All good advice. I change my CVT fluid in my Honda Accord ahead of schedule. You need a lot of hydraulic pressure to control the variable pulleys. Degraded fluid will cause less pressure and slipping as a result. There’s members on the Drive Accord owners group that have reached 300,000 miles with their 4 cylinder CVT cars.
@@ChristianGuy7000Don’t trust that. At the long run it will damage your transmission but, if you still want to tow, respectfully I recommend you to add a transmission cooler. I agree with Marvin.
Cvt's wear over time until it's dead. More load equal faster wear. A regular transmission will wear out certain parts until it's time to get it rebuilt or replace with a core charge.
My biggest problem is that I cannot find anybody willing to do CVT work. Shops won't just do a CVT fluid change, especially if not in the maintenance schedule, not even the dealer, where I would never go. And any that will do it, will not replace the filter as you mentioned. So how I can I have it done? I am definitely not doing it myself, so I am stuck.
Yes, that's the problem - no one wants to take responsibility for CVTs. The only option is to keep looking for a good independent shop that will do the job. Maybe, ask in forums dedicated to your car brand.
There is filter in transmission heat exhanger that need to be replaced but not every time at least every two transmission fluid change. But the filter inside the oil pan no need to replace it in my opinion as its waste of money and time because the filter facing down so all contamination will be drain with oil when you change it.
About changing the filter, Nissan made the CVT fluid filter built-in inside the transmission's control valve for V6 FWD models, that means you have to replace the entire control valve system for about $1,000 in parts alone instead of the filter separate😡😡😡😡😡😡 That's why I got a 6-speed manual Altima 😇
AltimaV6SportsCar, I’m jelly!! Looking for a two door Maxima with the 3.5L, 6-spd manual! Do you know how hard it is to find those things? It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack! Pretty much the same with all V6 6MT’s, including Hondas and Toyotas. Nobody want to get rid of them! 🤨
@ Hello, first of all, there is no 2-door Maxima, only all 4-Doors... Also, all V6 6-Speed Manual front wheel drive sedans (2012 and Older Altima, 2017 and older Accord, 2008 and older Maxima) did NOT sell well, for example, only less than 5,000 units worldwide for 2008-2012 Altima 3.5 6-Speed Manual were ever sold, both sedan and coupe variants, so it's very hard to find one for sale. But the easiest one is a 2005-2006 Altima 3.5 6-speed, it's the easiest to find, but Accord and Maxima are very rare, also 2009 and newer maxima never came with manual transmission from factory. There is another solution, get a 2008-2012 Altima V6 with a broken CVT, and swap it from a 6-speed 2.5 i4 Altima 2008-2012, it's easy to find in Saudi Arabia's junkyards, in Saudi Arabia the 6-speed manual 4 cylinder Altimas are everywhere, get the transaxle only, then use OEM bell housing for the 3.5 SE 6-spd Altima (order new), clutch and flywheel for 3.5 6spd (order new), Axels for 3.5 6spd (order new), motor and trans mounts for 3.5 6spd (order new)... other parts can be used from the same 2.5 6spd like the Clutch pedal, shifter assembly, clutch master cylinder, starter motor, also you need to rearrange engine wiring harness, reflash/program the ECU to remove all CVT folder so the car can start, and finally, reprogram your key fob to start the engine.
@@DmitrySapko I had a 2016 Honda Civic with the CVT. Changed the trans fluid every 35K miles. At 200K miles it still ran smoothly with no problems! Sadly it was totalled when a big truck collided with it! 😵 I have no doubt that I could’ve gotten it to 300K miles with no problem.
Cvt's fail and the cause of it is still within the cvt. And extended it's life as much as you can is throwing money at it. If it has to be driven in a very specific way means it's a failure. Saying that something you do can kill your cvt makes no sense. A regular transmission going 100k miles in any condition is normal. A cvt going 100k miles with the most care you can give it is not.
It's fairly new and it's the 'semi-automatic. This type is close to the DCT design. But with tiny modern Suzuki engines I don't expect them to fail too early.
