Don't worry about it. Just put in 3 bottles of the CVT fluid, and then drive it for a while and then check it.

 

I'd just put in 3 quarts (we get quarts in Canada for this, at least in Vancouver), check it once when cold (it should be sitting on full mark on Cold side, and then forget about it: the hot check method does not seem to work, at least not for me.

 

I find that Honda likes to create a perceived need to "over service" with "guidelines for maintenance". Page 3-7 and 3-8 of the (2,264 page) Civic Hybrid Service Manual is the same as page 185 of my owners manual:

Replace transmission fluid when symbol "3" appears in the Maintenance Minder.

In my case, the first one was at 44,516 km.

As for price of product, I bought a case of 12 (.9L) bottles in January 2008 in Michigan for $9.91 each. I'm going to buy another case this January from http://www.hondapartsdeals.com/ for $6.00 each.

The reason I went through 12 bottles at the fluid change...

Owners manual; Transmission Fluid; CVT; 5th paragraph; 4th sentence (found on page 196 of the manual):

"To thoroughly flush the transmission, the technician should drain and refill it with Honda CVT fluid, then drive the vehicle for a short distance. Do this three times. Then drain and refill transmission a final time.

Cheers

Mike

 

It does tell you to do that in the manual but nobody does this unless there are problems with the CVT IE roughness, jerk starts, slipping and so on Mike. The oil that came out of my HCH 2006 looked like new oil. Dealers also only us 3 liters unless some issue with CVT. Hal

 

Yea, mine came out like new as well. Since I have a lift in the garage, it is not a big deal to do the total of 4 drains/re-fills......

I want to run the car 10 years, so I'm hopping that everything I do to baby it will help

Cheers

Mike

 

I guess it is OK to do this when you get oil a a reasonable price other-wise it is expensive. My 4 ltr's cost me over $100 dollars by the time the smoke cleared! I would however do the 3 time drain fill if I felt the CVT needed it. Hal

 

I think the only time you want to do multiple refills of the CVT is if you did something like inadvertantly putting in motor oil. The required maintenance is not a flush (3 time replacement): just a single replacement which replaces a bit over half of the volume of CVT fluid.

FWIW, I've been changing mine yearly, purely my personal preference.

 

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hal -- 41,900km [26040 miles] (5% left on mileage minder) on our 2007. Went to dealer and choked at the A123 price, so I did it myself. $17.24 per US quart (32oz.), here in Calgary AB, for the 3 bottles of CVT fluid. What really got me was the price of the engine and A/C air filters. . About 80% of kilometers was on long highway trips, so that may factor in.

 

I just changed a air filter in my climate control at 50,000 K's @ $36.78
What did you pay C2hybrid?