It may have been asked but I can't find it... getting ready to do a trans fluid change and filter in the wifes 01 VW Cabrio, can I use Maxlife in this? I hear good things about this fluid and would like to but I also hear VW's are strange about fluids...
Maxlife ATF in a VW?
- Thread starter racin4ds
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Can't see why not. I'd use it with confidence.
I assume the Cabrio has the junktastic 01M four-speed automatic. I would use Maxlife ATF without worry... or any expectation that it will help the transmission last longer. It certainly won't do any harm.
FWIW, Mobil 1 Multi-vehicle ATF lists the VW spec on the back of the bottle; Maxlife ATF lists it as being suitable on the product information sheet.
FWIW, Mobil 1 Multi-vehicle ATF lists the VW spec on the back of the bottle; Maxlife ATF lists it as being suitable on the product information sheet.
It should work fine, I put multi-vehicle ATF in my 02 VW Jetta which has the same 01M transmission as yours. A pan drop took around 3 1/4 quarts.
Also you can change the final drive (front differential) oil as well, its separately filled. It takes just under a quart of 75W-90 gear oil. You have remove the speedometer sensor then pump it out as there is no drain plug.
Also you can change the final drive (front differential) oil as well, its separately filled. It takes just under a quart of 75W-90 gear oil. You have remove the speedometer sensor then pump it out as there is no drain plug.
I have done this successfully in a Jetta with the O1M transmission that actually had no reverse. It was a last ditch effort to see if it can be salvaged and it actually ran fine for at least a year that I know of after the fluid change. It does say on the bottle that it is usable for VW. It is a really good fluid. Most transmissions that I have switched over to maxlife did shift and drive better. Not all of them were very abused so it seems to be a good product from my experience with it.
Originally Posted By: lpcmidst128
Also you can change the final drive (front differential) oil as well, its separately filled. It takes just under a quart of 75W-90 gear oil. You have remove the speedometer sensor then pump it out as there is no drain plug.
Good point - probably the most neglected fluid on 01M-equipped VWs. Very easy to change and any off-the-shelf 75w90 works fine. I used Valvoline Synpower gear oil and Mobil 1 ATF on the last 01M I serviced.
Be sure the replacement pan gasket has steel torque limiters in the bolt holes, too. Snug plus 1/8 turn is all it takes.
Also you can change the final drive (front differential) oil as well, its separately filled. It takes just under a quart of 75W-90 gear oil. You have remove the speedometer sensor then pump it out as there is no drain plug.
Good point - probably the most neglected fluid on 01M-equipped VWs. Very easy to change and any off-the-shelf 75w90 works fine. I used Valvoline Synpower gear oil and Mobil 1 ATF on the last 01M I serviced.
Be sure the replacement pan gasket has steel torque limiters in the bolt holes, too. Snug plus 1/8 turn is all it takes.
Great to hear, looks like I'll be dropping the pan and doing a filter change and adding some Maxlife this weekend along with some LubeGuard Red in hopes to prolong this lil jewel, the wife loves this [censored] car for some reason and I will say with 150k it shifts and runs excellent!
Dropped the pan and filter this weekend and put in about 3.5 quarts of Maxlife, the stuff that came out of this poor VW looked terrible! It was literally brownish in color and looked nor smelled anything like ATF.
After a few short trips I did notice slightly smoother shifting but the harsh downshift is still present with an occasional harsh 2-3 upshift. Hopefully it clears up with time.
After a few short trips I did notice slightly smoother shifting but the harsh downshift is still present with an occasional harsh 2-3 upshift. Hopefully it clears up with time.
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
After a few short trips I did notice slightly smoother shifting but the harsh downshift is still present with an occasional harsh 2-3 upshift. Hopefully it clears up with time.
It may clear up with more fresh fluid in it. How many quarts does the transmission hold? The 3.5 quarts you drained may only represent half or a third of the total fluid capacity. Do a few more drain/fills over the next few weeks to really clean that old fluid up.
After a few short trips I did notice slightly smoother shifting but the harsh downshift is still present with an occasional harsh 2-3 upshift. Hopefully it clears up with time.
It may clear up with more fresh fluid in it. How many quarts does the transmission hold? The 3.5 quarts you drained may only represent half or a third of the total fluid capacity. Do a few more drain/fills over the next few weeks to really clean that old fluid up.
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