Truth About CVT Transmissions Reveals Reliability and Costs of Having One

Here’s the latest need-to-know info about whether CVT transmissions are reliable, should you avoid buying a car with one, what are the costs of owning a car with CVT, and which transmission is best in modern cars today.

Transmission Worries and Woes of Car Ownership

When shopping for a used car, you need to consider what type of transmission it has and whether or not is has a history of problems. In an earlier article we dealt with the some of the benefits and tradeoffs of a car that has a CVT type of transmission.

Related article: Six Vehicles with Fatal Engines or Transmissions to Avoid

A CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) basically is a transmission designed to use pulleys connected via a steel band, rather than using a hydraulic-based system to engage the gears in older model cars and trucks.

The move by automakers toward using the CVT type has more to do with economy rather than performance improvement and reliability. The benefits of a CVT over a traditional automatic transmission is that it increases fuel economy, uses fewer components, is cheaper to manufacture, and is significantly lighter in weight. The tradeoff of a CVT is that it limits the power of the engine used and has a higher maintenance requirement.

These arguments and issues of lower power and higher maintenance behind owning a vehicle with CVT has been ongoing and was recently reviewed on the Scotty Kilmer YouTube channel where he talks about CVTs and how his opinion of them has changed.

Even more recently, however, the Car Help Corner YouTube channel addresses the arguments for and against based on issues with CVT to help clarify for car shoppers whether or not car shoppers should really steer clear of vehicles with CVT; and if so, which makes and models.

In the video you will find out:

• What a CVT looks like and how it works
• How it differs from a conventional automatic transmission
• What the downsides of a CVT are
• What types of cars you do not want a CVT type of transmission unstalled
• What models of car have CVT
• Signs and symptoms of a CVT problem
• Why repairing a CVT is unlikely should yours go bad
• How much a remanufactured CVT is going to cost you
• Which car brand has the worst CVT reliability history
• If CVTs have really improved over the years
• The difference between a conventional CVT and an ECVT (one used in Hybrids)
• How CVTs compare with Non-CVT Dual Clutch transmissions used in modern cars
• What car brands still use the conventional automatic transmission
• What all of this boils down to for used car shoppers

Are CVT Transmissions Reliable? The Truth About CVTs (Good and Bad)

And finally…

For additional articles about transmissions, here are few selected ones that cab be exceptionally helpful for car owners:

• The Sealed Automatic Transmission Flush Deception Revealed by a Mechanic

• Used Car Transmission Problem Options You Need to Know

• Servicing Your Vehicle’s Automatic Transmission Can Be a DIY Project That Saves You Money

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Timothy Boyer is a Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.

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