Honda/Nissan/(Mitsubishi) merger

[argonsagas]

Is anybody going to say the CVT's are any better, or cheaper, than what we've had previously?

I have no experience with opening one up to see how it ticks..or tocks.

As I understand the theory, CVTs offer many, possibly very many, possible gear permutations, and that may allow better vehicle performance.

In reality.....whatever the manufacturer sees as best for its bottom line has been the deciding factor for many years.
Front-wheel drive is probably the biggest single example as it was brought in to reduce weights and allow manufacturers to meet CAFE .requirements.but it was sold to the public as a safety measure and then a secondarypsupport of possibly being better in slippery conditions.

Next came the four-wheel drive nonsense about improved safety year round....

One problem with both of those things is that once the vehicle begins to slide/skid they tend to go totally out of control and this is often because drivers seldom...even rarely...actually.know how to correctly deal with a front-wheel skid, whether their vehicle is FWD of 4WD.

The number one real reason for the 4WD push.....it increases profit.

[argonsagas]

A significant difference between manual transmissions and autos is that a small change in fluid level in a manual usually makes lettle to no difference, but may affect the others much more.

A little clarity and a bit of DIY help is offered here:

https://wheelsbyjason.com/how-to-check-automatic-transmission-fluid-without-dipstick/

[Cipher]

Is anybody going to say the CVT's are any better, or cheaper, than what we've had previously?

The manu has a mass of data on the operating conditions of vehicles in service.
my bet is on jack rabbit starts and decels of city driving.
likely in concert with high ambient Temps
possibly driven by teenage boy racer wannabes

my 550 can pull the teeth on a new chain and sprocket in short time if flogged.

you can't expect anything to outlast what any reasonable person knows to be abuse.
at least not in econobox pricing.

[rphillips]

Is anybody going to say the CVT's are any better, or cheaper, than what we've had previously?

[Nessism]

Manual transmissions are easy to check, though, and mostly don't burn fluid. I've seen a ton of CVTs that have roasted the fluid.

"Roasted the fluid" won't affect the level. You guys are complaining that there is no dipstick, and I'm just pointing out that many transmissions don't have them. You check the level the same way as a manual transmission.

The Nissan Consult diagnostic computer can check the transmission control module for logged high temperature events. Change the fluid when such events exceed the threshold in the factory manual for the vehicle in question.

[Grimly]

Manual transmissions don't have a dipstick. Same routine. As long as there isn't an oil leak, you don't need to worry about the fluid level. The vehicle doesn't consume trans fluid, like some engines burn oil, thus a dipstick is not needed.

Yes, but traditionally there is at least a means of checking it via a level/ filler plug.

[GS1150Pilot]

Nissan recommends CVT fluid changes every 60K under hard driving conditions, but at the shop, we saw burnt fluid in vehicles with less than 40K and were replacing transmissions in cars with less than 100K with some regularity (well, I should qualify that, since a fair number of customers elected to ditch the car when they got the estimate of a new transmission-and when LKQ was out of stock on decent used ones).

[GS1150Pilot]

Manual transmissions don't have a dipstick. Same routine. As long as there isn't an oil leak, you don't need to worry about the fluid level. The vehicle doesn't consume trans fluid, like some engines burn oil, thus a dipstick is not needed.

Manual transmissions are easy to check, though, and mostly don't burn fluid. I've seen a ton of CVTs that have roasted the fluid.

[Nessism]

I had a Subaru Outback with CVT and it's the only car I ever found myself driving under the speed limit when just toodling along, where the normal 15 mph over the speed limit race track isn't happening - rare times these days. It's sort of weird. It's nothing in the grand scheme of things, but I do like to feel a mechanical engagement with machinery. That will pass as time goes on. I think some have put fake electronically controlled 'gears' in them.

I'm not sure about the Outback, but the Imprenza I drove, had fake shifts coded into the CVT controller logic. Honda's new Civic hybrid has simulated shifts also, and there isn't any transmission at all.

[Nessism]

That just about covers it.
My neighbour owns a low-mileage Nissan Pathfinder that is out of warranty.r. After we discussed the symptoms he was having I thought it sounded like low fluid, but I could not find a way to check the level.
I looked up the CVT history and then gave him the first part of the bad news: there is no way that an average owner can check transmission fluid level.
That is because the vehicle has no external dipstick or any other accessible physical or electronic means to do a simple fluid check.

Instead the vehicle must be raised on a level hoist and then you have to find a bolt/plug from underneath the vehicle and remove it.
At that point it gets "funny"...or, if you wish, close to stupid.
Removing the plug/bolt does not allow you to check the actual fluid level. You do this only to see if any fluid runs out.

If fluid does run out then there is enough fluid.
If nothing comes out you have an instant problem: as the level is below the hole, and thus low, but you cannot tell by how much. That means you must drain the CVT entirely and replace all the fluid with new stock.

Nissan says it is highly recommended that only a dealership do this as it requires special tools and expertise to do this and it is critically important that only the exact recommended amount of fluid is installed.

The second bad news was the tranny problems are common and, as in his case the CVT must be replaced.....$4,000 please and thank you.
.

Manual transmissions don't have a dipstick. Same routine. As long as there isn't an oil leak, you don't need to worry about the fluid level. The vehicle doesn't consume trans fluid, like some engines burn oil, thus a dipstick is not needed.

[Mary Hinge]

CVT is not about being cheap. They have a wider gear ratio spread than a geared transmission, and they can be electronically tuned, to keep the engine at the torque peak at all times. They are a brilliant idea, in concept. My Civic has a CVT and it's the least of my cars concerns.

Near the end of my carreer with Nissan, several old Nissan folk, who had moved over to the transmission affiliate, Jatco, were calling me, trying to get me to join. They knew Nissan was going all in on CVT, and they needed field service engineers to get ready. Thank god my (ex) wife said no, to another physical move. Living those years of mass failures wouldn't have been fun.

My Wife bought a new Nissan in 2012, in the 5yrs she owned it it had the CVT replaced 3 times under warranty but, for reasons beyond me, she still loved it. The POS had only covered 32,000mls total when I finally persuaded her to get it gone.

[Mary Hinge]

Hydrogen will never be viable.

Having worked in the Industrial Gases industry for 30+yrs I can't agree with "never"

[Baatfam]

Toyota probably knows better than we do.

Maybe....But if so, how come they can't make a vehicle I would be interested in buying?

[GS1150Pilot]

That lack of gears is another thing I dislike about EVs like Teslas.

[oldGSfan]

I had a Subaru Outback with CVT and it's the only car I ever found myself driving under the speed limit when just toodling along, where the normal 15 mph over the speed limit race track isn't happening - rare times these days. It's sort of weird. It's nothing in the grand scheme of things, but I do like to feel a mechanical engagement with machinery. That will pass as time goes on. I think some have put fake electronically controlled 'gears' in them.