Automatic gearbox specialists
Having an issue with your CVT gearbox?
A drone on take-off, flare, overheating or limp mode. CVT faults do not bed in.
- Rubber-band drone or rising revs with no speed?
- CVT warning light or a hot, burnt smell?
- Want a specialist before anyone quotes a belt and pulley set?
A CVT varies ratio with a belt or chain and pulleys, not fixed gears. When it slips or overheats, that is specialist automatic work. That is core work at Service4Service.
A slipping CVT will not polish itself on a long run. Heat kills belts and cones.
8am - 5.30pm Mon-Fri
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What is a CVT gearbox?
CVT means continuously variable transmission. Instead of set gears it uses a steel belt or chain on two cones. The ratio changes smoothly. There is no clutch pedal.
It is still an automatic gearbox. It is not a dual-clutch and it is not a conventional torque converter automatic. Multitronic is one well-known CVT family.
When a CVT slips, the belt can glaze the cones. Keep driving and the unit is often beyond a simple automatic gearbox service.
A slipping CVT does not recover
Flare, drone and a burnt smell are the belt slipping on the pulleys. That heat scores the cones. Leave it and you are usually looking at a much bigger job.
CVT symptoms people search
If any of these sound like your car, do not wait for it to fail on the road.
Rubber-band drone
Revs rise, speed follows late. Can be normal-ish on some CVTs. Sudden flare is not.
Slip or flare
A rise in revs under load with little road speed. The belt is not holding.
Overheating
A warning, a smell, then limp. CVTs hate heat and towing.
Jerk or shunt
Not the usual CVT smoothness. Pulleys, oil or the control unit can be at fault.
Whine
Bearing or belt noise. It usually gets louder, not quieter.
Limp mode
The unit has protected the belt. Do not keep using it as normal.
How a CVT gearbox works
automatic transmission fluid of the right type is not optional. The wrong oil or a missed gearbox filter change is a common route to slip.
The transmission control unit varies pulley pressure. Low pressure or a tired pump and the belt starts to slip.
Pulleys move
The belt rides higher or lower. Ratio changes without a shift thump.
Pressure holds the belt
No pressure, the belt slips. Heat follows.
Wear scores the cones
Once glazed, it does not grip like new. It only gets worse.
CVT work we do
We diagnose CVT slip, overheating and limp mode, then repair or rebuild only if that is what the unit needs. Guessing a belt without a test is how people waste money.
- CVT diagnosis and road test
- Fluid, filter and cooler-related faults
- Repair or rebuild when the unit can be saved
- Collection when it should not be driven
Still driving a slipping CVT?
Belt slip is heat. Heat is scored pulleys. That is automatic gearbox repair. Call before the cones are finished.
Why this work comes to Service4Service
- Automatic and dual-clutch work is core work, not a sideline
- Diagnosis before parts
- Collection when the car should not be driven
- 12 months or 12,000 miles on parts and labour
Guarantee and payment
Repairs are backed by a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty on parts and labour. See Payment Options for ways to pay.
Yes from the driver's seat. No clutch pedal, no H-pattern. Internally it uses a belt or chain and pulleys, not a conventional gearset.
Some drone under acceleration is the ratio varying. A sudden flare, smell or warning is a fault. Do not ignore that.
Sometimes. Early diagnosis helps. Once the belt has scored the cones, the job is usually much bigger.
Yes. Audi Multitronic is a CVT. Same family of slip, flare and overheating faults.
No. CVT and other automatics are the work we do.
No. That lamp is often heat or slip. Crawl to a safe place and call.
Related guides
Do not wait for the CVT to give up
If it is slipping, overheating or in limp mode, tell us the symptoms. CVT diagnosis is part of the automatic work we do.
