SubaruAl Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 I've got a 05 WRX Wagon. The dealer told me today that putting synthetic in the tranny would void the warranty. Has anyone else heard of this? Is there any truth to this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 I don't know for certain, but with all the problems they had/have with the 5spd in the WRX it wouldn't suprise me that doing anything other than what they tell you to would void the warrenty. The transmission relies on the friction in the fluid for the snycros to work. Some synthetics of the same weight do not have the same friction as the same weight conventional. Most of the time you have to add a friction modifier to get it correct. For that reason alone I could see why Subaru would void warrenty on that. I peronally won't run synth in a tranny for that reason. The tranny doesn't see the dirt like an engine does, so running a snythetic doesn't really give you much in a tranny. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hklaine Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 I don't exactly have a warranty, but on those cold mornings that synthetic sure does wonders in my gear box -Heikki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Personally I think the dealer is full of it. Unless it specifically states not to use synthetic in the transmission I don't see why you couldn't be able to. I'd try email subaru of america directly and ask them what their official stance is. Dealers are notorious for making up stupid things like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Dealers are notorious for making up stupid things like this. This is a very good point. I had someone at a dealership try to claim that installing a bra on car would void the engine warrenty. He said it was because someone told him it can restrict the air flow to the engine. Total BS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 It never ceases to amaze me what they come up with....that bra one takes the cake as the top one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaruAl Posted January 8, 2005 Author Share Posted January 8, 2005 Thank you all for the great information. I've emailed Subaru of America directly to see what their official stance is. When I get a response, I'll post it back up here. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaruAl Posted March 16, 2005 Author Share Posted March 16, 2005 Finally, here is the response that I got from Subaru of America on this topic. ******* Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Subaru of America does not recommend synthetic gear oil for the transmission or rear differential in your 2005 WRX Wagon. This is because we have not tested synthetic gear oil in our vehicles. It is not that we are stating that it would cause a problem; it is just that we cannot state that it will not cause a problem. If you were to use synthetic gear oil in your WRX, your warranty would not be automatically voided. However, any problems caused by synthetic gear oil would not be covered by your warranty, as again we have not tested this and cannot recommend it. Thank you for the opportunity to be of assistance. If you need any future assistance, please feel free to contact us again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiny Clark Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Sounds to me like they are saying that if anything goes wrong, they'll just blame it on your choice of fluid. For engine oil, they usually state in the book, "Only use oil that meets or exceeds API yadda, yadda, yadda." I would think if it stated the same thing for the gear oil, then you would be covered as long as the synthetic meets those minimums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Why is synthetic STILL under suspiscion? Why do most people believe that synthetic means less friction? Synthetic just means that's is built to a specific quality from the bottom up. The Castrol TAF-X that I use to very good effect in my gearbox has friction "designed in" to allow weak synchro rings to work faster. I use Syntrax in the rear diff, since it doesn't need friction, just plain lubrication. As I see it, synthetics have two main advangtages: Their characteristics are specifically programmed and they have the potential to last longer than a mineral equivalent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballitch Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 ya what the heck is the world waiting for, catch up, i mean come on now! synthetic oil, gear or motor or whathaveyou, is made from specific base stocks of, you guessed it, OIL!!! they separate oil from the ground by the properties they(manufacturer) want in their oils, then voila, add in a dash of this and a dash of that, BOOM! you have an oil that doesnt degrade under high heat and lasts longer, its basically a sophisticated form of quality control, just lots of it, AMAZING!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobyclimbs Posted April 4, 2005 Share Posted April 4, 2005 Carr subaru actually recommends and has a redline synthetic upgrade services ! I have been using synthetics for everything since '90 .I've see no dissadvatges at all . Less friction means less wear, better longevity,mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoondockSVX Posted April 4, 2005 Share Posted April 4, 2005 I don't get it either. It says right on the bottle that synthetic meets all the requirements of standard atf, and then some. ?! Whatever. I had it in my SVX for a while, but they don't sell it in madison so now I'm back to regular ATF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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