CVT transmissions, good or bad?

stan114, Jun 24, 10:08am
Looking at a nissan Liberty with a cvt trans. I am a bit sceptical as I heard mixed reviews on them. Any help appreciated
net_oz, Jun 24, 5:33pm
You're going to only hear all bad stuff from the ones that haven't had them. Our Nissan Primera had one. All good until it shit itself. Cost a bit to replace tho. Then when we updated the car we got another one. Love them and wouldn't go back to an auto or manual again.
kcf, Jun 24, 8:46pm
very very bad.Run away.
tonyrockyhorror, Jun 24, 9:06pm
I'm confused. Is that supposed to be a story without the 'bad stuff' from someone who has had one!
tgray, Jun 24, 9:07pm
So you have a total failure of the CVT trans which cost you a lot of money.
To me your post serves as a warning, not an endorsement.
wizid, Jun 24, 9:40pm
i had 1 ina .primera .cvt . loved it . thay need regular oil changes . this is the key . i got it at 50.kms sold it at 260kms g box was still going strong.wish my skyline had 1
morrisman1, Jun 24, 10:08pm
I wouldn't buy one without a full service history. Too many idiots neglect cars these days and CVT trannies are one of the first things to go. It doenst help that apparently a lot of mechanics in the earlier days were putting normal auto trans fluid in them, which wrecks them
net_oz, Jun 24, 10:18pm
You can have any transmission pack a sad at any time. Just because mine did it, does not mean they are no good. Yes, of course it is a warning to make sure they are serviced on time etc. Obviously mine wasn't before i owned it. My next car is likely to have one as well as i believe they are a great thing.
jason18, Jun 24, 10:18pm
Spot on! I had 00 primera cvt. Had 4 years and still going strong. 04 primera cvt was stuffed before I even bought it but you couldnt tell as only did it sometimes and only when cold and put in reverse it clunked. No service history. Had replaced and still going well for new owner. Make sure its serviced and you will be ok. I use to love em now i still like em but probably wont buy another due to our last primera.
rovercitroen, Jun 24, 10:33pm
Wife's Mitsi Outlander is CVT. I don't really like the way they drive - too much like a slipping clutch when accelerating. It is passable to drive in 'manual' mode though and thats usually how I drive it on the open road.
cjdnzl, Jun 24, 11:32pm
I have a Primera with CVT and it's very good.There are a few characteristics which are different form regular autos, they appear to be slower to take off but once rolling they are good.very good gas mileage as they keep the revs at optimum all the time for engine efficiency, and can be up to 7% better mileage than even a manual.They can be killed by the wrong oil used by ignorant mechanics who use ordinary auto trans oil instead of the proper Nissan oil.Service interval is 60,000 kms.There's a firm in Tirau who specialise in these transmissions, their price for a complete recon is about $3,200 - about the same as for a regular auto recon, so scary stories about cost are just that - scary stories.
Mine was an import at about 90,000 kms, did an oil change first thing, now done about 150,000, goes well no problems.Have heard about others that have done well over 200,000 with no drama.
cute_char, Jun 24, 11:42pm
I had a cvt primera tranny shat itself took it in the mechanic he was very surprised that it had survived 190,000 KM 3000 to fix it decided I was better off buying a new car without cvt so I dont have this happen to me again. flooring it at intersections is a nightmare because its gutless and you can easily not make it in time. I would recommend CVTs for elderly people because they dont bolt forward so easily and they are gutless when taking off, and most elderly people have the money to fix them.
kazbanz, Jun 24, 11:47pm
I've had not so good experiences with CVT transmission.and have had customers with 98-2000 nissans telling me the same story.-tranz failure is a regular theme. Butdigging deeper there seems to be an electric component that fails most often in nissans of that era and the fix is down to around $500
Mitzi lancer cedias--I had one with a screaming cvt tranz that cost $3000 to fix propperly-warranty on the workmanship etc.
Im now selling Toyota sientas -have done for a few years. They are a 7 seater 1500cc. Ive had NO transmission issues with them ever.They aren't known in Japan to give tranz problems. Frankly I can't see how a Sienta would "work" with a "normal" auto gearbox when it has 5 adylts and a couple of kids on board. With the CVT it just pulls big revs untill its up to speed
bwg11, Jun 25, 2:47am
I was in the motor trade in the early 2000's and kazbanz's experience with pre 2000 CVT's was absolutely typical. We would never dream of retailing one because of the failure rate. Any we traded (at a very low price) were just cashed-up. I drove a few them and thought them quite horrible.

My next experience was a few weeks back with a demo of a Swift Sport with CVT. It was excellent - no whiring, instaneous clean manual shifts. I also drove a 6 speed manual. The manual is the most sporting drive, but the CVT was so good my wife ordered one as most of its use will be around town. The Suzuki transmission is actually from Nissan and must be efficient as the stated fuel comsumption is better for the CVT than the manual which is most unusual.
unbeatabull, Jun 25, 8:32am
Before we get into the reliability of them, have you driven one!

They drive quite a bit different to your normal Auto/Manual, and some people don't like to drive them at all.

As everyone else has said, servicing is a crucial part on these, ESPECIALLY with a Honda - they are Very fussy on the Fluid they use as well as how frequent it is changed. I wouldn't buy one without a full service history.
tonyrockyhorror, Jun 25, 8:38am
A mate's wife had a '07 or '08 Maxima. 140k and it lunched the CVT.

A place I worked has Nissan Muranos with CVTs. Horrible, just horrible to drive without giving it lots of wellie. They always feel like they're a slingshot.
mantagsi, Jun 25, 8:51am
Personally I've had next to no experience driving a CVT equipped car; I would be keen to try it one day to see what the fuss is. They seem to polarise people almost as much as v8 vs rotary it seems!
thejazzpianoma, Jun 25, 11:03pm
In my experience with CVT's I have developed the following theory which so far in my direct experience has proved correct every time.

The theory goes that there are three ways to almost guarantee you will get a good run out of a CVT.

1. Make sure it has an external (or at least easily changeable) oil filter for the transmisison, some design's are moronic and don't. (This is why the Honda Jazz ones fail)

2. Service it on time every time with the correct factory fluid and a new filter, make sure its been done in past if buying secondhand.

3. Don't tow big loads with one, or even better don't tow at all.

It might sound like with all of that to contend with that they are not worthwhile. However these transmissions are excellent at giving you the last drop of power and economy from an engine. Especially with small cars like the Fiat Punto which when compared to regular 4 speed auto's of the age and engine size just runs rings around them.
phalanax, Jun 25, 11:28pm
05 3.5l Maxima no probs yet.125k.I suppose its in the way that you use it.like anything .General rule for me that seems to work is let the trans drive the car.Ive noticed failure comes when you start shifting it out of D regardless of the type of trans it is. Also read your user manual get things serviced as per the stated periods.Other types of transmissions might say d3 for up to 80k and d4 for highway some folk just leave it in d4 sometimes and it makes the engine work harder when its driving slow city speeds.bottom line is if you thrash anything it will go hard for an hour a day or a week but somewhere in between it will start falling apart.Agree with the tow thing Autos arent that reliable when theyve been forced to drag unnaccounted loads their clutches dont like it.better to have a manual or 4wdfor towing 4wd tends to spread the load better .