Life Span of CVT Gearbox

[Dolphin69]

Hi Everyone,

 

My nine yr old Airwave CVTgearbox finally died 2 mths ago after giving intermittent problems for over a year.  Its been a work horse and the family loves it although sadly we thought it may have to be retired.  Its a real dilemma but as COE hasn't dropped sufficiently, ultimately I made the decision to repair the gearbox.  Just like to share my experience.

 

Did searches on the web and identified a couple of places - can't remember the others but decided on KATC after giving a call and was lucky enough to reach KATC boss Raymond Khang whose handphone was given on one of the sites.  That swung it as most owners don't answer the enquiry line.  I liked the caring and knowledgeable response but at that point wasn't sure I could move the car.  So Raymond arranged for a tow truck to call me too.  Anyway, after praying, I was able to engage the gear and drive slowly the half hour journey to his workshop.  When the workshop tried to reposition the car it would not move again, so the gearbox had completely died.

 

Anyway to cut a long story short, Raymond gave me a good price and did the complete overhaul of my gearbox in record time of just over 2 days because I needed it for work (he estimated it would take a week but very kindly put a priority on my car).  I was surprised that the car could even move when I went to collect it but it was an excellent job.  The gear changes were silky smooth and was better than it had been for a very long time.  But soon I felt some vibrations and fuel consumption wasn't as good as before and I went back.  They patiently checked it and found that the engine mounting had disintegrated from old age.  Again they did this repair in record time and treated me like royalty to boot, giving me lifts to the bus stop etc. to make the multiple visits and leaving the car at KATC less painful.  Again, I was given priority and the repair was done very quickly.

 

I waited 2  months and a trip to KL later to write this testimony.  I have to say KATC is a great place to do up your gearbox.  The workshop is big, well organised and with tonnes of spareparts.  Probably the reason why they could do overhaul in a matter of days.  The mechanics are well trained and knowledgeable because the result speaks for itself.  One gearbox workshop even told me that there was no way to rebuild an airwave gearbox and told me that I had to buy a new one at great cost.  Well, KATC has the knowledge and capacity to not only rebuild it but to do it in record time - forget about JB, we have the best here.  The car feels fast and is faster than before.  I drove 3 guys when I was in Malaysia and one of them asked if it was a 2.4L car as they don't have the Airwave there. As you know, its only a 1.5L.  Never knew that a well tuned gearbox could liberate so much performance from the engine.  Its also more fuel efficient than before.  On top of that Raymond has an excellent, professional and polite crew there.  His brother Eddy is just as nice and professional and so is Randy another staff.  They were patient and investigated each problem I described and heard.  I guess with the gearbox in tip top condition, I started to hear other problems that the aging car had - they tightened my exhaust pipe for free and I have since also changed the aircon fan.  I guess I have to renew the COE now that its in such good shape.  Raymond also extended my warranty all the way to the end of my COE but I'm confident that the gearbox will last much longer than 9 mths!  

 

KATC - thanks for giving my old faithful back to me, better than ever before when it almost ended up in the scrap!

[Ender]

[inlinesix]

Back to the basic:

http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/gearbox/tech_gear_cvt.htm#CVT

[Muser]

Back to the basic:

http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/gearbox/tech_gear_cvt.htm#CVT

Thanks. Misses out Subaru's Lineatronic CVT though, which is similar to Audi's in the sense that it uses chains, but is otherwise a little different. And awesome: http://www.planetsubaru.com/lineartronic-continuously-variable-transmission.htm

 

It's a torque converter with lock-up setup.

[Boxster]

Hi may I know how much did you pay for the overhaul of the CVT  at KATC?

 

Hi Everyone,

 

My nine yr old Airwave CVTgearbox finally died 2 mths ago after giving intermittent problems for over a year.  Its been a work horse and the family loves it although sadly we thought it may have to be retired.  Its a real dilemma but as COE hasn't dropped sufficiently, ultimately I made the decision to repair the gearbox.  Just like to share my experience.

 

Did searches on the web and identified a couple of places - can't remember the others but decided on KATC after giving a call and was lucky enough to reach KATC boss Raymond Khang whose handphone was given on one of the sites.  That swung it as most owners don't answer the enquiry line.  I liked the caring and knowledgeable response but at that point wasn't sure I could move the car.  So Raymond arranged for a tow truck to call me too.  Anyway, after praying, I was able to engage the gear and drive slowly the half hour journey to his workshop.  When the workshop tried to reposition the car it would not move again, so the gearbox had completely died.

