Once again, I am looking at generic replacements for ATF-Z1. I have been staunchly against generic fluids in the past, but two things have me looking at other options.
1) My local Honda dealer actually doesn't use the Honda ATF unless on request. They use Valvoline's MaxLife DEX/MERC, the one that apparently meets the requirements of ATF-Z1 according to the bottle. They're a Valvoline shop, so that doesn't really surprise me, but it must work well enough (and be defensible enough in a warranty claim situation) for the dealer to be using it.
2) My CR-V's transmission has always shifted nice and crisp, even erring on the side of too crisp. I like the firm shifts. The MDX's transmission has always shifted very smooth, erring on the side of too smooth. The more I get fresh ATF-DW1 into it, the more I think I'd rather have a slightly firmer shift. From what I've read, folks using the Valvoline product report a firmer shift in the Honda transmissions, right? I never connected the CR-V's crisper shifting with the fact that the dealer used the Valvoline product, but I guess it makes sense now (my in-law's 2011 CR-V, with ATF-DW1, shifts more like our MDX does).
I was surfing the oil aisle today and saw the Castrol Transmax Import Multi-Vehicle product. Interestingly, and unlike Valvoline, they have a separate "Dex/Merc" product marketed towards domestic multi-vehicle applications. The Import Multi-Vehicle product does say on the bottle that it also meets the requirements of Ford MERCON, DEXRON III and older, etc. Is Castrol simply bottling two different bottles of the same product, or is the import version really different from the domestic version? The Import version seems to meet DEX/MERC *and* some other import applications (like Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, etc). The Domestic version seems to only meet the DEX/MERC requirements.
Has anyone used both the Valvoline MaxLife Dex/Merc and the Castrol Transmax Import Multi-Vehicle fluids in the same Honda automatic? Is any one appreciably better than the other? Castrol's product was $5.88/qt at Walmart, which I don't think is much different in price than Valvoline's product (and maybe even a little more expensive).
I know a lot of folks like the Valvoline fluid in their Hondas, and that, combined with knowing that the local dealer uses it also, might convince me to use it. But I'm curious about this Castrol offering as well.
1) My local Honda dealer actually doesn't use the Honda ATF unless on request. They use Valvoline's MaxLife DEX/MERC, the one that apparently meets the requirements of ATF-Z1 according to the bottle. They're a Valvoline shop, so that doesn't really surprise me, but it must work well enough (and be defensible enough in a warranty claim situation) for the dealer to be using it.
2) My CR-V's transmission has always shifted nice and crisp, even erring on the side of too crisp. I like the firm shifts. The MDX's transmission has always shifted very smooth, erring on the side of too smooth. The more I get fresh ATF-DW1 into it, the more I think I'd rather have a slightly firmer shift. From what I've read, folks using the Valvoline product report a firmer shift in the Honda transmissions, right? I never connected the CR-V's crisper shifting with the fact that the dealer used the Valvoline product, but I guess it makes sense now (my in-law's 2011 CR-V, with ATF-DW1, shifts more like our MDX does).
I was surfing the oil aisle today and saw the Castrol Transmax Import Multi-Vehicle product. Interestingly, and unlike Valvoline, they have a separate "Dex/Merc" product marketed towards domestic multi-vehicle applications. The Import Multi-Vehicle product does say on the bottle that it also meets the requirements of Ford MERCON, DEXRON III and older, etc. Is Castrol simply bottling two different bottles of the same product, or is the import version really different from the domestic version? The Import version seems to meet DEX/MERC *and* some other import applications (like Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, etc). The Domestic version seems to only meet the DEX/MERC requirements.
Has anyone used both the Valvoline MaxLife Dex/Merc and the Castrol Transmax Import Multi-Vehicle fluids in the same Honda automatic? Is any one appreciably better than the other? Castrol's product was $5.88/qt at Walmart, which I don't think is much different in price than Valvoline's product (and maybe even a little more expensive).
I know a lot of folks like the Valvoline fluid in their Hondas, and that, combined with knowing that the local dealer uses it also, might convince me to use it. But I'm curious about this Castrol offering as well.