If you’ve recently bought a vehicle with a CVT, or you’re considering buying one, it’s worth knowing about how CVT transmission repair works, and what it costs.
“CVT” stands for “continuously variable transmission”. So, technically, “CVT transmission” is redundant, though many people use this expression. CVTs are named thus because they transition seamlessly between gears. Instead of actual gear “stages”, the CVT allows for a continuous variation within the engine. The driver typically won’t even notice the transition between gears.
CVTs are a relatively new variation on the automatic transmission, and they offer better fuel efficiency. Many modern vehicles are now equipped with CVTs. With a CVT, you can enjoy a smoother driving experience because they offer an optimized shifting process. They use power more efficiently because they enable the engine to operate at optimum power, irrespective of how fast the car is traveling.
It’s difficult to discuss CVT problems and repairs with any certainty. This is because they’re still quite new, so we don’t have a lot of data on what kinds of repairs they need. From what we can tell, CVTs appear to be more resistant to some common automatic transmission problems. CVTs probably need fewer repairs than traditional automatic transmissions, at least early in their life cycles.
Common CVT problems are simply common transmission problems. These include worn-down friction surfaces, such as bands. These bands are easily accessible in most CVTs, so it’s not a big issue. Transmission fluid is crucial to CVTs, as it is to all automatic transmissions. With an insufficient amount or quality of transmission fluid, you can risk your CVT overheating and failing. It’s not a repair, but one downside to CVTs is that they usually require special transmission fluid that costs a little extra.
Perhaps the repair that’s unique to CVTs isn’t actually a repair at all. CVTs don’t sound the same as other transmissions. They tend to be noisier because they drone loudly during acceleration as they force the engine to run at high, constant rpm while the vehicle gets up to speed.
This drone or whirring noise can be disconcerting, especially if you’re driving an electric or hybrid vehicle, which disproportionately use CVTs, because there’s no engine to drown out the sound. Drivers then bring their vehicle in for a CVT repair. But the “repair” simply consists of informing the driver that their transmission is fine and this is just the noise it makes.
There’s no need to keep searching for CVT repair. Just visit Mister Transmission! Please get in touch with us today to schedule a transmission inspection, maintenance service, or repair.
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