Honda CVT transmission concerns, have you had any? How did the dealership handle it?

[Fil Trans]

Hi

Coming from a manual car that I've been using for decades, I am planning on getting a CVT Honda because of the traffic.

I've done a bit of research in this forum and elsewhere and have found some people have had problems with their CVT.

Hearing that replacement transmission is going for around 300 thousand is making me consider getting a manual again despite the traffic and manual problems of master/slave cylinder breaking. It is also encouraging me more to get Honda's extended warranty.

Anyways, hoping we could somehow consolidate CVT concerns so it becomes easier for Honda CVT owners to find solutions to their CVT problems (if any), join forces so that dealing with the CASA becomes easier and hopefully more affordable.

1) How many KM have you run your Honda CVT? What model and year is your unit? Has it manifested any CVT problems? Did you complete follow the PMS 40k km CVT fluid change?

2) Did you bring your concern to your dealership? Which branch? And what did they do for you? Was it still under warranty?

3) To those who have had their CVT completely replaced brand new by the dealership (which branch) under warranty, were you able to do it under warranty without any issues or delay?

4) To those who have had their CVT completey replace brand new by the dealership OUT OF WARRANTY, how much did it cost you?

5) If I wanted to have my CVT fluid changed every year (20k) vs the usual every 2 years (40k) to help extend the life of the CVT, will Honda service/dealer/SPA, actually do it or will they say they did it and just charge me anyway? How much extra would this cost just for the CVT fluid and labor?

6) If I wanted to change my CVT fluid on my own more often while the car is still under warranty to save on labor cost, will this void my warranty?

7) When replacing the car battery, I've read the the computer of the CVT needs to be reset, how much will this cost for Honda to do this?

Thank you very much.

[Vodka]

go for it. i'm sure it'll last 100,000km or more if you drive gently. no heavy loads, no towing, no climbing baguio regularly, etc

they've been designed to last X number of kilometers for a given usage pattern

[_Qwerty_]

1. 19,6xx kms / Honda BRV S / Dec. 2016 / no problem / yes did 2 years cvt fluid change
2 - 6. N/A
7. changed battery already, wala namang ni reset.

[17Sphynx17]

Own 11 year old Honda City i-Dsi CVT. # of times replaced CVTF, twice only. I do not follow the 2 year interval "required" by Honda, but that is I feel okay for my use case since it is not normally stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, and usage is around 8k to 10k kms over 12 months to 15 months (variable).

1) Never experienced CVT issue specifically but the first CVTF change I did was on it's 6th year (2014), and the next CVTF change was just this year (2019). Total mileage accumulated now is around 85k kms.
2) For major concerns when it was already outside the warranty, that was when I bring it to Honda Casa (Q Ave specifically). Starting on the 6th year of ownership, it was no longer under annual PMS of Honda. But I have adjusted a regimen of only bringing it to Honda every "3rd year interval" for now. The rest, I was fine with Shell/Payless Car Care Center for the Annual PMS.

5) Answered in # 1, but I also didn't use the Manual Mode of the CVT, just to clear up this item since there is a known issue with weakness in the belts when using manual mode for this specific model design of the City (at least that's what I recalled).

6) I don't advice this personally. Best to leave it to Honda so you don't risk damaging your transmission just to save a few bucks.

7) For my case, when replacing the battery, I specifically run the car first before the battery is removed so that all electronics are running off the alternator, avoiding any electronics to suffer a reset or "error" (just to be on the safe side). On my first battery replacement, I didn't know about the CVT might needing to be reset so I didn't start it before. So I did bring it to Honda to have it reset as I felt it was not "performing" the same (shifting wise) after my first battery change. Succeeding battery replacements, I made sure to start the cars (be it AT or CVT) after that happened, never had any issues after. If the battery is already dead, I have the new battery just connected to the old battery terminals so I can start the car when they are connected in series. Car starts, assuming no other issue is causing the "unable to start" issue.

This is my own personal experience with Honda CVT specifically and what I've done during its life. Still own and use the vehicle daily.

[StockEngine]

5. completely unnecessary. the cvt fluid change itnerval is already shortened to maximize reliability.
6. void.. labor has to be from dealership to retain warranty.

7. battery replacements shouldnt affect cvt memories. its not designed that way.

buy their extended warranty to calm your cvt fears..

[Vodka]

7) For my case, when replacing the battery, I specifically run the car first before the battery is removed so that all electronics are running off the alternator, avoiding any electronics to suffer a reset or "error" (just to be on the safe side). On my first battery replacement, I didn't know about the CVT might needing to be reset so I didn't start it before. So I did bring it to Honda to have it reset as I felt it was not "performing" the same (shifting wise) after my first battery change. Succeeding battery replacements, I made sure to start the cars (be it AT or CVT) after that happened, never had any issues after. If the battery is already dead, I have the new battery just connected to the old battery terminals so I can start the car when they are connected in series. Car starts, assuming no other issue is causing the "unable to start" issue.

this is not recommended

[Athrunzala]

Sabi ni Scotty Kilmer sa Youtube, worse daw ang CVT ng Nissan, at ang mas maganda ay ang sa CVT ng Toyota

[dr. d]

Sabi ni Scotty Kilmer sa Youtube, worse daw ang CVT ng Nissan, at ang mas maganda ay ang sa CVT ng Toyota

ibalik ang 4AT !

seriously, what real advantage does cvt have over the traditional AT ?

