Bad transmission in a 2014 Subaru Legacy
August 4, 2023 10:31 AM Subscribe
My daughter's Subaru needs its transmission replaced.
A dashboard light came on. Analyzer said the transmission is bad (I don't have the code). She took it to a transmission shop run by an acquaintance of mine. He said yep, the transmission is bad--it's slipping. He said that these vehicles' transmission (CVT) typically fail at 80-90,000 miles; the car has 137k miles on it. He said no one he knows does repairs on these, it'll have to be replaced. New transmissions are not available. There's a transmission available in a local junk yard that has 70,000 miles; they want $3200 for it. The transmission shop will install it for $700. So we're looking at $4000 to get a transmission that'll probably last 1-2 years. The car is otherwise okay. We do have the money but it would blow our budget.
What would you do?
A dashboard light came on. Analyzer said the transmission is bad (I don't have the code). She took it to a transmission shop run by an acquaintance of mine. He said yep, the transmission is bad--it's slipping. He said that these vehicles' transmission (CVT) typically fail at 80-90,000 miles; the car has 137k miles on it. He said no one he knows does repairs on these, it'll have to be replaced. New transmissions are not available. There's a transmission available in a local junk yard that has 70,000 miles; they want $3200 for it. The transmission shop will install it for $700. So we're looking at $4000 to get a transmission that'll probably last 1-2 years. The car is otherwise okay. We do have the money but it would blow our budget.
What would you do?
These are hard, but the calculus we've used goes something like this: can another trustworthy used vehicle be had for the same price or lower than the $4K repair?
(source: I just went through this with a roughly ~$2K repair to our beater pickup truck damaged by one of the kids in a minor wreck)
posted by jquinby at 10:50 AM on August 4, 2023
(source: I just went through this with a roughly ~$2K repair to our beater pickup truck damaged by one of the kids in a minor wreck)
posted by jquinby at 10:50 AM on August 4, 2023
I can't answer whether that's a good idea without knowing the following:
-- What would it cost to buy a working used car with no major problems in your area? Is it less or more than repairing what you have?
-- What can you get for your Subaru in the condition it's in now?
-- I'm guessing no, but is there any insurance that kicks in here?
-- Can you get a second opinion? Say, from an independent Subaru specialist? If you have a shop that specializes in Subarus, they both understand the quirks of the brand and often have leads on better replacement parts than you can find on your own. (Sometimes they'll buy your junker for parts, but don't count on it.)
If it were me (it will be in the near future, mine's a 2005 with a previously-repaired transmission that was partially rebuilt with Bondo), and my specialist mechanic thought it would work, I would replace the transmission. In my area you're looking at $7-10k minimum for an equivalent used car with no major issues.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:53 AM on August 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
-- What would it cost to buy a working used car with no major problems in your area? Is it less or more than repairing what you have?
-- What can you get for your Subaru in the condition it's in now?
-- I'm guessing no, but is there any insurance that kicks in here?
-- Can you get a second opinion? Say, from an independent Subaru specialist? If you have a shop that specializes in Subarus, they both understand the quirks of the brand and often have leads on better replacement parts than you can find on your own. (Sometimes they'll buy your junker for parts, but don't count on it.)
If it were me (it will be in the near future, mine's a 2005 with a previously-repaired transmission that was partially rebuilt with Bondo), and my specialist mechanic thought it would work, I would replace the transmission. In my area you're looking at $7-10k minimum for an equivalent used car with no major issues.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:53 AM on August 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
we're looking at $4000 to get a transmission that'll probably last 1-2 years
Unless this is already part of the swap, you could look at getting the CVT fluid replaced at the same time for another $400-500, which (short of problems with the transmission itself) might give you another several years on top.
I have a 2012 Subaru Outback and have lately been doomscrolling posts on Reddit's Subie forum about CVTs. Apparently failures are common because the dealer/SOA advice is to not swap the fluid until 105k miles, which is conveniently past the 100k/10yr of the best extended warranties they sell alongside the car.
Mine is at 77k and I'm currently doing some major maintenance items so that I can hold on to it for another few years, including belts and trans fluid swaps. My car has been running fine, knock on wood, but it sounds like SOA has not been honest about issues and I'm definitely keeping the CVT failures in mind when shopping for a new car.
