Is my cvt dead or are these mechanics trying to scam me

Jon14salazar

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My 2016 Honda civic cvt (80k miles) won’t go forward when it’s in drive, it just revs with engine. Same with reverse, you guys think the tranny is dead or could it be something else? I had some crazy lights right before it went out. It showed every gear was engaged.
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Jon14salazar

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Took it to a mechanic he said 8k for a new tranny. I took my car out and left a bad review, after that he called back and said it had communication codes and it might not be the tranny. I take it to the dealership to check the computer and the guy that’s filling my paperwork mentions they just had a car with this issue and it was a simple small fix. They later called and said 6k for a new tranny.
 
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Jon14salazar

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You asked for the mechanic to check it, and left a bad review because you didn't like the answer?
No I left a bad review because they did some weird shady stuff, I paid for the inspection and instead of giving me the paper with all the info on it they gave me a blank paper with they’re name and logo on the top and just told me the tranny was dead. They wouldn’t give me any info on my car. I left the bad review because of that. That’s when the owner called and actually told me what they noticed with the car and what codes were popping up.
 

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Fair enough I guess. When was the last time you changed the tranny fluid?
 


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Jon14salazar

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Fair enough I guess. When was the last time you changed the tranny fluid?
It’s at 80k I never changed it out.
I was always told it would damage the car and had no idea I need to until now. I fell into the myth that it’s supposed to be lifetime and changing it is bad
 

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I don't think Honda's ever claimed it was lifetime fluid.
 

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It’s at 80k I never changed it out.
I was always told it would damage the car and had no idea I need to until now. I fell into the myth that it’s supposed to be lifetime and changing it is bad
Why did you think CVT fluid was lifetime? That stuff gets killed by heat and you probably should have already changed it twice with the miles you have on it. Especially considering you live in HOT Vegas.
 
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Jon14salazar

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Why did you think CVT fluid was lifetime? That stuff gets killed by heat and you probably should have already changed it twice with the miles you have on it. Especially considering you live in HOT Vegas.
I now realize that but every mechanic told me it was bad and would help spread metal shavings around the tranny
 

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My 2016 Honda civic cvt (80k miles) won’t go forward when it’s in drive, it just revs with engine. Same with reverse, you guys think the tranny is dead or could it be something else? I had some crazy lights right before it went out. It showed every gear was engaged.
Without having the car in front of me, we did have a bunch of failures early on with the TCM going bad. It's the control unit for the transmission that bolts on top of the trans. They would randomly take a dump, throw a bunch of communication codes and most notably the car would be stuck with the parking brake on.

If it doesn't move in gear and you can change the gears from forward to reverse, most likely the CVT band snapped and the trans is toasted. That's like a $8k repair for a whole new trans, brand new from the dealer. No independent shop should be charging $8k for a used trans installed.
 


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Jon14salazar

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Without having the car in front of me, we did have a bunch of failures early on with the TCM going bad. It's the control unit for the transmission that bolts on top of the trans. They would randomly take a dump, throw a bunch of communication codes and most notably the car would be stuck with the parking brake on.

If it doesn't move in gear and you can change the gears from forward to reverse, most likely the CVT band snapped and the trans is toasted. That's like a $8k repair for a whole new trans, brand new from the dealer. No independent shop should be charging $8k for a used trans installed.
I did get a bunch of communication codes and parking break light turned on even thought it wasn’t on. I am able to move it into parking, reverse, etc but it does nothing. Do you think it’s worth it to change the tcm or just change the tranny now?
 

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So what is the code? Any shop that pulls the codes should provide those for you. I work for Honda so post codes and ill do my best to tell you whats going on. I always recommend transmission fluid replacement every 3yrs or 30k miles except on newer 9/10spd autos its every 60k. Also did you have the fluid drained during inspection? Any signs of metal from the CVT drive chain? Honestly with all the newer tech in these vehicles I would recommend only allowing a dealer to work on the vehicle if it is the transmission. Hope I can help and good luck
 

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I was told that you should change the fluid especially on a CVT at every 20k or 25K my car has 46k on it now and the transmission fluid has been changed twice ( at every 20k) this maybe a overkill that some would say but I have records of all maintenance work done on my car by a honda dealership
 

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My 2016 Honda civic cvt (80k miles) won’t go forward when it’s in drive, it just revs with engine. Same with reverse, you guys think the tranny is dead or could it be something else? I had some crazy lights right before it went out. It showed every gear was engaged.
could be a bad speed sensor
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