Do you care more about fuel mileage or total mileage on the clock?
Which of these items are more important to you?
Total mileage,IMO
Thank you both, I realize that total mileage does result in more wear generally on the car, but, would you agree that more "highway miles" is less taxing on the car than city driving?
One thing I've noticed about driving a CVT transmission is that the engine doesn't rev up high unless you step on it . Otherwise, it's very smooth rpms around 3,000 and then settles into around 1,200 to 1,500 rpms even up to 50 mph. 65 mph is around 2,000 rpms. Pretty good for a 2.5 Four.
The mating of Subie's CVT, 2,5i and its ECU is superb...considerably better than other makes. The torquey 2.5i helps; owners of the anemic Impreza/CT 2.0 notice more noise as the motor has to be "pushed" more to spin up the CVT to overcome inertia. The best iteration is the lower-chassis Leg Sedan, where the same powertrain gets a full +4 mpg more than the too-tall less slippery OB. That's where comparisons to FWD Accrds, Camrys, Altimas, etc., get silly, considering the Subie feels stronger, more secure, and of course has AWD. Too bad they f+cked up the OBs....
TheSubaruGuruBoston- so, you think I made the right decision to skip the 2010 Subaru Outback with the 3.6 H6 engine to acquire the CVT transmission offered that year, not available on the 2010 model? It's a little faster, but, how much extra speed do you need when pulling a trailer, which I only do occasionally anyway. I'm sure that I'm saving a lot of fuel driving the Four. After all, who races Outbacks?
TheSubaruGuruBoston- hope you read my answer in another question, please tell me more about the protected location of the timing belt. Here in Southern California, the weather conditions and smog can easily destroy "rubber products " and I'm not sure it's a good idea to wait until 105,000 miles or 10 years which is probably how long it will take me to reach that milestone. Normally, I would consider 7 to 8 years max. Let me know. Thanks.
Mark, I've never seen a sere belt here in the northeast. If you're concerned I'd just inspect it each year after the 7-8 you can tolerate. Remember that the strrength of the belt isn't predicated by the rubber teeth, but the fiber inner structure. OTOH ya can't have dry teeth shaved off either! Ask the 2000-2009 Subie owners in the hills of southwest if they've seen cracked belts. I MIGHT use your serpentine belt as a guide, but it's far more exposed then the inner t-belt. I might guess that the latter will last twice as long (12 years?).
Subie's 3.6 H6 is completely superfluous...especially when thirsty with the discrete autobox. Can't remember how much the new (?) CVT helps, but many thousands of owners tow big trailers with the 2.5i all the time. Perhaps I'd suggest draining and refilling the CVT (5.5 qts) every 2-3 years, as we're starting to see blown valve bodies in the '10 OBs and '12 Imps.
TheSubaruGuruBoston- first, thank you for your answers, very appreciated. As you know, I had the CVT transmission fluid changed earlier today. Actually, it was a complete change, more than 12 quarts, near 13 . The Subaru dealership did it. And thank you for confirming that the 3.6 H6 engine is NOT NECESSARY. I don't have any problems towing my teardrop trailer. It's only 1,000 pounds or less, constructed of composite fiberglass, and very aerodynamic. Question, I see that you're talking about "blown valve bodies ", seems like I may have seen a video of that recently on the Internet from your area in Boston where a guy was discussing CVT transmissions. SO, is there an RPM number that I should be concerned about not exceeding when towing or descending down hills with the trailer? Please let me know, and thanks again for your answer.
My serpentine belt and front and rear differential fluids were all changed at 65,000 miles, now have 73,000 miles. But, it's been almost two years since this was done. Could it be possible that the dealership is truthful about seeing some degree of decline in the fluids, say they look dirty and should be changed. In 7,000 miles? Sure , engine oil fine, but, the differential fluids? Sounds like a reach, to me.?
Here's a picture of my rig, in case I have not shown that to you.
Ignore the "stealer's" advice. Diff oils are good for 6-10 years. VW says permanent...but their advice is getting tenuous, eh?
Mark, The CAPACITY is 12 Liters, but only 5.5 drain via gravity. Either they blew it out (which may be a bad idea, as valve bodies generally do NOT like enemas!) or they didn't measure what they pumped back in and just charged you for the listed capacity? Ha!
Yes, it was a complete fluid exchange, they have specialized tools to flush or suck this out. Sure, I guess I'll find out in the next 27,000 miles to 100,000 miles. If something is going to happen, then it will definitely show up and if I have to get it replaced under my mechanical breakdown insurance, I'll take care of it. Can't worry about everything. And, part of the reason I specifically used the dealership for this was to insure that no one could come back and say that it was improperly done. After all, they're a Subaru dealership! So, for that particular reason alone , it was worth the money to me. My car drives beautifully and it's not just smooth and responsive. I don't have any complaints on the performance. When I purchased this car, they handed me the Carfax report showing all the service intervals and this car was very well maintained. The only question I had was why would the dealership yesterday report that the front and rear differential fluids were "dirty ", and the fluid was changed only 8,000 miles ago, two years. Time? Upsell? Just wants more money? At 65,000 miles, the dealership after the car was sold to them from the previous buyer did the following, all new brakes, rotors, new serpentine belt, new tires, changed oil, plus a 152 point inspection on the entire car. Outside of a few minor flaws, the car was in remarkable and immaculate condition inside and out, which is why they sold it as a CPO vehicle. I suppose that I couldn't have done much better except for purchasing a brand new car.
I meant to say that the car drives beautifully and is VERY SMOOTH AND RESPONSIVE. When I step on it, it just takes off like a rocket, well, OK , not as much of a rocket as a WRX, but, it's plenty fast. You know, there's lot of cars today that are too fast. This is fast enough and easy to control.
