Oil Cooler for 2018 Subaru Forester with CVT Transmission & 2.5 L Engine

Question:

1 Will you recommend a Derale Oil Cooler appropriate for 2018 Subaru Forester with CVT Transmission and 2.5 L Engine ? 2 I do NOT want to VOID the factory 100,000 mile / 10 year CVT transmission warranty. My local trusted mechanics says anything other than a factory approved oil cooler would / could void the warranty. 3 I pull a 7 foot wide pop up tent camper, weighs about 1200 pounds and I have seen engine oil temperatures up to 240 degrees digital dash readout on a 85 degree ambient day, going up hills at highway speed. 4 The car seems to pull the pop up tent camper fine. Going up hills it gears down with higher engine speed seems to me thats the way it should work properly. 5 The engine oil temperature seems high to me ? I am running premium AMSOIL 0W20, a high grade synthetic engine oil and filter for 25,000 mile interval oil changes. Regards,

asked by: Marvin B

Expert Reply:

You definitely can add an oil cooler to your 2018 Subaru Forester without voiding the warranty as you are protected under the Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The Act states that if something breaks on your vehicle and you take it in for warranty repair, the dealer must honor your warranty unless whatever modifications you have added to your vehicle actually caused the problem in question.

The temperature of 240 degrees is actually pretty ideal especially for towing so you don't necessarily need an oil cooler, but installing one definitely wouldn't hurt anything. The most effective option for you is a plate-fin cooler and for that I recommend the Derale Plate-Fin Engine Oil Cooler Kit # D15405. This measures 9-7/8" wide x 9-1/2" tall x 1-1/4" deep so you just need to make sure you have enough room under your hood for this.

If you are wanting something that is top of the line then the Derale Atomic-Cool Remote Engine Oil Cooler Kit w/ Fan # D15450 is what you're looking for as the fan negates the need for air-flow to cool the oil and the in-line thermostat shuts the fan off when you don't need it.

I have attached a helpful article on the best places to mount a cooler for you to check out.

expert reply by: Jon G