Alright, here we go again. 05 OBW XT with 59K - was going to have the coolant and tranny fluids "flushed". Dealers here in the Twin Cities are offering on a drain and fill on both but not a flush - they say Subaru doesn't recommend a "flush" on either. I was told by one service dept that flushes are not recommended as they could break loose some sediment buildup that may cause problems (what? are they afraid some sediment around the HGs may be a good thing and cleaning it out may cause leaks? )

 

Anyway, the going price for the drain n' fill is around $99 (each), which for that price I may just as well do myself. One dealer would do a tranny flush but at $159.

I was thinking that I'd have the dealer do these services inside the 60K warranty just in case if there were any issues down the road the service is documented. I've always been a proponent of flushing those systems out - I just like the idea of near complete fluid change.

 

What say all you - should I just go the drain n' fill route?

 

 

 

Update: I'm a little miffed on the tone and response of the dealers not wanting to do a flush on these systems since they were always happy to take my money in the past for those services on my 96 Outback. So, I just got off the phone with SOA, and the official response is they do not recommend flushes because they have not, and cannot test those flushing machines that the dealers (or independents) use, and cannot state whether the machine and or process may or may not cause damage

 

I have to assume SOA may have had some warranty issues in the past on such services done and they have defined their service policy now to only drain and fills to protect themselves. :rolleyes:

I wouldn't really get too concerned about flushing over just draining and refilling.

 

If the service interval on the cooling system & tranny are done regularly, draining and refilling should be just fine.

 

Typically where you see flushes being a benefit (as well as detremental) is on older vehicles or cars with higher mileage that did not receive routine maintenance.

Here is a small thread that I posted after doing the GF's tranny. I was a bit surprised at how dirty the fluid was to start with and at all the more cleaner it got. Remember that it is a little cleaner than the cleanest sample.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=87092

 

If you'd like I can search for clear jars and take some pics tomorrow.

 

I may drain and fill her tranny the next few oil changes. I'd still like it to have a better color.

 

Dave

 

Edit: added the link