NoneIsHere

I am buying a 2016 maxima I’ve heard they’re pretty reliable in terms of everything expect the CVT trans (Unless you take care of it) so how can i spot a bad CVT and good one what tests should I let the mechanic run and what should I do while test driving it to spot the issue and what maintenance should I keep doing for the car when I own it,Thanks.

robtroxel

Assuming you will go to the dealer since they have the computer needed for the CVT diagnosis. Most trouble codes lead to replacing the valve body in the CVT. The trouble code will store in memory. Look for a "judder" when driving at a lower speed under a low RPM load.

NoneIsHere

Is there’s anything else? I feel there’s something missing and I am afraid that I will be inspecting a lot of cars in the end of this years because we all know all cars have problems here and there and a lot of people don’t know how to treat CVTs should I be concerned about how cheap the maximas are in my country?

rjardine

If the car has more than 96,000 kilometers (60,000 miles) on the clock, I would want to know if the CVT fluid has been changed.

robtroxel

In a worst-case scenario, your CVT blows, and your car is not under warranty these complete CVTs can be had from most wrecking yards. Just be sure it is a 2016 or later to 2020.
Example for around $1000 US


https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+cvt+&_sacat=0

stodge

Test drive the car you want to buy and drive it slowly under 60km/h. See if the transmission jerks hard when the torque converter locks and unlocks, and whether the RPMs jump up and down when this happens. Also, brake fairly hard to a stop and see if the car jerks hard and then has a power surge before stopping. Mine does all these and it's annoying as hell. It's practically impossible to maintain a steady speed at or under 60km/h.

doug4cad

test drive have another Nissan Dealership look at it and please get extend drive train Warrant, never had issues with 3 CVT engines .
I had Nissan Altlima, 2016 Nissan Maxima all CVT engines.

Francilois

Very good answer, specially if you are going up a hill
My 2016 is jerking since a few weeks. I have an appointment at the dealer next week to check it. Hopefully it is still under warranty.

doug4cad

Whatever car you decide to buy always get familiar with the dealership in your area, weather its a Ford or GMC, get to know what models have issues from dealerships will go along way to fixing and understanding any issues that pop up. I've had over 25 cars from fords to VW's to Nissan's and a whole lot of Honda's.

I brought a KIA Optima 2011 of showroom floor had issues day one, transmission to steering, had steering column replaced twice and engine replaced twice. tires lasted less than 4 months at a time,
but dealership payed for everything.final got tired of going to dealership all the time.

Fishlet

All of the above suggestions are good.

As for taking care of your CVT after you’ve bought it... let me suggest the following

1. the Maxima is pretty quick, but it’s not a real sports car so don’t treat it like one. Just drive normally and it should last a good long time

2. if your gonna ignore rule #1, at least let the transmission temperature warm up before driving it hard

3. Don’t hammer the gas pedal from a dead stop, I’ve heard this puts the most wear and tear on CVTs. If your gonna step on it, have the drive train engaged first. The best thing about the the CVT is the acceleration you can get when your already moving ... for example from 50-80 is very impressive

Lastly, don’t sweat if the car doesn’t drive perfectly when you first get. Modern transmissions have to “learn” how you drive and often get better over time. For example, I think a grandma had my Maxima before I owned it and it was sluggish about “up shifting” at first... but now that I’ve had it a couple years it drives great!