The better idea is don't buy a vehicle with a CVT transmission. Nissan/Subaru went big into cheap Jatco CVT transmissions and as those transmissions broke Nissan/Subaru had an attitude you bought it your problem. Smart consumers who do a bit of research realize Nissan/Subaru vehicles are not reliable and they don't buy them. Results especially for Nissan sales are tanking. The only CVT transmissions that seem to be reliable are Toyota. A smart move by Mazda was they decided to stop using Jatco transmissions and developed their own in-house traditional geared transmissions. Mazda does not use CVT transmissions.
@@mikegordon8178 That only started in 2018. Up until then, Subaru used the same CVT transmission supplier as Nissan, Jatco. The Subaru brand has had many issues in the past. They have kept the same chassis forever. The chassis was designed around the Boxer engine. They have made various changes to the ageing boxer engine over the years. Up to 2013, the 2.5 engine had major issues with head gaskets. What Subaru did when the head gasket issues became really problematic was to re-call the still-in-warranty cars and put in a can of Holt's stop leak. That Holts stop leak hopefully extended the life of the head gaskets so that they failed after the warranty period was over. Then it was the owner's problem. From 2005-2009 the 2.5 engines has issues with dropped valves. Then Subaru had issues with excessive oil consumption, and problems when they changed the engine from belt drive to chain drive. The reason Subaru went with the Jatco CTV vs a better traditionally geared let's say 8-speed transmission was the cost and the old chassis does not have the space to allow putting in an 8-speed transmission. The Jatco Subaru CVT transmissions are not repairable, you have to replace them with a new one. Not Cheap! Then issues with fuel pumps and electronics. What you find is Subaru has a lot of class action lawsuits against them. Subaru is not Toyota that stands behind their vehicles. Subaru wants you to pay for all their faulty engineering. So Subaru solved the head gasket issue when they finally designed a new head gasket but now they have an even bigger issue as Subaru engines are now put together with RTV sealant that can fail which will result in a very expensive repair. Engine removal is necessary and the repair is very labour-intensive. This man explains the issue: th-cam.com/video/cdCGKLNSodk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nm-vZPcw8-mKkpDa If you must have a Subaru I would say lease one do not buy one. Or go to www.carcomplaints.com/ which will list the reliability issues of Subaru vehicles by year. Toyota now owns 15% of Subaru. Perhaps Toyota will have some influence in redesigning Subaru engines and other components to make Subarus more reliable?
All good advice. I change my CVT fluid in my Honda Accord ahead of schedule. You need a lot of hydraulic pressure to control the variable pulleys. Degraded fluid will cause less pressure and slipping as a result. There’s members on the Drive Accord owners group that have reached 300,000 miles with their 4 cylinder CVT cars.
300K miles is a pretty grear milestone for these units. But Honda CVTs are significantly better than, let's say, Nissan.
And the sixth thing , DON’T TOW A TRAILER ! ! !
Subaru crosstrek wilderness towed 3500 lbs. Zero problem.
@@ChristianGuy7000Don’t trust that. At the long run it will damage your transmission but, if you still want to tow, respectfully I recommend you to add a transmission cooler. I agree with Marvin.
Cvt's wear over time until it's dead. More load equal faster wear. A regular transmission will wear out certain parts until it's time to get it rebuilt or replace with a core charge.
110,000 miles on my Pathfinder CVT. Replaced both filters around 80K and drain and fill fluid every 30k. Still runs great.
Excellent advice. This advise is also applicable for automatic transmissions.
Never knew about a filter. I'll ask to have it changed next time I go for a cvt fluid change.
The wise thing is to buy a car without cvt.
My biggest problem is that I cannot find anybody willing to do CVT work. Shops won't just do a CVT fluid change, especially if not in the maintenance schedule, not even the dealer, where I would never go. And any that will do it, will not replace the filter as you mentioned. So how I can I have it done? I am definitely not doing it myself, so I am stuck.
Yes, that's the problem - no one wants to take responsibility for CVTs. The only option is to keep looking for a good independent shop that will do the job. Maybe, ask in forums dedicated to your car brand.