 

Anyway to cut a long story short, Raymond gave me a good price and did the complete overhaul of my gearbox in record time of just over 2 days because I needed it for work (he estimated it would take a week but very kindly put a priority on my car).  I was surprised that the car could even move when I went to collect it but it was an excellent job.  The gear changes were silky smooth and was better than it had been for a very long time.  But soon I felt some vibrations and fuel consumption wasn't as good as before and I went back.  They patiently checked it and found that the engine mounting had disintegrated from old age.  Again they did this repair in record time and treated me like royalty to boot, giving me lifts to the bus stop etc. to make the multiple visits and leaving the car at KATC less painful.  Again, I was given priority and the repair was done very quickly.

 

I waited 2  months and a trip to KL later to write this testimony.  I have to say KATC is a great place to do up your gearbox.  The workshop is big, well organised and with tonnes of spareparts.  Probably the reason why they could do overhaul in a matter of days.  The mechanics are well trained and knowledgeable because the result speaks for itself.  One gearbox workshop even told me that there was no way to rebuild an airwave gearbox and told me that I had to buy a new one at great cost.  Well, KATC has the knowledge and capacity to not only rebuild it but to do it in record time - forget about JB, we have the best here.  The car feels fast and is faster than before.  I drove 3 guys when I was in Malaysia and one of them asked if it was a 2.4L car as they don't have the Airwave there. As you know, its only a 1.5L.  Never knew that a well tuned gearbox could liberate so much performance from the engine.  Its also more fuel efficient than before.  On top of that Raymond has an excellent, professional and polite crew there.  His brother Eddy is just as nice and professional and so is Randy another staff.  They were patient and investigated each problem I described and heard.  I guess with the gearbox in tip top condition, I started to hear other problems that the aging car had - they tightened my exhaust pipe for free and I have since also changed the aircon fan.  I guess I have to renew the COE now that its in such good shape.  Raymond also extended my warranty all the way to the end of my COE but I'm confident that the gearbox will last much longer than 9 mths!  

 

KATC - thanks for giving my old faithful back to me, better than ever before when it almost ended up in the scrap!

 

[Vinceng]

Hi may I know how much did you pay for the overhaul of the CVT at KATC?

I replaced a 4 speed AT recon Gearbox for $3k at Khang's in 2003.

[slick1]

My sisters 1.5L Colt 2006 CVT has 476,000 km on the clock.

 

She forgot to change the CVT oil for a long time (200,000 km?)... and now it's playing up.

 

We've owned a series of CVT's including a Nissan Micra with CVT and never had a problem.

 

:-)

[merc280v6]

Dolphin69:

 

"I drove 3 guys when I was in Malaysia and one of them asked if it was a 2.4L car as they don't have the Airwave there. As you know, its only a 1.5L. Never knew that a well tuned gearbox could liberate so much performance from the engine. Its also more fuel efficient than before."

 

Maximum power could be extracted from an engine mated to a MANUAL transmission!

Edited January 30, 2017 by merc280v6

[Tcx607]

Manual GB has better efficiency on power transfer to the wheel since there is no torque converter.

However, manual GB is not the best fuel economy since most of the time is not optimized on gear shift by driver.

Auto and CVT has come a long way and has proven it the best transmission for fuel economy and optimizing the power band. IF you're concern with fuel consumption, auto/CVT will be best preferred by the majority.

Many car maker i.e Conti, Jap and Kor are moving towards Auto and CVT transmission today. Of cos, some still prefer the manual control base on individual preference.

Edited January 30, 2017 by Tcx607

[jg2000]

Dolphin69:

 

"I drove 3 guys when I was in Malaysia and one of them asked if it was a 2.4L car as they don't have the Airwave there. As you know, its only a 1.5L. Never knew that a well tuned gearbox could liberate so much performance from the engine. Its also more fuel efficient than before."

 

Maximum power could be extracted from an engine mated to a MANUAL transmission!

[Freeder]

Guys , dun fret abt ur CVT gearbox life span..if up lorry , can just look for recon unit from Japan..Price below $900 or lower (depends on car model) plus 4 weeks warranty..Those gear boxes r from low mileage cars in Japan..u can PM me for the ctc.Public svc from me hor..pls dun misuse my good intentions..

[Ivan_06]

Hi Everyone,

 

My nine yr old Airwave CVTgearbox finally died 2 mths ago after giving intermittent problems for over a year. Its been a work horse and the family loves it although sadly we thought it may have to be retired. Its a real dilemma but as COE hasn't dropped sufficiently, ultimately I made the decision to repair the gearbox. Just like to share my experience.

