Why you shouldn’t get a CVT transmission

We break down a CVT Automatic transmission and show you how it works. CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission. These transmission have been used by Audi, Subaru , Lexus, Toyota and Honda. The transmission broken down in this video came out of a 2009 Audi A4. Check out what's inside this CVT transmission!

Links Talked about in this video
Servicing and Readapting an Audi CVT Transmission

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[joevignoloru]

Toyota CVT's are unique because they use a "launch gear". CVT's tend to experience the most slip and wear under hard acceleration from a dead stop. In a Toyota CVT a conventional gear is used to accelerates the car up to a certain speed and then the launch gear is disengaged and the continuously variable mechanism is engaged. This removes a major source of wear and significantly extends the life of the transmission.

[erikthie]

i always love watching Paul pretend to be a mechanic. This was a good start to the day.

[Fatboy]

The beauty/simplicity of manual transmission can hardly be overstated.

[GixxerRider]

I am not a cvt fan, but you can't blame the transmission for failing when it clearly was not serviced.

[heftyjo]

Vast majority of the CVT failures are from lack of fluid changes. These things pump out a tremendous amount of metal shavings from the belt constantly rubbing against the drive pulleys. Nissan dealerships will pretty much just charge cost for the fluid and filters on their CVT transmissions since it actually saves them money to change fluid for no profit rather than replacing the entire transmission under warranty. I've got a Nissan Versa with about 150k miles on a CVT. So, they can last a good bit if you keep the fluid changed regularly.

[thebaron]

I really admire that you did this on the smallest cart you had in the shop.

[ssnider]

I worked at a U.S. Honda dealer for a couple of years. Absolutely no issues with the CVT in any model. The electronics in my 2017 Accord are infuriating and buggy, but the drivetrain has been great.

[sudiptakiran]

I drove my previous Honda with CVT for 12 years with zero issue even though I never changed the transmission oil!! I guess Hondas and Toyotas know how to make a CVT last long!!

[Black_Magic_Pearl]

Thanks Paul! Was looking everywhere for a guide to repair my CVT transmission and now I can safely say it’s being crushed at the scrap yard 💪

[dannys.]

I owned a 2013 Accord that I bought brand new and sold with 186, 000 miles (300, 000km). That car had a CVT and I had zero problems when I sold it. All I did to the car was regular oil changes and did a complete fluid exchange for every fluid in the car at around 120K Miles. Everything in that car (including the CVT) was stupid reliable.

[AboveInShadow]

I own an Audi A4 and a Nissan Quashqai, both CVT.
Never had transmission problems and the ride is always smooth.

[MrSupernova]

Nice video! I was recently considering getting a Honda CRV to replace my old Accord which is on its last leg. After researching I found that not only do they have a terrible engine but they also use a CVT transmission. It pains me to spend so much money on a car but I'd rather upgrade to an Acura which has a better engine (no hybrid) and a traditional transmission (I'm guessing a normal planetary transmission. I keep my cars a very long time and the last thing I want is to have to either total my vehicle in the future or spend thousands repairing the drivetrain. Its a disgrace that many newer cars are nothing more than compliance vehicles designed to meet government standards. Thanks for the breakdown of a CVT transmission!

[loualexander]

Toyota and Honda CVTs tend to last longer than other CVTs because of the launch gear. One thing many CVT vehicle owners do not realize is that no damage can occur if you change your CVT fluid more often (unlike regular transmissions with say over 200k miles on them). Additionally, changing CVT fluid more often (say 30k miles or so after the first change) can prolong their life. In the case of some Nissans, changing even after 15k can show a lot of worn material. Another thing to mention is that CVT transmissions work better when the transmission has reached operating temperature. So, in the winter your car may not need to warm up but your CVT does. I would wait till the car reaches normal operating temperature on a CVT car and be extremely gentle on it the first couple of miles (no hard acceleration or deceleration). Another thing is that driving very fast on a CVT can wear it out faster. I would say try to stick below 85mph or 75mph when you can with a CVT car. They can last if you take care of them and have some basic knowledge. Good luck.