Yep...the dealership are the the mechanics that will touch it.
Generally, they don't repair CVT transmissions they just put in a new one. Very expensive repair.
There is filter in transmission heat exhanger that need to be replaced but not every time at least every two transmission fluid change.
But the filter inside the oil pan no need to replace it in my opinion as its waste of money and time because the filter facing down so all contamination will be drain with oil when you change it.
I changed my trans fluid in my Subaru every 30k. Never had a problem in 8 years
Is that miles or kilometres re 30k ?
My hybrid 2011 Honda CR-Z's CVT transmission is working fine after 276000 kms. Also, the battery pack shows no sign of requiring replacement.
Great video. I totally agree. Makes a lot of sense.
My 2007 Honda Jazz has 377,000 km with just 2 transmission oil changes so far.
My Toyota Venza V6 has 486,000 km on the odometer and I have only change the oil fluid once. So the engine and both are running pretty amazing.
Toyota/Lexus CVT's are better than others. Have 190000 km with no issues.
Right, Toyota and Honda CVTs are good. Still need extra care to drive more than 200K km, but better than others.
My Murano at 220000 kilometers still going strong
Toyota/Lexus ECVT all gears direct drive low friction hence long life
@@DmitrySapkodoes Mazda use CVTs?..... problems?
Mazda used to install bad CVTs in their cars. But now they stopped doing that. Some good conventional transmissions are used in new models
About changing the filter, Nissan made the CVT fluid filter built-in inside the transmission's control valve for V6 FWD models, that means you have to replace the entire control valve system for about $1,000 in parts alone instead of the filter separate😡😡😡😡😡😡
That's why I got a 6-speed manual Altima 😇
AltimaV6SportsCar, I’m jelly!! Looking for a two door Maxima with the 3.5L, 6-spd manual! Do you know how hard it is to find those things? It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack! Pretty much the same with all V6 6MT’s, including Hondas and Toyotas. Nobody want to get rid of them! 🤨
@
Hello, first of all, there is no 2-door Maxima, only all 4-Doors... Also, all V6 6-Speed Manual front wheel drive sedans (2012 and Older Altima, 2017 and older Accord, 2008 and older Maxima) did NOT sell well, for example, only less than 5,000 units worldwide for 2008-2012 Altima 3.5 6-Speed Manual were ever sold, both sedan and coupe variants, so it's very hard to find one for sale.
But the easiest one is a 2005-2006 Altima 3.5 6-speed, it's the easiest to find, but Accord and Maxima are very rare, also 2009 and newer maxima never came with manual transmission from factory.
There is another solution, get a 2008-2012 Altima V6 with a broken CVT, and swap it from a 6-speed 2.5 i4 Altima 2008-2012, it's easy to find in Saudi Arabia's junkyards, in Saudi Arabia the 6-speed manual 4 cylinder Altimas are everywhere, get the transaxle only, then use OEM bell housing for the 3.5 SE 6-spd Altima (order new), clutch and flywheel for 3.5 6spd (order new), Axels for 3.5 6spd (order new), motor and trans mounts for 3.5 6spd (order new)... other parts can be used from the same 2.5 6spd like the Clutch pedal, shifter assembly, clutch master cylinder, starter motor, also you need to rearrange engine wiring harness, reflash/program the ECU to remove all CVT folder so the car can start, and finally, reprogram your key fob to start the engine.
What a great design! So $1000. for parts and probably $1200 for labour to replace the filter.
Everybody disses CVT, but honestly I much prefer ‘19 Honda CVT to ‘18 VW DSG. Nissan gave CVTs undeservedly poor reputation.
True, I can agree with that
@@DmitrySapko I had a 2016 Honda Civic with the CVT. Changed the trans fluid every 35K miles. At 200K miles it still ran smoothly with no problems! Sadly it was totalled when a big truck collided with it! 😵 I have no doubt that I could’ve gotten it to 300K miles with no problem.
