CVT reliability in a long term

[CivicXI]

Our cars don't have VTEC do they?

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[derbo904]

1 year and 2 months. I'm at 40k. Still going strong.

 

[Sticks]

My first Honda CVT, but have some experience with another CVT. Dad's '05 Ford Freestyle had a CVT. Sister bought it and in total 90k miles before she traded it. 13 years, 90k miles, and never an issue with the CVT. Other issues were cropping up, she was tired of it, so traded it for... A Honda!

Honda isn't the only cars with a CVT, and I trust their current engineering over Ford's 13 years ago. I'm not at all concerned the CVT will hold up over the life of the car, with me, over the next five to eight years.

 

[xcoreflyup]

The last 2 gen 2.4L Accord has a CVT and they are doing fine. Our 1.5T CVT shares pretty much the same component with the out-going 2.4L accord CVT. As long as we change the oil, I think it will be fine.

 

[latole]

Is it just me or does that verdict not answer the question at all?

Did you read all ( the link ? ) I guess not,
CVT is reliable but need good maintenance,
Old automatic transmision need no maintenance

 

[warsaws]

Did you read all ( the link ? ) I guess not,
CVT is reliable but need good maintenance,
Old automatic transmision need no maintenance

You rock.

 

[BarracksSi]

CVT=Constant VTEC Time

Not wrong at all. It'll never drop out of the power peak when you've floored the gas.

 

[OohDangItsNay]

I work in a transmission shop. I loathe CVTs.

...atleast it’s not a Nissan or Dodge CVT though.

 

[hunter44102]

Did you read all ( the link ? ) I guess not,
CVT is reliable but need good maintenance,
Old automatic transmision need no maintenance

My friend put 328K miles on a Jatco CVT and he NEVER changed the fluid ever. He used the vehicle to deliver car parts all day for years.

 

[cruisencode]

I had a 1997 Civic HX back in the day. It had a CVT and ran great. I think it had about 100,000 miles when I sold it. I drove that thing in Long Island, NY traffic and Los Angeles, CA traffic. I never had any issues with it.

 

[fjrman]

"CVT is reliable but need good maintenance ..."

What maintenance? -- just changing the fluid every 2.5 years or so?

$55 of fluid / 2.5 years = $22 a year. One spends more on engine oil changes each year!

Anyone concerned about the longevity of the CVT would surely be diligent in changing the fluid as recommended.

 

[marauderguy]

Did you read all ( the link ? ) I guess not,
CVT is reliable but need good maintenance,
Old automatic transmision need no maintenance

Yes you do need to change the fluid periodically which was still beneficial even in older automatics. My brothers Nissan Sentra is going on 300000 km on original fluid with zero problems, so no extensive maintenance program there.

 

[frontlinegeek]

The only complaint I have about CVTs are the starts from dead stop. I have driven quite old CVTs (Subaru Justy) and now this CivicX and I can't believe they haven't set the ratio to allow for a quicker start. Companies need to do what Toyota is up to:

Otherwise, I am perfectly happy where I just city commute with my EX.

 

[charleswrivers]

The only complaint I have about CVTs are the starts from dead stop. I have driven quite old CVTs (Subaru Justy) and now this CivicX and I can't believe they haven't set the ratio to allow for a quicker start. Companies need to do what Toyota is up to:

Otherwise, I am perfectly happy where I just city commute with my EX.

I remember those Justys. I used to think the ECVT or whatever they called it was PFM. It was probably around a 1990 and seemed like a one off at the time.

CVTs have had a rocky mainstream beginning this century... though there are a few early examples. Honda had one for a little while and discontinued it for awhile. The Mini forums are full of CVT horror stories. Nissan's were kind of crap initially... but have gotten pretty mature. They even rate their version in one of their SUVs (Pathfinder?) to tow 5000 lbs. The CVT in the CRV can do 1500.

I'd not be too concerned with a modern CVT at stock power levels, if maintained properly. When and if it ever goes... it probably would be cheaper/easier to replace from a junk car than rebuild. I've effectively rebuilt CVTs attached to small engines. They're very simple and not too different from their larger counterparts. A lot of transmission shops don't want to touch them, which is odd.

All transmissions will do well to have their fluid/gear oil/whatever changed as maintenance. I find the idea of a maintenance free 'sealed' transmission to be likened to a disposable car. Nothing lasts forever. I've drained a lot of obviously done ATF out of cars/light trucks that, after changing improved the shifting performance of the car. If you drive a tow vehicle, even with a cooler... a cross country drive can do it in.

Honda has a checkered history with their transmissions, despite their outstanding engines. I'd never not change the fluid, regardless whether you are using their branded fluids or a 3rd party, according to the maintenance schedule. They also tend to share transmissions across multiple platforms. If you think the fluid in my ~5000 lb Odyssey holds up as good as a 3500 lb Accord which shares it (and the Odyssey is rated to tow 3500 lbs) you'd be sadly mistaken. It's MM pops every 30k miles and it's fluid is well done. Burnt ATF has a distinct smell... and the ATF that comes out of that boat doesn't have the smell/color of fresh ATF.

At least, as Civic owners... we know we got a CVT that, cooler or no, went to a heavier vehicle rated to tow. That should be a big upcheck to it's perceived durability.

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