Is my DMF on its way out?

I have a 59 reg old shape Subaru Legacy Boxer diesel, the 5 speed model.

It's done 80,000 miles but has started, when cold, shuddering when moving off in first gear.

It also is a bit jerky and shudders when in 3rd, say, and accelerating out of a corner.

Might this be a sign of a dodgy or failing DMF? What else should I look out for? I have had a hard gear change where the change in to 3rd crunched but that was a few thousand miles ago. It does two 60 mile journeys a day to and from work, I'm just concerned about the bill if the DMF fails. It is also quite smokey under acceleration but the garage can find nothing wrong, it uses no oil or water.

Asked on 18 February 2012 by remedy

Answered by Honest John
Could be the DMF. This was an early problem with the first Legacy 2.0 diesel.
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