The Transmission to Avoid at All Costs – CVT

You don’t have to be a car expert to know that some vehicle brands are better than others. You can also be quite a novice when it comes to vehicle mechanics and know a good transmission from a bad one. Also, thanks to the wonders of technology, all it takes is a simple “Googling” of your vehicle and any signs and symptoms that it might have, to get a decent baseline for what may need repairing.

Although most vehicle owners have a usual mechanic that they take their vehicle to whenever repairs are needed, it’s always a good idea to do some preliminary research as to what kind of issues you may be having with your vehicle by looking up the symptoms that it’s presenting. This will help your mechanic to pinpoint whether or not you need to replace your transmission.

One thing most mechanics will tell you is that buying a vehicle with a CVT transmission is not highly recommended. Many car manufacturers use CVT transmissions, it really does make buying a new car kind of limiting if you are trying to avoid CVT’s because of it.

A CVT transmission, or a “continuously variable transmission”, is a transmission that doesn’t actually shift and runs on a single speed. It is a shiftless and stepless transmission, which offers superior fuel economy and some of the smoothest shifting between gears that is available. This is why so many automakers used CVT transmission, despite their poor reliability.

While there is something to be said about paying for comfort, increased gas mileage, and ease of shifting (for the vehicle, not the driver as CVT’s are only available as automatic transmissions), you can’t put a price on reliability and safety. The CVT transmissions are notorious for failing prematurely, and it’s why you need to be careful before buying a new vehicle.

What Car Brands Use a CVT Transmission?

When you drive around a busy urban area like Downtown Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, or Richmond, chances are that you are surrounded by vehicles that all run on a CVT transmission. More car makers use the CVT transmissions nowadays than not.

Part of the reason why is not solely because of the smoother shifting capability and better fuel economy, but also because using a transmission that offers some very good incentives, but breaks down sooner than others, also helps them promote their extended warranty.

This is where many car manufacturers will offer an amazing extended warranty that covers everything including the drivetrain or powertrain. When they are aware of a known side effect of selling a vehicle with a CVT transmission, they have to offer a safeguard for consumers.

They do this by pushing hard on the purchase of their extended warranty. And although many consumers may need to utilize the warranty, many will opt out of buying it, thus saving the car company money by not replacing a transmission with known issues.

What Car Companies Use a CVT Transmission?

You’d be surprised but there are more companies that use CVT transmission than not. That’s because a big selling point for automakers is a comfortable ride, smooth shifting, and great fuel economy. If you’ve recently started having issues with your transmission and your vehicle is only a few years old, you could have a CVT under the hood.

Companies that Use CVT Transmissions Include:

• Nissan
• Subaru
• Honda
• Toyota
• Mitsubishi
• Hyundai
• Kia
• Chevrolet
• Buick
• Ford
• Audi

Some of the brands on this list are known for exceptional reliability and very minimal maintenance requirements, so you might be wondering why they have fewer reports than others about failing transmissions.

This happens because, like anything, not all CVT transmissions are created equal. While they typically are more likely to incur malfunction, some car manufacturers produce a higher quality transmission, despite the engineering flaws that typically result in failure.

How Do You Know if Your Transmission is Failing?

This usually happens when you are changing gears. Whether you drive an automatic or standard is irrelevant, because what matters is whether or not you are hearing (or feeling) thumps or clunks when your vehicle is changing gears.

The fact that your vehicle is making any unusual sounds when it moves up or down a gear is a sure sign that it is having issues either making the shift, or staying in the gear that you want it in.

If your vehicle has a new or worsening clunk or thunk when you’re driving, get it seen by a professional transmission mechanic like the good folks down at Mister Transmission in Burnaby. They can run a diagnostic and look for signs of extensive or unusual wear and tear and help you decide what your next steps will be.

2. Whining or Whistling

If you notice a whistling or whining sound coming from your vehicle when you’re driving, it could indicate that your transmission has seen better days. However, whistler and whining can also indicate other problems, so if you are noticing any new and unusual noises coming from under the hood, have a proper mechanic check it out.

Things like failing fans, worn-out belts, and many other malfunctioning components could also make a whining or whistling sound on an aging vehicle. But if you’re noticing the sounds along with any other signs of a bad transmission, your tranny is likely to be the cause.

If you notice that your vehicle has a new vibration upon acceleration, it could be a sign that your transmission is failing. When a vehicle shudders as you press on the gas, it means that it is struggling to accelerate, which means that something in the engine or transmission isn’t working properly.

Not all shuddering implies that your transmission is failing. Shuddering can also happen when your brakes need repair or replacing due to worn-out or if you have gouged rotors or broken engine mounts.

The combination of shuddering alongside some of the other signs or symptoms that your transmission is going in this list is a stronger indication that your transmission, if nothing else, needs some professional attention.

4. Your Check Engine Light is On

We have all been guilty of driving around for extended periods of time with our check engine light on, thinking that we knew exactly what was causing it, so why bother taking it into the mechanic, right? However, that is not always the case.

