carolinamoon Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Hi, The transmission in my 2008 Outback 2.5i LTD is completely shot. (It failed as soon as I arrived here in Redondo Beach, CA after driving from New Orleans with my two kids!) . My trusted mechanic is back in New Orleans. I am told that this transmission is hard to find, and that it will run about $3,300 to rebuild it, but that he doesn't recommend doing that. He recommends getting a new transmission from the dealer and having him install it for a total of about $4,200. Does this make sense? First of all it seems really expensive, and I am also not sure how much longer I should expect to be able to drive this car, although I have loved it so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 There are plenty of them used. Just have to wait for shipping. Go on www.car-part.com and put in what you need. Shipping won't be more than a few hundred. Those transmissions run around $1000 used for a good one. So figure maybe $1250 shipped. Find a mechanic to install it - or one that's willing to order the trans (there will be markup) and handle the warranty through the yard, etc. Shouldn't be much more than $2500 to $3000 this way around. GD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 any idea what happened to the trans? Did you have mixed tires or loose fluid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamoon Posted June 25, 2017 Author Share Posted June 25, 2017 Thank you for the advice, GD. I understand that the 2008 OB Limited transmission is hard to find since they didn't make very many of them, and it's also complicated but I'll look for one. 1 Lucky Texan - I don't know what happened to it, but my old mechanic did put the wrong tires on it (snow tires - in Louisiana!). Could that have done it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 tires must be the same 'rolling diameter' - best interpreted as; the same brand/size and model. if the snow tires meet that criteria, they would not cause a problem (other than being a poor choice of tire in LA) . If the snow or any other tires are mixed sizes - that CAN cause a problem. was there any bucking or jerking during tight turns - like maneuvering in parking lots? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamoon Posted June 26, 2017 Author Share Posted June 26, 2017 I don't remember any bucking or jerking but they were extremely loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 Its not at all hard to find. You go to the web site I listed, punch in what you need, sort by distance, and call whoever is close and has the right price/mileage/warranty. We buy imported Japanese transmissions all the time from out of state. My shop is in Oregon and I have bought transmissions from Pennsylvania, California, and Canada. It's usually between $75 and $125 for freight. This is NO BIG DEAL. Shops do this all the time. National junk yard chains do it. I have a used steering column on order right now that's on it's way from Nevada. Used car parts are an interstate and even international market. There is no reason that just because its a few hundered or a few thousand miles away it cant be at your door in 5 business days. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rverdoold Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 If you diagnose it by 'Failed' do you know what part did fail? (I assume you have an automatic) Did you loose drive (no more forward or backward movement)? = could be low on oil Did sprockets fall out (yes indeed completely shot). You can hook up an OBD reader and check for stored codes in the transmission. It might be something more simple than you right now think it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamoon Posted June 27, 2017 Author Share Posted June 27, 2017 Hi Rverdoold, It was diagnosed by a mechanic here in Torrance who builds Subaru race cars. He said it was totally shot. I could even can tell by the way it drives. The mechanic said he's only seen a transmission fail on this car once before. But, like I said, I did have all snow and mud tires on it for a time and I believe my mechanic switched out two of them so that could be the cause. I would have to look at it and it's at the shop now. I have resigned myself to having it rebuilt. It does drive forward and backwards but has big issues switching gears. I didn't see any sprockets falling out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 Rebuilding Subaru automatic is not the best idea. Automatic rebuilds on much simpler transmissions goes awry frequently. Used with a warranty is much better for all parties involved. As your mechanic noted, failure on these is rare. Used will be cheaper, and will mitigate risk all around. GD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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