Good Afternoon,
I bought a 2017 Subaru Forrester (Automatic) which had 25000 miles on it. I'm close to 36k now. My fiance insisted that I need my transmission fluid and brake fluid changed bc your supposed to do it every 30k miles.
I took it to subaru and when I got it back they did not change the transmission or brake fluid. They said they that they recommend transmission fluid be changed every 100k miles and to check it every 30 k miles. The the brake fluid was changed by the dealership at 25k miles before I purchased it.
Is my fiance or the dealership correct?
Thank you,
Kristen
Personally, I would change it every 40,000-50,000 miles as changing transmission fluids is always cheaper than a new transmission down the road. But if you did that (especially if you did it yourself or perhaps even with an independent mechanic) it can potentially void a future (powertrain) warranty claim. Anyhow, your warranty is 5 year/60,000 miles and your model year is 2017 so based on time you are not far off. Once it expires, then change the transmission fluid and I recommend getting the vehicle at that point serviced by an honest, independent mechanic and not at the dealer (they don’t have your best interest).
Change the fluid every 30-40k miles, Subaru CVTs are weaker and you don't want to trust all that "life-time" or "sealed unit so 100k miles is fine" non-sense.
Changing @ 100k miles is just asking for trouble.
Your fiance is right, also keep in mind it is in the dealership's interest to make your car trouble free during the warranty period but stretch maintenance intervals to cause expensive repairs after warranty, so you buy another one of their cars.
The 100K mile Subaru CVT fluid change is nuts. I really don't know what the thought process is behind that. They have to know those transmissions are the weakest part of their cars and that regular fluid changes would go a long way towards alleviating that problem. Also they'd sell more fluid and dealers would sell more service. I don't get it.
I was thinking the same thing.
I bought the car in August 2020.
I could be wrong here (I am more familiar with Crosstrek, but I think the Forester is similar). Seems like 30K is the interval for differential fluid (gear oil), but I would double check the owners manual. The differential fluid is an easy DIY service, but be careful on the front because the front differential drain plug is near the transmission drain.
The transmission is a "sealed" CVT with "lifetime fluid". I don't think there is an easy way to check it, and changing the fluid voids the warranty; you don't need to touch it until it goes off warranty, but at 100-120K miles you can change it.
I have a 2017 Subaru Forester. In 2018 Subaru issued a warranty extension to 10 years or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first) on the CVT transmission for 2016-2017 Subaru Forester, Crosstrek, WRX, Impreza, Legacy/Outback.
Find another Subaru dealer to do a drain & fill on the transmission. Find a reputable independent Subaru mechanic for the bulk of your Subaru maintenance. It's a good idea to have your brake fluid & front and rear differential oil changed every 35K-40K.