More to the point of your post, as a current Subaru owner, I'd think a bit about a rebuilt or used CVT, given that ~$4500 (not including tax) is a good piece of a down payment on a new car that would likely not have these issues. On the other hand, new and used car prices are inflated at the moment, so that $4500 may be a wash. Hard to say.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 11:24 AM on August 4, 2023
Unless this is already part of the swap, you could look at getting the CVT fluid replaced at the same time for another $400-500, which (short of problems with the transmission itself) might give you another several years on top.
I have a 2012 Subaru Outback and have lately been doomscrolling posts on Reddit's Subie forum about CVTs. Apparently failures are common because the dealer/SOA advice is to not swap the fluid until 105k miles, which is conveniently past the 100k/10yr of the best extended warranties they sell alongside the car.
Mine is at 77k and I'm currently doing some major maintenance items so that I can hold on to it for another few years, including belts and trans fluid swaps. My car has been running fine, knock on wood, but it sounds like SOA has not been honest about issues and I'm definitely keeping the CVT failures in mind when shopping for a new car.
More to the point of your post, as a current Subaru owner, I'd think a bit about a rebuilt or used CVT, given that ~$4500 (not including tax) is a good piece of a down payment on a new car that would likely not have these issues. On the other hand, new and used car prices are inflated at the moment, so that $4500 may be a wash. Hard to say.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 11:24 AM on August 4, 2023
If you are not attached to the vehicle, I'd go with spitbull's suggestion to fix it and flip it as the transmission is defective by design. As-is, it is worth about $x to a salvage yard. Fixed, it has a net profit $8k, maybe more.
One factor is where you are located. In Colorado, where I'm located, folks put a premium on Subarus. Even one in rough condition will go for $$$ compared to any other set of wheels. 2014 Foresters _start_ at $12k and quickly hit $16K or more in my area.
Otherwise, I've had two similar "fix or ditch?" cases in the past decade.
One was 2000 Volvo S40 w/ 230k miles on it that had a catastrophic coolant leak at 80mph on a very hot day. The engine was shot and it would cost $6k to replace. A used one in a nearby lot was going for $4k. The math was easy on that one.
On the flip side, I recently had a "fix or replace" moment with my trusty old 2000 Jeep Cherokee that needed a new heater core ($1,500). On top of that, all of the shocks and springs were shot and badly needed replacing. ($3,000 installed. I YOLO'ed it with a OME 2.5" lift and JKS quick disconnects). This vehicle has easy to get parts and is still in very high demand 20 years after it was discontinued. Used ones in decent condition but with 2x the miles of mine were going for $10k or more. So I spent the $5k to fix it. But I really like that vehicle so I hope to keep it for another 20+ years.
posted by SegFaultCoreDump at 12:44 PM on August 4, 2023
One factor is where you are located. In Colorado, where I'm located, folks put a premium on Subarus. Even one in rough condition will go for $$$ compared to any other set of wheels. 2014 Foresters _start_ at $12k and quickly hit $16K or more in my area.
Otherwise, I've had two similar "fix or ditch?" cases in the past decade.
One was 2000 Volvo S40 w/ 230k miles on it that had a catastrophic coolant leak at 80mph on a very hot day. The engine was shot and it would cost $6k to replace. A used one in a nearby lot was going for $4k. The math was easy on that one.
On the flip side, I recently had a "fix or replace" moment with my trusty old 2000 Jeep Cherokee that needed a new heater core ($1,500). On top of that, all of the shocks and springs were shot and badly needed replacing. ($3,000 installed. I YOLO'ed it with a OME 2.5" lift and JKS quick disconnects). This vehicle has easy to get parts and is still in very high demand 20 years after it was discontinued. Used ones in decent condition but with 2x the miles of mine were going for $10k or more. So I spent the $5k to fix it. But I really like that vehicle so I hope to keep it for another 20+ years.
posted by SegFaultCoreDump at 12:44 PM on August 4, 2023
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standard transmission . There are instructions on line.
posted by hortense at 10:48 AM on August 4, 2023 [2 favorites]