If you leave your check engine light on, what may have indicated one specific problem, could now be indicating two. But when you don’t get the first issue addressed, you’ll never know that there is a second one until it is too late.

We buy alot of scrap cars with the check engine light on, and many of the owners who sell us these vehicles will say, “this” is the problem. But once we start to dive deeper in the issue they advised us of, we find out that it wasn’t the only one.

If you have starting having any of the other signs and symptoms of a bad transmission on this list alongside of your check engine light being on, it’s more than likely that your transmission is telling you that it isn’t working correctly anymore.

Automatic vehicles use an automatic transmission fluid, or ATF for short, and when it starts to leak, it means something isn’t operating correctly within your transmission. It could be a damaged seal, or something else that is damaged or worn out, but nonetheless, you need to have your vehicle looked at promptly. The longer you leave it, the more likely it is to end badly.

Some vehicles, like many of the ones that use CVT transmission, require their ATF to be changed at certain intervals. Others never need to have their transmission fluid changed at all. In general, most newer vehicles require their ATF to be changed every 100,000kms. But check with your regular mechanic if your car needs it at all, and if so, when it was last done before you change it.

6. Hesitation

There’s nothing more gut wrenching than when you are trying to make a hairy left turn at a busy Downtown Vancouvert intersection, and as you stomp on the gas to go, your car hesitates. Making that split second feel like an eternity, and leaving you wondering why your car didn’t respond as promptly as it normally does.

If you notice a new hesitation upon accelerating on your vehicle, it could be a sign that your transmission is bad or failing. The hesitation is usually caused by the transmission itself slipping when shifting gears. It means that your transmission is struggling to either move into the next gear, or is having a hard time staying in it.

A vehicle that hesitates when acclerating or decelerating is usually a key indication that the transmission is malfunctioning. It doesn’t always mean that you need to replace your transmission, as sometimes this can be cause by a linkage issue. Have it checked out by a professional to see what your next steps should be.

The average cost to replace a car transmission is between $3,500-$6,000. Now, that might seem like a lot, but the cost only increases with other vehicles. Trucks tend to be one of the most expensive transmissions to replace as the cost to replace their transmission varies between $6,000 – $9,000. However, even some of the newer hybrid vehicles have a big price tag to go along with their small transmission.

This is probably why we see many newer vehicles coming through our doors these days. Even though our name is More Cash For Scrap, we recognize that not all vehicles are the same in scrap terms. There are many newer vehicles that would be perfectly good after a big expensive repair. For those, we offer MORE cash for cars than the other guys!

Many used vehicle buying companies, dealerships, and online car buyers won’t buy a vehicle that needs a major repair like a blown transmission or even a dead engine. And the ones that do want to offer you the least amount of money for it. However, when you sell your car to More Cash For Scrap, you’ll always get MORE!

Cash for Cars with Failing Transmissions

When your transmission is on its way out, it’s never a good thing. The cost to repair or replace any transmission is always thousands of dollars, no matter what way to try to do it. A rebuild transmission can be cheaper than cxa full replacement, but you run the risk of premature failure because you are utilizing pre-existing components.

When you get the bad news that your transmission has failed on your vehicle, a smarter alternative to fixing or replacing it is to sell it to More Cash For Scrap. We pay MORE cash for scrap cars with blown transmissions than any other scrap car removal company in thye Lower Mainland.

If you want to scrap a car with major (or even minor) mechanical issues, scrap it with More Cash For Scrap. We offer free auto scrap pickup, same day scrap car removal, and always pay MORE cash for scrap cars than the other guys!

What Kind of Vehicles Do We Buy in Metro Vancouver & the Fraser Valley?

Anything and everything, no matter how big of an issue it has. We love buying cars with blown transmissions, but we also love buying scrap cars with other mechanical issues like:

• Vehicles with electrical problems
• Vehicles with blown head gaskets
• Collision damaged cars and problems relating to a previous accident
• Vehicles missing the catalytic converter
• Work trucks that have excessive wear and tear
• Daily drivers with REALLY high kilometres
• Vehicles in need of multiple or complex repairs
• Vehicles that have been sitting too long outside
• Any unwanted vehicle for any reason!

We are here to make the process of scrapping a car, truck, SUV, or van quick and easy, while also paying MORE cash for scrap cars than any other scrap car removal company in the Lower Mainland. If you have a problem car that you’re sick of fixing, scrap it with More Cash For Scrap. We always pay MORE!

Contact Our Scrap Car Removal for an Instant Cash Offer

We provide instant cash offers over the phone or by text on all scrap vehicles, no matter how rough they might be. We base our offers on the overall weight of the vehicle, it’s age, general condition, where you are located, and of course, whether it still runs or not.

Once you provide our scrap car removal specialists with all of these details, they will present you with an instant cash offer right on the spot. If you accept our offer, we’ll arrange a day and time for our free scrap car removal service to come collect your vehicle. This can usually be done the same day that you call.

If you want to be on your way to having a little extra cash right now, and a lot less vehicle repairs, sell your car to More Cash For Scrap. You’ll be glad you did!