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Honda Jazz Automatic 2003 - CVT transmission flush - helpmyhonda

Dear Honest John,

I would appreciate your advice. I bought my Honda Jazz 2 years ago, and it only had 23000 on the clock. I have been very happy with it on the whole, but it has been juddering in low gears once it has warmed up.

I have looked on other posts and it seems it is a common problem with Honda Jazz's. It is more of an annoyance than affecting overall performance. I have looked in the handbook and it has already had 3 CVT transmission flushes, the last one being in 2010. I have now done 43,000 miles. Do I presume it needs the CVT transmission flush again? Do I have any chance of getting it FOC as it seems from the car's history it is a problem, and especially due to the low mileage V car age?

Many Thanks

Honda Jazz Automatic 2003 - CVT transmission flush - RobJP

HJ occasionally (but very rarely) replies to threads on the forums.

Howver, I'll just say that the car is 12 years old.

The last transmission flush was 5 years ago. It's supposed to be done every 4 years. So you haven't had it serviced properly.

Would you think Honda would entertain any sort of claim ?

Honda Jazz Automatic 2003 - CVT transmission flush - helpmyhonda

Thank you for your comments. It may be 12 years old, but very low mileage. It has been serviced every year and has full service history, hence I know how many times a CVT transmission flush has been done. A CVT transmission flush isn't standard service and is only recommended every 45000 miles. My car has only done 43000 miles and already had 3 CVT flushes.

Honda Jazz Automatic 2003 - CVT transmission flush - helpmyhonda

RobJP have you knowledge of Honda Jazz CVT transmission?

Dealer manual actually states 60,000 miles for first transmission flush. I have read on another forum 45000 recommended for around town driving.

I was posting on here to see if anybody else had a similar problem.

Honda Jazz Automatic 2003 - CVT transmission flush - Bolt

It works as mileage or years whichever comes first, if you check the small print, even workshop manual states that

If you only do 2000 miles in 5 years its due, if you do 60000 in 2 years its due....

Honda Jazz Automatic 2003 - CVT transmission flush - RobJP

If you have a read of the service guides for the CVT Jazz, they say that the gearbox flush should be carried out initially after 5 years OR 48,000 miles, and then every 4 years OR 36,000 miles.

Those times / mileages mean 'whichever comes first'. Else someone could claim that, although they've done 250,000 miles in the last 3 years, the gearbox flush isn't due yet. Which is patently silly.

It has been 5 years since the CVT flush was last carried out. It is overdue on time, if not on mileage.

Those are the simple facts.


Edited by RobJP on 04/08/2015 at 00:12

Honda Jazz Automatic 2003 - CVT transmission flush - John F

What is it with modern gearboxes? Are they specifically designed to cost the punter as much as possible? I haven't, apart from top-ups (there's a small leak) changed the ATF in my 1980 TR7's LT77 box...ever. The autos in our ancient 190,000m VW GL5, 240,000m Passat and 137,000 ZF 5HP 19 in the Audi A6 required no attention. The Ford/Mazda auto in our 15yr 108,000m old Focus works perfectly.

Seems to me the claimed 0.000001p mpg improvement is more than offset by lucrative and probably unnecessary servicing costs.....and the risk of perfectly good original fluid being replaced by an inferior or just plain wrong substance.

If it works, don't mend it, unless your mileage consists of racing up and down Alps and across deserts.

Honda Jazz Automatic 2003 - CVT transmission flush - madf

Mark 1 Jazzes need regaular transmission oil changes due to potentail problems with start clutches..

Read all about it here.

clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=94.0

(Latest models are OK).