Possible missed fluid changes

[SilverGt]

I am looking to possibly purchase a 2012 Subaru Outback Limited 3.6 with 123000 miles. There are no service records so I have no idea if any of the fluids have been changed. I plan on changing the following:

Engine Oil. Mobil1. 0w-30 NAPA Gold Filter
Brake Fluid
Power Steering Fluid
Front & Rear Dif. Fluids
Transfer Case Fluid
My main concern is the CVT fluid. With possibly that many miles on it should I leave it alone or go ahead and do a drain n fill ?
What would you suggest especially you subie owners?

 

[hrv]

I am looking to possibly purchase a 2012 Subaru Outback Limited 3.6 with 123000 miles. There are no service records so I have no idea if any of the fluids have been changed. I plan on changing the following:

Engine Oil. Mobil1. 0w-30 NAPA Gold Filter
Brake Fluid
Power Steering Fluid
Front & Rear Dif. Fluids
Transfer Case Fluid
My main concern is the CVT fluid. With possibly that many miles on it should I leave it alone or go ahead and do a drain n fill ?
What would you suggest especially you subie owners?

To play it safe I would change ALL of the fluids....That way you can start with everything with fresh fluid.....

 

[JavierH19]

Drain and fill. Cvt owners of all kinds have good experience with Valvoline cvt and it is spec'd for it on Valvoline's website. Used that in a Honda civic with the cvt. No issues.

 

[thunderfog]

Does the same unwritten rule apply for CVT fluid that is does for legacy transmissions... where if it hasn't been changed by a certain point, don't change it?

 

[Lubener]

Good maintenance will get a Subaru CVT to 100k miles. After that anything can happen even with a Subaru. It also depends how much they are abused.

 

[VK56VD]

Use genuine Subaru cvt fluid. The drain and fill is a bit more complicated and requires a pump to pump new fluid in. Subaru wants it checked at a certain temperature also but you can probably get away with measuring the amount that came out and put back in the same amount. I did this on our previous 2015 Forester with no ill effects.

Do the coolant and blinker fluid as well.

 

[CleanSump]

The high mile transmission myth has been beaten to death. If it's going to fail after changing the fluid, it was going to fail if you didn't change the fluid.

 

[aba4430]

I don’t believe the 2012 OB with a 3.6 had a CVT. I think it was a 5 speed auto.

 

[ripcord]

Per Wikipedia, these are the years for the CVT's.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Does the same unwritten rule apply for CVT fluid that is does for legacy transmissions... where if it hasn't been changed by a certain point, don't change it?

If the trans is going out, it is going out. I service my vehicles. If I get one with miles, the 1st thing I do is service the trans and engine.

 

[JHZR2]

If the trans is going out, it is going out. I service my vehicles. If I get one with miles, the 1st thing I do is service the trans and engine.

Agree. Best is to baseline the fluids. Now for transmissions where too much junk could get moved too fast, clogging small passages, there are some techniques that one can take, starting with partial changes to get some new chemistry in there, then eventually swapping a filter and doing some more changes multiple times. If anything seems off, some additives have been known to help specific cases. But that’s a cross the bridge when you get there situation…