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Comment by floxy | Hacker News Reader

>There's a number of reliable auto makers using CVTs for years, such as Subaru

Isn't the CVT going bad one of the main complaints people have with Subaru? Like at 100,000-150,000 miles. Other than the head gasket issue which was fixed a decade ago? Asking, since I'm in the market for a used vehicle, and the CVT reliability has me hesitant.

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Subaru CVTs tend to burn up a solenoid in the valve body. They are available for $30-40 on eBay and take about 3 hours to do for the first time.

Dealers charge $3000 for the job. They install all new valve bodies for about $1200, and for some reason want 8 hours for the job.

I helped a friend do it after watching some YouTube videos, and we just swapped the one bad solenoid. 20k miles later, 120k total, everything is fine.

The problem isn't always the cars even. It's the entire repair model.

I just saw a video about a Nissan truck where you can't get transmission parts -- you can only buy entire transmissions. It's outrageous. Seal leaking? Time for a new transmission!

Yes that video from Dave's shop has been making the rounds. Its definitely a problem but honestly if the seal was removed and the exterior, interior, and depth were measured it can be purchased by spec instead of by a parts match for the exact transmission. That's like saying a furniture company won't sell me a screw that I lost, so the cabinet is worthless. I spec what kind of screw I need by taking a sample of another or measurements of another and go buy a generic screw.

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