said that the O'Reilly CVT does not meet the required CVTF-III.

 

[SavagePatch]

I wonder when they found out they drained the transmission instead of the engine?

I'm assuming when it drained out blue.

 

[SavagePatch]

Ok, so the Indy Shop is going to pay for the Subaru Service Center to replace the mixed/blended CVT fluid with the proper CVTF-III spec. Thanks for everyone's help and advice!

 

[Ranger83]

Subaru's are picky about fluids.

They must be changed often, correctly and probably expensively.

This is the one reason I have never owned one of these durable tanks.

Our 2008 5EAT did not shift properly until we replaced the aftermarket fluid with OEM.

 

[bbhero]

I saw this cool video on hobos that was done in the early 1990s.., A guy on that documentary called Bear Grease had a very funny saying that fits this CVT Subaru circumstance.. Bear Grease said to a friend of his… “ If you got a rattlesnake you in one pocket and a broken rubber in the other… Don’t blank with either one of them…

So in the case with aftermarket CVT fluids for Subaru with CVTs… “ Don’t blank with them either” …

 

[SavagePatch]

So things didn't go so well at Subaru either. My wife brought our Forester Wilderness in to have the fluid replaced with the proper CVTF-III spec, per conversation with the Service Advisor and Parts Counter yesterday, and when I got home the receipt says CVTF-II.

I guess I'll go talk to them tomorrow... not sure what to do now. The Subaru Automatic Transmission Fluid Application Guide that they printed out for me clearly says CVTF-III.

 

[Glenda W.]

Plus they only used 7 quarts. The full exchange is around 13 quarts. I had to call 4-5 dealers to find one the had the fluid exchange machine that could replace all 13 quarts. Only other option is multiple spill and fills.

 

[SavagePatch]

Plus they only used 7 quarts. The full exchange is around 13 quarts. I had to call 4-5 dealers to find one the had the fluid exchange machine that could replace all 13 quarts. Only other option is multiple spill and fills.

Yes, 12.4qts and the Service Advisor specifically said that they would be replacing all of the fluid, not just a drain and fill.

 

[RF Overlord]

And dealers wonder why we hate them...

 

[Nuclear_42]

Your getting 3.5-4.5 quarts max drained. 7 quarts is just overcharging. Exactly why I do my own work.

 

[Lubener]

If that OReilly fluid met Subaru's spec's and warranty requirements, I wouldn't worry about it. If it doesn't , I would go back to the dealer and demand the proper fluid be installed.

 

[rszappa1]

Or just stick to OEM CVT fluid and dont worry about it....

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Here we debate back and forth about what oil is the best or what trans fluid is acceptable or what gear oil won’t shear… and the horrifying facts are that both Indy and dealer incompetence likely have millions of vehicles running around with incorrect fluids.

 

[rijndael]

and the horrifying facts are that both Indy and dealer incompetence likely have millions of vehicles running around with incorrect fluids.

Maybe that's part of the 'wisdom' of lifetime fluids.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Maybe that's part of the 'wisdom' of lifetime fluids.

There’s no wisdom in lifetime fluids.

 

[rijndael]

I disagree. I think there is 'wisdom', it's just not coming from the side who cares about maximum longevity. It's on the side who cares about total cost of ownership numbers. There may be a total carbon cost / offset thing at play here too, but I'm not too familiar with it.

 

[D60]

Here we debate back and forth about what oil is the best or what trans fluid is acceptable or what gear oil won’t shear… and the horrifying facts are that both Indy and dealer incompetence likely have millions of vehicles running around with incorrect fluids.

And/or incorrect fill levels. The Wrangler JL 3.6 holds five qts but for years after 2018 there were stories of dealers doing six qts as muscle memory from the previous JK.

It's not that one quart is the end of the world but rather if the "experts" can't get it right, well.....

It seems OP had a similar experience at his Subaru dealer

 

[ARCOgraphite]

It appears "If you want something done right, just don't do it at all" - Yogi Berra

 

[thetricky]

I certainly wouldn’t be happy about it, the CVT drain plug is NOT close to the engine drain lol!

Will your car blow up? Absolutely not. The hype over “need to use oem cvt juice” is just that, hype. I’ve been running aftermarket fluid for 90k in my outback and it purrs. https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/2014-subaru-outback-amsoil-cvt-149k-odo-29k-oci.391344/

The “lifetime fill” is bogus for any of us that want to extend our vehicles. Life to the maximum extent, and Subaru OEM fluid is vastly overpriced.