Financed Subaru Forester 2.5i with dead CVT transmission

Asked by Brad_234 May 25, 2019 at 04:16 PM about the 2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i.  I have changed the oil on it before, but
when I did it this last time, I accidentally drained the transmission fluid (the
two plugs are only a few inches apart) and not realizing my mistake, put my
5 quarts of oil in and backed the car off the ramps. The next morning, I went
to drive, and made it about 20 feet down the driveway when all the lights
came on.  I tried backing up but had no transmission power.  I coasted down
the hill to a place to park.  Realizing what I had done, I had the car towed to
a shop.  They filled/serviced the transmission, drained and properly filled the
oil, but on test drive, the transmission is shuddering hard and not shifting
gears.

My problem is that I currently owe about $12k on the vehicle still (I am under
water on the loan) and the dealership is quoting $8-9k for new CVT.  I have a
shop that quoted me $2400 for labor to install a used CVT, but still looking at
a total of around $5-6k, depending on the cost of used CVT that can be
found.

It has 135k miles on it and KBB is about $7k.  

It seems stupid to sink almost $6k for a used CVT into a car that is only
worth $7k (knowing that the used CVT may vary well have the notorious
problems of CVT transmissions as well) and even more foolish to put a new
CVT in at the dealership.

I'm mad that Subaru would put the two plugs so close together, and pissed
that they made a transmission that is so delicate that it is trashed after
driving a few feet without fluid.  Yes, I know that is never good, but seriously?

I feel like I am royally up s*** creek on this situation, but I thought I would
reach out for any advice.  

2 Answers

You really can't blame Subaru for this. Shop around as the installation price is too high. All cars are "delicate" when you run them without oil.

2 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Forester

Looking for a Used Forester in your area?

CarGurus has 1,075 nationwide Forester listings starting at $2,695.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Chris W
    Reputation
    11,630
  • #2
    TheSubaruGuruBoston
    Reputation
    9,970
  • #3
    Nick Eidemiller
    Reputation
    6,220
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Subaru Outback
26 Great Deals out of 871 listings starting at $1,895
Used Subaru Crosstrek
23 Great Deals out of 902 listings starting at $5,995
Used Toyota RAV4
108 Great Deals out of 2,083 listings starting at $3,888
Used Honda CR-V
103 Great Deals out of 3,896 listings starting at $1,795
Used Mazda CX-5
67 Great Deals out of 2,592 listings starting at $5,495
Used Subaru Impreza
25 Great Deals out of 476 listings starting at $3,850
Used Toyota 4Runner
10 Great Deals out of 304 listings starting at $9,700
Used Subaru Legacy
5 Great Deals out of 173 listings starting at $4,977
Used Toyota Highlander
32 Great Deals out of 738 listings starting at $2,495
Used Toyota Tacoma
55 Great Deals out of 1,071 listings starting at $8,708
Used Honda Pilot
40 Great Deals out of 1,271 listings starting at $4,495
Used Nissan Rogue
135 Great Deals out of 5,484 listings starting at $2,495
Used Toyota Camry
52 Great Deals out of 985 listings starting at $2,212

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.