Yesterday (5-29-11), I drained & refilled my '09 Honda Civic EX auto trans. with the new ATF-DW-1. The car has 20,775 miles on it & the dealers recommended 25,000 to 30,000 fluid changes. I live in Phoenix, AZ. (HOT) & do mostly surface road, in town driving. I'm 65 & don't drive the car like a hot rod, at all. Bought it for the economy & ease of driving/parking.
Recently, I read on BITOG about the new DW-1 fluid & checked the dipstick on the Civic. The fluid looked a bit dark with a slight brownish tint, to it. So, I bought some DW-1 & did the change 3 times adding 3 quarts each drain/fill. Installed a new crush washer the last fill. The last drain had more of a reddish color to it than the first drain. The trans seems to shift smoother but, that may just be my imagination!!!
It would be nice if the owners manual would provide information as to what torque the drain plug should be tightened to. Also, how to tell when the trans if full by the dipstick. I tightened the plug up to the point where you could feel the crush washer start to crush. Worried about damaging the aluminum casing. Regarding the fill level, I was told that when the fluid is warm, put the trans in P or R & check the fluid level. That's what I did but, I don't know if that is the proper way to tell. Does anyone know, for sure???
The dealership wanted $7.97/qt. but, whan I asked about a discount, they said that if I bought a case 12, the price would go down to$5.98/qt. I needed 9 qts. so, I bought the case.
I'm glad that I did the 3 changes as the old fluid didn't look that good, to me. However, I'm not a transmission expert, either.
My recommendation is to change the fluid more often than what the dealership recommends. I'm glad that I did.
Joe F.
