Q: I want to purchase a CVT automatic car but want to know whether they are reliable. Also,between the Honda Jazz and Baleno, which automatic should I go for?
Manobendra Ghosh
A: CVT technology has come a long way and instances of failures while common in the early 2000s, are few and far in between now. That said, a CVT transmission needs to be maintained impeccably and it is more expensive to do so compared to a manual or even a traditional automatic. Special transmission fluid needs to be changed at specified intervals.
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If you take good care, a CVT-equipped car will give you no cause for concern for over 1,50,000 km. If you want to choose between the two purely based on drivetrains, the Jazz is definitely superior as Honda has one of the best CVTs around while the Baleno is about Rs.20,000 – 30,000 cheaper on-road. Go for extended warranty for CVT-equipped cars – highly recommended as any chance failure could be very, very expensive as it usually involves replacing the entire gearbox.
Q: My Chevrolet Aveo (31,000km) met with an accident a while back and there was major damage caused to the front end. Repairs were carried out by an authorised service centre and all costs were covered by insurance claim. After the repairs, I started facing problems like sudden acceleration and stalling from the engine. The service centre put the problem down to ECM failure and asked me to replace it at a cost of Rs 40,000. However, I decided to get a second opinion and upon approaching another authorised workshop, was simply asked to change the HT cable and spark plugs. But just six months after that happened, the fuel gauge and AC has failed. This time, the same workshop has said these problems are a result of ECM failure. I am perplexed as to how such an expensive component can fail without any reason. Also, right from the day I got the car, there seemed to have been a jerking problem with the engine. I have a feeling the fault for these problems lie with either the carmaker who cleared a faulty ECM during manufacture or the service centre where they failed to diagnose the problematic ECM. What should I do?
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A: It is unfortunate to face these sort of issues on a car that has done comparatively modest mileage, but Daewoo-origin GMs are known to have electronic issues crop up without reason. There have been cases of one year old cars being diagnosed with ECU failure. If the dealer says that an impact can cause ECU failure, we’d take it with a whole lot of salt. It is very unlikely that an impact may result in degenerative damage to the ECU.
Which means if it had to fail, it would have failed then and there, not six months down the line. Engine roughness/surging (jerking) that you have mentioned can be attributed to other issues as well – a failed catalytic converter for example. You need to get on the dealer’s case and ask them to run diagnostics on the ECU. The diagnostics will throw a code, which will correspond to a particular component/sensor issue. In your case, it is more likely to be a sensor failure.
A car will not continue to run if the ECU has failed and the ECU needs to be replaced. The engine won’t even start! The dealer is trying to push you into buying a new ECU, so put your foot down – ask them to run diagnostics and see for yourself. Error code format is likely to be p0000 (P followed by a unique four-digit number) which the service centre can correspond to an issue. It is pretty accurate, pinpoints to one single component/area that needs attention, which leaves out the need for guesswork, which is what your service advisor seems to be doing for now. Good Luck!