I have a 2003 Subaru Forester with 56,000 miles on it. For the past 3 months it has been “running hard” at speeds >60 mph. The RPMs remain at 3000 and do not drop to 2000 for a more comfortable quiet drive at these high speeds. My gas mileage has been poor. At lower speeds 0-50 mph the RPMs go up to 2000 then drop to 1000 appropriately and the car does not feel like it runs too “hard”. I just had the trans fluid filled by Jiffy Lube, it looked pink and did not smell burnt. What do you think is going on with my car?
obvious question… If this started after Jiffy Lube then did JL fill the transmission? Need topping off? what did they do???
Jiffy lube topped off the fluids, all of them, but didn’t flush. That’s all they did.
Jiffy lube changed the oil and topped off all other fluids. No trans flush.
When JL changed your oil did they drain the engine or transmission? Sometimes they get confused under the car…
Pretty sure they emptied engine because I took it back to another JL after the problem started and they checked all the fluid levels again.
Please take your car to a transmission shop for an evaluation.
If your transmission is malfunctioning–as it certainly appears to be–this will not cure itself, and delaying a repair will only result in more damage and a higher bill. Jiffy Lube is hardly able to even change motor oil without making fatal errors, so entrusting the well-being of your transmission to them is…not wise.
Look for an independent trans shop that has been in business for at least 3 years.
DO NOT go to AAMCO, Lee Myles, Cottman, or any other chain operation unless you want to be overcharged for unnecessary repair work of poor quality.
Subaru put the drain bolt for auto trans right near oil one. It can be confused especially if your locale is where Subaru is not prevalent.
Jiffy lube is not the place for tranny. Go to an independent transmission shop or mechanic.
I will do that tomorrow. Thanks. Do you have any guesses as to what is wrong with the transmission?
Well, you didn’t tell us either the current odometer mileage or the maintenance history of the car, but if this 6 year old car has never had its transmission fluid changed, it is very possible that you will need to have the transmission overhauled.
Automatic transmissions, including those on Subarus, need to have their fluid changed every 3 years/36k miles (whichever comes first). Failure to do this can lead to transmission failure anytime after ~90k miles.
If the transmission has been serviced as it should, or if you are extremely lucky, it might turn out to be an electronic sensor–which will cost about $2,000 less than an overhauled/rebuilt transmission.
Start praying for the best case scenario.