jpunzel

I really hope it's not pine sol. I don't want to buy a car whose past owner was dumb enough to put pine sol in the transmission...

I'm not sure what the fluid level was. Perhaps Miles can answer that question later tonight. I'm not sure whether the car was started cold or not. It was snowing, but the car wasn't covered in snow, so the owner might have taken it for a drive before I arrived to look at it. If the car had been driven for a while, would that explain the fluid bubbles? Would an AT fluid flush be enough to keep the car running well? Or might there be some other reason that normal red fluid would become that way? A leak from somewhere else maybe? Are there any tests to see if the auto transmission is functioning normally? How might I stress it during a test drive to check things out? Thanks for your fast responses.

Hi, I'm new. I went to look at a used Legacy today with Miles Fox. It ran great, but there's a slight problem we noticed: The AT fluid didn't seem right when we checked it. The color was kind of orangy and there were tiny bubbles on the dipstick. It didn't seem like the normal "burned red" transmission fluid. The smell wasn't right, either. Miles thought he noticed a piney smell. However, the car seemed to drive fine, and I didn't notice any kicks or delays when shifting into drive. If I hadn't checked the AT fluid, I would've bought the car on the spot. But I'd appreciate some advice before I do so. The differential fluid also seemed to be low. Is this anything to be concerned about? Is this Legacy worth $1100?