I just learned that the CVT involves a belt and two variable pitch pulleys. My wife ordered a CVT last Saturday.

Is it easy to replace the belt, or must the transmission be removed? This does not sound like a long lived arrangement. My wife and I drive a lot and typically run our cars to several hundred thousand miles, often with no work except for my dilligent preventive maintenance.

I always drive manual transmission cars and she will to, but as most people in the US, she prefers an automatic. I finally gave in to the CVT because it would put her in a MINI. I sure hope I didn't make a mistake.

She is not a hard accelerating driver, so that should help the contraption last a little longer than it would under a heavy footed driver like myself.

Thanks for your CVT service experience comments.

 

I believe that the belt is supposed to last the life of the car. CVT's are a double edge sword, they are actually mechanically simple, but the control mechanisms are complicated. There are few people with enough experience or knowhow to rebuild them in the field. I'd be willing to bet that if one goes bad, they just ship it back to the factory to be rebuilt and install a rebuilt one immediately. Thus, they do not "fix" them, they exchange them.

 

Remeber the "belt" is not rubber, it is steel. I don't know about the MINI but some automotive CVT's use "rings" on the steel belt as the wearing surface.

The design has been being worked on by U.S. and Foriegn car companies for many years just because of longevity and control issues. They have only recently been sold on cars.

The CVT Rubber Belt on Snow mobiles and some motor scooters lasts many years unless the vehicle is used very hard.