AT Flush?

[Bart]

My dealer has suggested flushing the automatic transmission (I have 20K
miles on the Forester).

This is the first automatic I have owned in 20 years. Is flushing the AT
fluid a typical maintenance item?

Thanks!

 

[Viktor]

This is the first automatic I have owned in 20 years. Is flushing the AT
fluid a typical maintenance item?

No...Changing the fluid every 30 K miles should be sufficient enough.
Regards,
Viktor.

 

[Bill Putney]

My dealer has suggested flushing the automatic transmission (I have 20K
miles on the Forester).

This is the first automatic I have owned in 20 years. Is flushing the AT
fluid a typical maintenance item?

Thanks!

Yes - todays transmissions are a lot more compact but generate the same
amount of heat, so the fluid takes more of a beating. The days of never
changing the fluid and expecting to get 100+k miles out of the tranny
are gone. If you want to get 200+k miles out of the tranny, change the
fluid.

I don't know what Subaru recommends on that one, but 20k miles sounds a
little early. Go by the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual and
do it 10-15k miles early or follow the severe service schedule if you
want to be conservative.

Bill Putney
(to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with "x")