[dystopia-usa]

After driving nothing but manuals for 40 years, I purchased my first Mazda in 2022 (CX-30 CE AWD 6-AT), with one of the biggest selling points being the modernized-design SkyActiv 6-spd automatic instead of a belt/chain design CVT. I'm 19 months into ownership & it has been a 100% problem/issue free ownership experience thus far. Great vehicle.

[AffaanMansuri]

meanwhile honda’s cvt running smooth till infinity 😂

[inodesnet]

Totally agree.

I am here in Japan and having to put up with my mother in-law's Honda N-Box. It's a Kei car, which is a 700cc, lightweight car. Think of Kei cars as boxes with less power than even a scooter would get. No weight, no torque required. And on these, a CVT engine doesn't really show its flaws.

But Japan has an unhealthy addiction to CVT engines that just won't stop. Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Suzuki, Nissan, Subaru.... looking at all of you. You're all guilty.

There is on major exception to this Japanese rule: Mazda!

Mazda are small, but behind the scenes they're very engineering focused with a lot of R&D going into things such as metallurgy (reason Mazda's crash so well is they lead the world in UHSS - ultra high tensile steel), crazy engine tech (only car maker to have low compression diesel, only one to attempt compression petrol).

But one of the things I love them for is their human centric department (Kansei Engineering) run by Psychology Professor Kenta Kubo. The department studies everything from tweaking fonts and kernings of everything in the cars display to reduce eye strain, to the movement of a body around a bend.

But one of the most important studies I think was, what I refer to as the "how long does it take to annoy a driver with a delay?".
Turns out the answer is 300 milliseconds.

To have a direct connection with the driver, every interaction needed to have a delay of no more than 300ms between cause and effect. Press an accelerator - needs to be faster than 300ms. Change a gear - needs to be 300ms. Use a start-stop system - needs to be 300ms*. (* Mazda was no doubt frustrated by the fact that although their start-stop was twice as fast as anything else on the market at the time they made it, it was But that's a heck lot faster than Subaru with an 800ms start/stop at the time, and a love of CVT's and Boxer engines).

From the outset of completely throwing all the Ford garbage out when Ford divested in 2010 onwards (to save their own butts), Mazda knew they needed an auto transmission that was good with fuel, but was direct and quick to shift (but also had to be reliable).

The immediately dismissed CVTs!!! They were considered the worst possible solution because they're slow, noisy and not anywhere near quick or direct enough to satisfy 300ms.
The torque converter they used, was redesigned to move the clutch plate further into the transmission and have it lock up about 90% of the time, thereby also making it a "slush box" that had a direct feel.

From Mazda:

"The torque converter transfers engine power to the transmission through fluid, making a smooth start-up and gearshifts possible. The drawback is that fuel economy worsens due to the loss of power transfer through the fluid, and slippage during rapid acceleration, which causes vehicle speed to lag behind engine speed. Therefore, a torque converter with a lock-up clutch was developed, which locks the torque converter's turbine to the impeller to improve fuel economy and direct drive feel."

While Japanese manufacturers continue to pump out CVT crap, I think Mazda should be congratulated for standing alone and giving the middle finger to the transmission.

[user]

Thanks for the detailed breakdown on how to change my transmission fluid. I'm ready to do-it-myself this weekend!

[loizosnikolaou]

I have been driving MT all my life. I recently got a CVT Accord, and agree 100% with what this man is saying. Going back to MT asap. Giving my Accord back to Honda and getting an SI.

[busslayer]

This reminds me of me at the pick a part junkyard. After 20 mins of ripping into something I inevitably get to an 'oops, I shouldn't have done that. Time to find a different car.'

[russiandrivers]

I've driven a few of the new Renault Clios in Turkey which have a CVT and I found those cars pretty nice to drive. Totally smooth acceleration and no gear changes. That said, those were all brand new cars with very low mileage.