Hi everyone, In April of 2021, I purchased a new 2020 Fit EX from a local dealership for my wife. We traded our former 2007 Fit which had only 104,000 miles. Near the end of our ownership, my son was driving the car. Today, I took the 2020 Fit in to our local dealership to have both the engine oil and filter changed, as well as the transmission fluid. The car has about 40,000 miles. It’s the first time we have had the transmission fluid changed, but the technician said there were no metal shavings on the magnetic drain plug. He told the service advisor that the fluid did look dark, but there was no burnt odor. And, I think that’s a good thing.

A couple of weeks ago, we traded our 2013 Honda Accord Coupe, for a 2025 HR-V EXL. The Accord was the first cars that Honda installed the CVT transmission and it had about 86,000 miles without any issues at all. I think that I changed the transmission fluid once. I really like CVT transmissions. I know that the automotive press didn’t like them in 2013 and still don’t like them. What I like is that the CVT has no gears and will chose the best version of a, “Gear ratio”, regardless of the vehicle’s speed. During acceleration the engine and transmission continuously allows the engine to operate at the best RPM for the driving situations. The skeptics made fun of the sound calling it, “Motorboating or droneing”. I personally equate the sound to a turbine engine during takeoff. Smooth constant acceleration. I think the secret is to change the transmission fluid every 30,000 miles or so and don’t drive like a maniac. The Fit, HR-V, CR-V, and both Accords and Civics aren’t sports cars nor dragsters. They are terrific grocery getters, and if driven sanely, they last a very long time.

 

My 2015 EX stick bought new in February 2015 with 33 miles at a local Honda Dealer is still running great. Now has over 113,000 miles.

Honda Dealer maintained since first oil change.

No weekend shade tree mechanic, no Jiffy Lube, no independent neighborhood auto mechanic.

I'd rather pay more to get auto work done right the first time at the Honda Dealer.

 

My 2015 EX is also doing great at 90k miles. I love this thing.

 

Thanks for the good reports, gentlemen. Good to know.

 

The late-90's Civic HX was the first US-market Honda car to get a CVT. The Logo (predecessor to the Fit) also got a CVT around the same time. All the automatic-equipped hybrid models (starting with the Insight in 1999) got them. The Accord was late to the party due to it's weight I think.

 

I love my '15 and I'm considering looking at trading in for southern (ie, totally rust free) low mile last-model year one, but mine has only 64,000 miles on it, so "durability" is still a question.

 

the CVT is a "metal rubber band" between two pulleys...really...how long will that last?....ok full disclosure....ive only ever owned manual cars...in the whole 40 years! ....the FREQUENT fluid changes seem like a good idea

 

There's nothing rubber or even elastic about it. It's a few (typically two) layered steel bands, loaded with a few hundred metal segments that make contact with the pulleys. Unlike a chain, the segments aren't keyed or otherwise locked to the bands, so the bands don't transmit much (if any) power by tension. The bands' job is simply to keep the segments pressed against the pulleys. Power is transmitted when the segments form a solid stack between the pulleys on what people usually think of as the "slack" side of the belt. The drive pulley pushes the stack by adding segments to the bottom, the driven pulley gets pushed by the stack, taking segments off the top. This is the exact opposite of how a rubber drive belt, timing belt or chain transmits power, but works because the segments stay in a nice solid stack as they pass from one pulley to the other. The stack of segments doesn't get all floppy the way a rubber belt or chain would when being pushed, because the segments sit flat against each other like a stack of bricks.

 

As far as how long the CVT will last there's no shortage of early Fits on the road which are well over 100K now. Maintenance, including regular CVT fluid changes is key.

 

My 2020 ex was about to reach 34k about a month and the fuel injectors went out, luckily my car was a cpo so it was covered but I’m surprised they went out so soon.

 

I've always driven sporty sticks in BMW and Porsches in my younger days. Now, retired, I told myself I want a car that is easy to drive and maintain so I bought the 2017 Honda Fit, LX with CVT. I couldn't go wrong with this car. I would not want to sell it, forever. The Fit has 156K miles, the CVT still works perfectly. I get over calculated 40+ miles/gallon on the open highways.Some suggest changing the fluid is the key. I'm not sure.even though the fluid was changed at around 50K and 100K miles. I won't change it again until 200K miles. A lot of people biasly dislike the CVT, but it works well in the Fit.

 

The Fit is a light weight car, perfectly suited for a CVT. A lot of the old mechanics on YouTube express a dislike for CVTs but frankly 60 years ago these would have been the same people disliking automatic transmissions and pointing out how unreliable they were compared to MTs (which was true). And yet now the manual transmissions are obsolete and various types of automatics totally dominate. CVTs, CVTs with a fixed first gear and eCVTs are all part of an evolution taking place while waiting for electric cars to become viable.

 

Don't go down that road. The hydraulic systems in automatic transmissions have precision-machined cylinders and seals, as well as wet clutches that simply don't exist in manual transmissions. Instead of forming dust in the bell housing ("outside" the transmission), wet clutches dump their wear material into the transmission fluid. Additives keep those micro-particle wear materials suspended in the fluid. As the additives get overwhelmed/used-up, the particles start to settle out and can end up trapped between the hydraulic seals and mating machined surfaces, causing permanent damage.
Here's where it gets weird: Sometimes further particulates will fall into place to help seal the damage. The next time the fluid is changed, the fresh batch of additives pick up the damage-sealing particles. This causes a strange phenomenon where a long-overdue fluid change "kills" a seemingly healthy transmission. Damage had been done and was continuing to be done by the dirty fluid, but the dirt was masking the damage.
Point being, either keep up with the fluid changes or never do it again. If you choose the latter, expect the transmission to eventually fail. It may or may not make it to your 200k mark. Shop around for and purchase a low-mileage replacement now, while they're still available. Bag it up nicely in a plastic tub and park it in a closet.

On topic, our 2020 EX is going strong at 57k miles. Mid 30's to 40-ish MPG depending on how it's driven. It had a (sunroof related?) water leak on the driver's side that the dealer begrudgingly fixed under warranty. They raked my not-automotive-knowledgeable mother over the coals the first time she came through for maintenance out of warranty. They did an unnecessary alignment (measured values were within spec) and then refused to budge after the fact, even though their only justification was "the number was red".

 

My 2008 still drives like new.
My grandmother passed suddenly a few weeks ago, and I didn't even hesitate to jump in the Fit, and take a long road trip, much of it in snowstorms.
Most reliable vehicle I've ever seen.
If I had any complaint about it, it would be the 14 inch wheels, which many tires are are no longer made in 14s, so it's hard to buy tires for.

 

LOL! I have a 2018 with 15" wheels and those are getting scarce. The tire manufactures are moving up and focusing on the big tires for SUVs and electric cars. More money there.

 

Upgrade to 16 inch wheels and tires.

I didn't upgrade my wheels. But I did upgrade to the Fit Sport Black Wheels for my 2015 EX.

 

Harder to buy 16s in stock fit sizes than 15s in many cases.

 

I don't want to buy aftermarket wheels, because they may not fit correctly, or be hub centric.

 

stock 2008 fit sport wheels are 15” wheels.

 

Honda generally recommends changing CVT fluid every 50,000 to 100,000 miles.t it's crucial to consult your specific Honda model's owner's manual for the most accurate guidelines. but it's crucial to consult your specific Honda model's owner's manual for the most accurate guidelines.