CVT Failure - the costs

[Gleno]

Hey all,i rarely get on here these days,and no longer live in Sydney as i have moved to the Gold Coast since last october.

I bought my lancer back in 2010 brand new when i joined this forum,the car has now over 210,000kms and until now the only thing i have had to do to the car other than the regular servicing was replace the battery.

However a few weeks ago when driving home from Byron Bay,the car went into limp home mode,and Mitsubishi diagnosed it as a complete CVT failure.

A new valve body was replaced along with a rebuild which cost close to $3000. A brand new CVT is over $6000.

THe Mitsubishi CVT is still a great unit,and far better than the Nissan CVT's which have been known to fail at less then 100K.

So just a heads up to those who drive a auto,to be careful if you have high kms,to be prepared to outlay those costs if your planning on keeping the car for a long time.

Take care.

Glen

[Quixand]

Question, isn't the transmission part of the 10 year Powertrain Warranty?

[Lancer1993]

Another reason I hate the CVT and autos, they have their place but in a car like the Lancer I prefer to do the gear changing!

A nephew of mine has a new Pulsars with CVT, hope it lasts.

[himynameisdaniel]

yes the CVT tranny is part of the 10 year power train warranty (for first owners only)

the bands in the unit are metal as opposed to the plastic and rubber which are found in toyotas or other manufacturers.
this means they can hold up to more power\torque than others however as the metal bands rub they create friction and shavings of metal as a by product.

This is completely normal operation and your transmission has magnets to pick up these steel shards.

you will eventually need to replace the bands as they will become worn out (i think Mitsubishi's estimate is 15-20 years)
however the steel shards need to be cleaned out from the magnets more frequently along with new fluid and filter.

i changed the fluid and filter in my CVT at around 47,000 kms and the fluid was burnt. a decent amount of metal was also removed from the magnets.

I am concerned that if you do not clean those magnets often they will eventually become so full that metal just passes around them instead of being caught and causes premature failure of the unit.

I would recommend flushing the tranny at the 45,000kms intervals NOT at the Mitsubishi's 90,000kms recommendation.
A few other members can also report similar statements after changing the fluid at that interval.

[Lancer1993]

Is the auto in the RA tougher than in non turbo Lancers?
Is it also a CVT?

[himynameisdaniel]

completely different
The RA and evo X use a 6 speed wet double clutch transmission.
basically the same type of tranny used in high performance vehicles, Porsche, lambo, auidi, bmw etc.

its very good unit and was miles ahead of anything other manufacturers were selling for vehicles in 2008-2012 in the $45,000-85,000 price range.
The maintenance on it was its only down point.

[merlin]

Ralliarts have the twin clutch SSt, so completely different.

[Lancer1993]

So the standard flappy paddle in the other is just for show but works great for it's intend customer.

I guess reguardless of the car you still need to budget for unexpected repairs that might not be covered by the warranty.

Shame they only cover the drive train for the original buyer, there are many owners who sell after 5 years.

Would have been nice for Mitsy to give us a 6 speed manual to replace the out of date 5 speed.

[belle_tb_ES]

Long time no see Glen.

210 000km. Amazing how reliable they can be.

[Gleno]

Question, isnt the transmission part of the 10 year Powertrain Warranty?

Thats correct > But its 10 years or 160,000 which ever comes first,my car has done over 200,000 so warranty is voided

[Gleno]

Long time no see Glen. 210 000km. Amazing how reliable they can be.

Hows things Annabelle? Yeah been doing my own thing now. Havent been to a cruise or meet on over two years now.

I seen they had a meet up here in easter or was it last year,but couldnt make it due to work commitments.

[belle_tb_ES]

Not too bad. Got a new ride now, which is (was) great....until somebody hit it in a carpark.

Yeh. I think Penrith or Plumpton was your last meet? It has been ages.

[belle_tb_ES]

Not too bad. Got a new ride now, which is (was) great....until somebody hit it in a carpark.

Yeh. I think Penrith or Plumpton was your last meet? It has been ages.

[mamaman]

[Lancer1993]

FYI the CVT in my Nephew's Pulsar failed a few weeks ago, was stalling when he put it into gear. It only done 50k in about 18 months. Nissan is replacing it under warranty but so far they have had the car almost a month, he might get it back next week. Can't believe they have taken so long to get a replacement CVT.