Is the CVT fluid and filter change an easy DIY job, or should it be done at a garage?
Depends much on the CVT model and your experience, but in most cases, it's not a DIY job.
@DmitrySapko thanks
I'll tell you 1 thing you shouldn't do with CVT and that's get one in the first place
get ECVT instead
Cvt's fail and the cause of it is still within the cvt. And extended it's life as much as you can is throwing money at it. If it has to be driven in a very specific way means it's a failure. Saying that something you do can kill your cvt makes no sense. A regular transmission going 100k miles in any condition is normal. A cvt going 100k miles with the most care you can give it is not.
Well said....
Can you buy automatics anymore with out a CVT..
You can. But also stay away from dry-clutch DCT units.
You forgot to include the BIGGEST nono......don't ever tow a trailer, no matter how small or light.
I wonder if using sport mode is a good thing or not...?
This depends on the transmission. In most commonly used CVTs it will change nothing - just the load to the engine will change.
What about the Suzuki AGS, is that good or bad?
It's fairly new and it's the 'semi-automatic. This type is close to the DCT design. But with tiny modern Suzuki engines I don't expect them to fail too early.
And another thing don't let lube techs near your cvt.
Aggressive driving bad for CVT. Babying the car, driving slowly also bad for CVT. Holyshit, what do i do?
Find the golden middle :) Or buy a conventional automatic.
Do you reset TCM after fluid change???
In 99% of cases, no. We do that when the transmission doesn't feel well. Other than that, it's a waste of time.
The better idea is don't buy a vehicle with a CVT transmission. Nissan/Subaru went big into cheap Jatco CVT transmissions and as those transmissions broke Nissan/Subaru had an attitude you bought it your problem. Smart consumers who do a bit of research realize Nissan/Subaru vehicles are not reliable and they don't buy them. Results especially for Nissan sales are tanking. The only CVT transmissions that seem to be reliable are Toyota. A smart move by Mazda was they decided to stop using Jatco transmissions and developed their own in-house traditional geared transmissions. Mazda does not use CVT transmissions.
Honda's CVTs are not bad, too.
Subaru makes their own CVT, so your research is flawed.
@@mikegordon8178 That only started in 2018. Up until then, Subaru used the same CVT transmission supplier as Nissan, Jatco. The Subaru brand has had many issues in the past. They have kept the same chassis forever. The chassis was designed around the Boxer engine. They have made various changes to the ageing boxer engine over the years. Up to 2013, the 2.5 engine had major issues with head gaskets. What Subaru did when the head gasket issues became really problematic was to re-call the still-in-warranty cars and put in a can of Holt's stop leak. That Holts stop leak hopefully extended the life of the head gaskets so that they failed after the warranty period was over. Then it was the owner's problem. From 2005-2009 the 2.5 engines has issues with dropped valves. Then Subaru had issues with excessive oil consumption, and problems when they changed the engine from belt drive to chain drive. The reason Subaru went with the Jatco CTV vs a better traditionally geared let's say 8-speed transmission was the cost and the old chassis does not have the space to allow putting in an 8-speed transmission. The Jatco Subaru CVT transmissions are not repairable, you have to replace them with a new one. Not Cheap! Then issues with fuel pumps and electronics. What you find is Subaru has a lot of class action lawsuits against them. Subaru is not Toyota that stands behind their vehicles. Subaru wants you to pay for all their faulty engineering. So Subaru solved the head gasket issue when they finally designed a new head gasket but now they have an even bigger issue as Subaru engines are now put together with RTV sealant that can fail which will result in a very expensive repair. Engine removal is necessary and the repair is very labour-intensive. This man explains the issue:
th-cam.com/video/cdCGKLNSodk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nm-vZPcw8-mKkpDa
If you must have a Subaru I would say lease one do not buy one. Or go to www.carcomplaints.com/ which will list the reliability issues of Subaru vehicles by year. Toyota now owns 15% of Subaru. Perhaps Toyota will have some influence in redesigning Subaru engines and other components to make Subarus more reliable?
Avoid a CVT car is safest way