This Mitsubishi Attrage went into limp mode near the owner's home. It stayed in first gear, would not shift, and the gear indicator kept blinking. Our towing partner brought it in, and our chief mechanic found it needed a full CVT overhaul with the valve body replaced together. When the gearbox came out, our team also found a worn engine mount. Everything was fixed, and the gearbox overhaul carries a 2 year / 40,000km warranty.
Job completed: July 2026
| Car | Mitsubishi Attrage, petrol with CVT transmission |
|---|---|
| Symptom | Limp mode: stuck in first gear, would not shift, gear indicator blinking |
| Fault found | A logged fault for lost gearbox pressure, which the valve body controls; CVT gearbox needing a full overhaul, with the valve body replaced together; CVT chain loosened with age, and the wear debris had affected the valve body; a worn engine mount, found when the gearbox came out |
| Repair done | Full CVT gearbox overhaul, valve body replacement, engine mount set x3 replacement, fresh CVT fluid |
| Parts | OEM-grade CVT overhaul kit; replacement valve body; quality engine mounts |
| Time taken | 2 to 3 days |
| Cost | $4,300 nett total ($2,800 CVT overhaul + $950 valve body + $550 engine mounts) |
| Warranty | 2 years or 40,000km on the CVT gearbox overhaul |
The owner messaged us one evening. Near home, the Attrage had stayed in first gear and would not shift, and the gear indicator (D, R, N, P) kept blinking. The owner suspected a transmission problem and limp mode, and asked us to tow the car in.
When the owner drove down to meet the tow truck, the car seemed back to normal. It was towed in as planned and was at our workshop the next morning for our chief mechanic to check.
The Mitsubishi Attrage is a compact three-box sedan popular in Singapore for its fuel efficiency and manageable size in urban traffic. It uses a CVT, which stands for continuously variable transmission. Unlike a conventional automatic with a fixed number of gear ratios, a CVT uses a steel belt or chain running between two variable-diameter pulleys to provide an infinite range of effective gear ratios.
This design is efficient and smooth when it is in good condition. When CVT components wear or the fluid degrades, the transmission can slip, jerk, or fail to deliver power correctly to the wheels. CVT overhauls are more specialised than conventional automatic gearbox work and require a workshop familiar with the chain, pulleys and valve body specific to each model.
Our chief mechanic tested and checked the car the morning it arrived. A fault was logged for lost pressure in the gearbox, and that pressure is controlled by the valve body. The verdict was clear: the gearbox needed a full overhaul, and the valve body had to be replaced together with it. The owner approved both straight away.
The valve body is the hydraulic control unit inside the gearbox that directs fluid pressure to different parts of the transmission. Doing the overhaul without replacing a faulty valve body would be an incomplete repair.
That afternoon, with the gearbox taken down, our team found a worn engine mount. We sent the owner a photo and a video and quoted the 3-piece engine mount set. The owner chose to replace it in the same job.
Once the gearbox was opened up, our team found the CVT chain had loosened with age. That wear left scratches, and the debris flowed into the valve body and affected it. That is why the job needed both the overhaul and a replacement valve body.
The valve body controls when and how fluid pressure shifts between the pulley sides. A faulty valve body cannot direct pressure correctly, which means the CVT cannot adjust its ratio properly regardless of how good the rest of the transmission is.
The worn engine mount was a separate issue, found when the gearbox came out.
The owner approved the overhaul and the valve body the morning the car arrived, and the engine mounts that afternoon.
CVT gearbox overhaul ($2,800):
Valve body replacement ($950):
Engine mounts ($550 nett):
Once the parts were back in, our team told the owner the next morning that the car was good to go.
In September, at 5,000km after the overhaul, the owner brought the car back for its first CVT fluid change.
From our team's record of this job. Number plates are pixelated.
What the gearbox work costs depends on the make and how much of the internal CVT is worn. This job was $2,800 for the overhaul and $950 for the valve body replacement, giving $3,750 for the gearbox work. The engine mounts added $550, bringing the total to $4,300 nett.
A CVT overhaul that also requires a valve body replacement is more comprehensive than a basic overhaul because the valve body is an additional component with its own cost. Including it in the same job is more economical than returning later.
Every full CVT gearbox overhaul comes with a 2 year or 40,000km warranty.
The single most important maintenance item for a CVT gearbox is the fluid. CVT fluid degrades with heat and use, and once it is past its protective capacity the chain and pulleys start to suffer.
Have the CVT fluid changed on schedule. The right interval depends on the car and how it is driven. City driving is harder on CVT fluid than highway use.
If the CVT starts to feel different, either slipping slightly, jerking at low speed, or feeling sluggish under acceleration, have it checked immediately. Early intervention is far less expensive than a full overhaul on a CVT that has been run on degraded fluid for too long.
This Mitsubishi Attrage (CVT gearbox overhaul) was handled at 1 Car Service, an independent workshop in Sin Ming AutoCity, Singapore. The work is backed by our 2-year, 40,000km warranty. We hold a 4.9★ rating from 1,836+ Google reviews.
WhatsApp us your car model, year, mileage and what it is doing. A CVT gearbox that is slipping, jerking or refusing to accelerate normally needs to be checked quickly. Every full CVT overhaul comes with a 2 year or 40,000km warranty.
This overhaul was $2,800 for the CVT gearbox and $950 for the valve body replacement, totalling $3,750 for the gearbox work. Engine mounts added $550, giving a total of $4,300 nett. Pricing varies based on the condition of the internals and what the box needs once opened. We quote before any work begins.
On this car, a fault was logged for lost pressure in the gearbox, and the valve body controls that pressure. Inside the gearbox, our team found the CVT chain had loosened with age, and debris from the scratches it left had flowed into the valve body. A faulty valve body cannot regulate pressure correctly, so the CVT cannot shift its ratio properly even after an overhaul. Replacing it in the same job avoids a second visit.
Yes. Every full CVT gearbox overhaul comes with a 2 year or 40,000km warranty, whichever comes first.
This job was completed in 2 to 3 days. The time depends on parts availability and the extent of the wear inside the gearbox. We confirm a timeline once the box is opened and inspected.
A conventional automatic has a fixed number of gear ratios (typically six to eight) and uses clutch packs to shift between them. A CVT uses a steel belt or chain running between two variable-width pulleys to provide an infinite range of effective ratios. The experience is smoother and more fuel-efficient in normal driving, but CVT internals are more sensitive to fluid condition and require specialist knowledge to overhaul correctly.
Worn engine mounts allow the engine and transmission to move more than designed. This puts stress on the drivetrain mounts and the connections between the engine and gearbox. While mounts do not directly cause CVT wear, fixing a gearbox and leaving worn mounts in place means the repaired gearbox is immediately subjected to abnormal movement. That is why we flagged the worn mount, and the owner chose to replace the set in the same job.
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