 

Did searches on the web and identified a couple of places - can't remember the others but decided on KATC after giving a call and was lucky enough to reach KATC boss Raymond Khang whose handphone was given on one of the sites. That swung it as most owners don't answer the enquiry line. I liked the caring and knowledgeable response but at that point wasn't sure I could move the car. So Raymond arranged for a tow truck to call me too. Anyway, after praying, I was able to engage the gear and drive slowly the half hour journey to his workshop. When the workshop tried to reposition the car it would not move again, so the gearbox had completely died.

 

Anyway to cut a long story short, Raymond gave me a good price and did the complete overhaul of my gearbox in record time of just over 2 days because I needed it for work (he estimated it would take a week but very kindly put a priority on my car). I was surprised that the car could even move when I went to collect it but it was an excellent job. The gear changes were silky smooth and was better than it had been for a very long time. But soon I felt some vibrations and fuel consumption wasn't as good as before and I went back. They patiently checked it and found that the engine mounting had disintegrated from old age. Again they did this repair in record time and treated me like royalty to boot, giving me lifts to the bus stop etc. to make the multiple visits and leaving the car at KATC less painful. Again, I was given priority and the repair was done very quickly.

 

I waited 2 months and a trip to KL later to write this testimony. I have to say KATC is a great place to do up your gearbox. The workshop is big, well organised and with tonnes of spareparts. Probably the reason why they could do overhaul in a matter of days. The mechanics are well trained and knowledgeable because the result speaks for itself. One gearbox workshop even told me that there was no way to rebuild an airwave gearbox and told me that I had to buy a new one at great cost. Well, KATC has the knowledge and capacity to not only rebuild it but to do it in record time - forget about JB, we have the best here. The car feels fast and is faster than before. I drove 3 guys when I was in Malaysia and one of them asked if it was a 2.4L car as they don't have the Airwave there. As you know, its only a 1.5L. Never knew that a well tuned gearbox could liberate so much performance from the engine. Its also more fuel efficient than before. On top of that Raymond has an excellent, professional and polite crew there. His brother Eddy is just as nice and professional and so is Randy another staff. They were patient and investigated each problem I described and heard. I guess with the gearbox in tip top condition, I started to hear other problems that the aging car had - they tightened my exhaust pipe for free and I have since also changed the aircon fan. I guess I have to renew the COE now that its in such good shape. Raymond also extended my warranty all the way to the end of my COE but I'm confident that the gearbox will last much longer than 9 mths!

 

KATC - thanks for giving my old faithful back to me, better than ever before when it almost ended up in the scrap!

You sound like the boss of KATC. Haha.

[AcuraNSX]

Here's a basic break down which I think you got it pretty dead center.

 

1) Overhual Gear-Box (Most expensive but most reliable)

- It is basically to open up your current gear-box and replacing all faulty components (and in most cases rubber seals)

-As it is your current gearbox, there are limited failures which you are already aware of and the devil you know is always better than the devil you don't.

 

2) Re-Con Gear-Box (More expensive than 2nd hand gearbox but is also more reliable)

- As mentioned, chances are it is a gearbox which was either previously faulty or from a scrap car. Re-con gearboxes are typically already taken apart and replaced with new, used or a combination of both spares making it less reliable than an overhual gearbox.

-Another issue is that no one knows how long the gearbox has been sitting on the shelf and with rubber seals and such, there is a MTBF before they start to fail.

 

3) 2nd hand gear box (cheapest option but also riskiest option)

- Basically a gear box which is taken out from a scrap car, as such, it really boils down to the luck of draw.

- It does not mean all 2nd hand gear boxes are lousy. There is always the chance that you get a gear box from an accident recent vehicle which was scrap due to extensive body works or a vehicle that has too extensive engine failure making it BER (Beyond Economical Repair) to get fix.

 

Lastly, for sure (most of the time anywaz) good and reliable is to get a new one... if there is stock that is...

 

Thanks for the tip! Nowadays high COE and car price... preparing to renew COE liao!

[Rootkie]

Anyone has any idea what is the correct transmission fluid to use for Mitsubishi Colt Version R (CVT version)? The ex owner lost the owner's manual. I found one digital edition online but not sure if it's the correct version. It states to use Diaqueen SP3 which is for normal ATF not CVT. Stockists mentioned to use Diaqueen J1 which is for CVT trans. Thanks in advance.

[Agent008]

Is cvt oil the same as ATF oil?

 

[QQDreamer]

7 minutes ago, Agent008 said:

Is cvt oil the same as ATF oil?

 

no. they are not the same. ATF cannot mix with CVT, likewise the other way round too.