I bought our 08 Outback (automatic) about 4 years ago in a pinch when my husband and I were stranded away from home. Not knowing too much about cars we bought it unaware that the transmission was slipping. We took it to a local transmission mechanic who replaced it, but he said the valve body was on back order for upwards of a year. He asked if we wanted to pay for it upfront and that when it came in he would call us replace it, so we agreed. He told us that since he couldn't replace it that we should redline it occasionally. Fast forward a year and a couple months, no word from the mechanic so I give him a call, receipt in hand. He goes on to say that we had no such agreement, he never ordered the valve body, and that his warranty only spans one year (despite the fact that he never completed the job or even gave us the part). I looked back at the receipt and he had a very vauge note about replacing the valve body at a later date. He didn't have anything itemized, just a flat charge of $2000. I tried to debate with him over the language on the receipt, only to be hung up on several times, so I never was able to get any resolution.
A few days ago I was driving home, after the car had been sitting for a couple of hours, when the AT Oil Temp light starts flashing. Luckily I was near a friend's house, so I was able to pull it over immediately and park it to take a look. We let the car cool for a while then started it up again. It only took about a minute for the light to start flashing again, enging not even warm yet. We haven't been experiencing and slipping or knocking, fluid looks clean.
After asking a few friends who know a bit about mechanics and they said it could be the valve body needing cleaned/replaced. I only just remembered that the transmission mechanic said to redline it occasionally, which we haven't done at all. My question is, if the engine isn't even warmed up, could the fluid really be getting that hot that quickly, or is it maybe a sensor/filter gone bad? Should I try to redline it to clear it out, or is that a big risk considering? If the valve body does need manually cleaned or replaced, is it in an accessible spot to reach fairly simply?
A few days ago I was driving home, after the car had been sitting for a couple of hours, when the AT Oil Temp light starts flashing. Luckily I was near a friend's house, so I was able to pull it over immediately and park it to take a look. We let the car cool for a while then started it up again. It only took about a minute for the light to start flashing again, enging not even warm yet. We haven't been experiencing and slipping or knocking, fluid looks clean.
After asking a few friends who know a bit about mechanics and they said it could be the valve body needing cleaned/replaced. I only just remembered that the transmission mechanic said to redline it occasionally, which we haven't done at all. My question is, if the engine isn't even warmed up, could the fluid really be getting that hot that quickly, or is it maybe a sensor/filter gone bad? Should I try to redline it to clear it out, or is that a big risk considering? If the valve body does need manually cleaned or replaced, is it in an accessible spot to reach fairly simply?