[Egan101]

ibalik ang 4AT !

seriously, what real advantage does cvt have over the traditional AT ?

Serious, why would you go back to the archaic 4AT tranny? The newer 6AT trannies are much better.

CVT offers better fuel efficiency over the older 4AT and 5AT trannies, as what most manufacturers claim.

[jojopad]

ibalik ang 4AT !

seriously, what real advantage does cvt have over the traditional AT ?

1. Compact design
2. Stepless acceleration
3. Fuel efficiency (most compelling advantage imho)

source: Advantages and disadvantages of continuously variable transmission | Profolus

[dr. d]

CVT offers better fuel efficiency over the older 4AT and 5AT trannies, as what most manufacturers claim.

is it a claim, or is it real?

[StockEngine]

is it a claim, or is it real?

its a fact

[chronicle]

I think the best comparison here for 4at vs cvt fc is the 3rd gen vios.

Earlier batches had 4at, while latter batches have cvt.



Sent from my BLL-L22 using Tapatalk

[dr. d]

I think the best comparison here for 4at vs cvt fc is the 3rd gen vios.

Earlier batches had 4at, while latter batches have cvt.



Sent from my BLL-L22 using Tapatalk

do the cvt ones give more km/li than the 4ats?

[chronicle]

do the cvt ones give more km/li than the 4ats?

I dunno. Was hoping someone had owned both versions to make apples to apples comparo.

Sent from my BLL-L22 using Tapatalk

[Athrunzala]

do the cvt ones give more km/li than the 4ats?

Yup, yan ang narinig ko, sabi pa daw ni Scott Kilmer sa Youtube, CVTs have even the potential to even surpass manual transmissions in terms of fuel efficiency because computers are the ones who are consistently calculating the appropriate correct speed based on the driver's behavior so as to come out with the most efficient use of fuel economy. So say goodbye to manual transmissions hehe

[17Sphynx17]

this is not recommended

It may not be written in the manual, but i rather not rrisk running the transmission while there could be an error in the computer box after battery removal (without running off the alternator).

Im just saying what i do to avoid needing a cvt reset.

I also own a sylphy cvt. When nissan serviced the sylphy, they removed the battery over the course of repair work (i posted this in the thread for sylphy).

When i got the car back, the transmission was behaving differently. I brought it back for a reset. Nissan doesnt have the same like honda. So they installed the latest firmware they had on hand for the cvt. Basically equivalent to a reset.

The transmissiom behaved the same after it as well.

So, you could see it as anecdotal. But that has been my personal experience with cvts and i would rather not risk it.

[Vodka]

It may not be written in the manual, but i rather not rrisk running the transmission while there could be an error in the computer box after battery removal (without running off the alternator).

Im just saying what i do to avoid needing a cvt reset.

I also own a sylphy cvt. When nissan serviced the sylphy, they removed the battery over the course of repair work (i posted this in the thread for sylphy).

When i got the car back, the transmission was behaving differently. I brought it back for a reset. Nissan doesnt have the same like honda. So they installed the latest firmware they had on hand for the cvt. Basically equivalent to a reset.

The transmissiom behaved the same after it as well.

So, you could see it as anecdotal. But that has been my personal experience with cvts and i would rather not risk it.

what you're doing is risky as well. the battery buffers the raw output of the alternator, protecting all your electronics from spikes etc

the proper way is to use a memory saver cable. plugs to OBD2 port.

[Jun aka Pekto]

ibalik ang 4AT !

seriously, what real advantage does cvt have over the traditional AT ?

Personally, my main beef with CVTs is the long-term durability because I tend to keep my cars until they either fall apart or quit running (usually 13-15 years). Otherwise, I find the CVT great when using cruise control on road trips. Perhaps, I'm wrong. But, the CVT is always at the most optimal/efficient setting of the RPM range which is not the case with conventional AT. An AT is prone to gear hunting during a climb with roughness and speed loss/compensation. With a CVT, assuming a climb the CVT can handle, the speed remained constant with smoother adjustments. It really surprised me (in a good way) the first time I encountered it.

[Vodka]

Personally, my main beef with CVTs is the long-term durability because I tend to keep my cars until they either fall apart or quit running (usually 13-15 years). Otherwise, I find the CVT great when using cruise control on road trips. Perhaps, I'm wrong. But, the CVT is always at the most optimal/efficient setting of the RPM range which is not the case with conventional AT.

exactly. the CVT computer could probably pick between a thousand different "gear ratios"