Toyota CVT boxes

[Cakky]

Hi guys,

Me and the lady are on the hunt for a new car at the moment. Trying to find a mid sized hatch and am desperately struggling to find something we both like!

Spotted a nice 2008 Auris on a yard on the other day - S Package with the nice trim etc. Only downside is that it is a CVT gearbox. Now from what I've been told and talking to various people, that the best bet is just to completely avoid anything CVT.

It's done 82,000km and the dealer doesn't have history with it. So are these boxes really as bad as people make out to be? Or is the problem mainly with other manafacturers ( who if you know? )

Thanks

[petercad]

I have an 06 Corolla Wagon, same engine and CVT as the Auris
Completely love it, have had no issues at all. Fuel economy is outstanding (7.2l/100 town and 6.2l/100 on a trip from Napier to Wellington (and NOTHING passed me, I passed anyone I needed to)
Get the CVT serviced - a good flush would be a good start. Change fluid every 40,000km and use recommended fluid
Cost me $350 to get it serviced, money well spent in my opinion.

Was also apprehensive about the CVT too, but did my research on them, and made the decision - standard auto is now hard to drive as I'm so used to the CVT
Doing 1800rpm at 100k, and great acceleration, with the option of 7 'gears' too
I also tow a trailer with a race quad on it regularly, and I have no issues with the trans overheating or any other issues

Seems the early Nissans gave CVT's a bad name, but they have come a long way since then, and reliability has certainly increased dramatically.
Also have a Mitsi with a CVT, and the Toyota is so much nicer to drive, feels way smoother than the Mitsi.
Both cars have comparable km as well.

Hope this helps....

[Bling]

Have an '07 Blade with CVT, mrs loves it. Not sure on reliability yet though. I did enquire about getting it serviced, but never heard back from the specialist. I guess I should look into that again. So smooth, always reminds me of a slipping clutch sensation when I infrequently drive it though. Sits on 13km/L and has done since purchase, not bad for a 2.4L around town.

[Cakky]

Cheers for the feedback guys.

From the general feeling I'm getting, is that the CVT boxes are ok, if they have been serviced regularly. I don't think I'd buy one without knowing it had been serviced. Which if it is an import is pretty difficult!

Buying a new car is bloody difficult ><

[RS13]

Biggest thing with CVTs is keeping up with the oil servicing, a lot of people don't bother due to the larger expense over normal transmissions. If it hasn't had a service history from new I'd walk away, they aren't cheap to fix.

[Cakky]

Yeah, most of the ones advertised are imported so hard to know what the service frequency is on them.

At this stage leaning between a Honda Civic 2.0S or an Axela Hatchback/Sedan of some type.

Got around $12k max to spend. Preferably something 05+ and sub 100,000km. Any other suggestions guys?

[Bling]

Checked out a blade? Not sure if the interior differs to the Yota you checked out, but it's pretty nice.

Might even get a blade master for that...

[Cakky]

Haha funnily enough, the thought of a Blade has passed my mind and yes there is Masters in that range! Just a touch concerned about fuel economy lol.

Going to check this out over the weekend sometime. I'm wary of the fact that in the next couple of years we may need extra space for prams etc!

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-ca ... 934869.htm

[Bling]

I read on the internet that the 3.5L uses as much fuel as the 2.4L, so it must be true. Can't say it was something I was concerned about when I looked

That linked car does appear to have a slightly bigger boot though.

[RS13]

Going to check this out over the weekend sometime. I'm wary of the fact that in the next couple of years we may need extra space for prams etc!

In that case, I'd recommend going straight to a station wagon. We've got a RunX and just scrape by, you'll require proficiency in tetris when it comes to getting shopping/groceries in and around the baby gear in a smaller car! We're currently shopping around for a Caldina in preparation of further family expansion ourselves. You'd ideally want a car suitably sized for rear-facing car seats, with a good-sized boot, isofix fittings and an interior that can be wiped down easily. You'll also need to stop caring about the internal and external appearance of the car completely.. maybe even buy something you hate, it'll make that transition easier as the transportation of babies is no less damaging to cars than being left windows-down in the middle of a Metallica concert. You think I joke..

[Mr_procrastination]

HI,

Got an 04 wish with CVT. bought it with 79,000km on the clock.
Test drove maybe 6 with CVT before purchase, and got a feel for how they "changed gear", wasn't hard to spot one that wasn't behaving like the rest. That and checking condition of trans fluid, I felt was pretty save.
The one I bought, naturally changed nicely and fluid was in great condition.
Had Toyota service the CVT straight away, 120,000km now and still changes like the day I bought it, smooth, fast to change, and fast to select the ratio it wanted, would be how I describe it.
The worst one I drove had 119,000km on it, typical browning / burnt fluid, and was "lazy" to change and settle on ratio when making fast changes in acceleration and load.

Hope my un-scientific commentary can be of some help

[sergei]

Regarding Toyota CVT oil change, it is doable at home (a bit messy).
Here is how I did it:
http://sergei.nz/toyota-cvt-oil-change/

It was on my mother's Vitz RS. She bought it couple of years ago with 88k now it is approaching 155k (lives in Welsford, works in Auckland, yay Auckland property market).
No issues what so ever.

One thing to watch out for is when resetting ECU (flat battery or otherwise) and/or cleaning out throttle body. It might have issues with not-so-smooth operation (feels like old tram during transitions). Basically after resetting ECU you should let it settle to whatever idle it settles after warm up, then gently rev it in neutral up to 4-5k rpm and let it settle to idle a few times, so it re-learns the idle throttle maps.