Before I go on, I am NOT looking for a cheap workaround to cut corners.
For years I've been using Peto-Canada sourced Dexron-VI, until it was no longer available. The replacement came in a black bottle with a red label on it, and was now made in the U.S. I assumed the supplier was Exxon Mobil, but the shape of the bottle did not match what Mobil products usually come in. It was more like the black old, plain ConocoPhillips bottles. Not only that, but the labels on the bottle were coming off at the corners. Because I wasn't sure of the source, and the GMC dealer still had the Canadian stuff, I continued to pay a premium and bought it until that was exhausted and I had to switch to the U.S. stuff. It had a license number on it, starting with J, and I figured I should be good to go. Still, I was skeptical, and knew this was a cost cutting measure in some shape or form.
The "U.S." stuff caused the transmission to shift noticeably harder, and a bit jerky. Right away, I realized this isn't Exxon Mobil's blend and replaced half a quart with LubeGard Red. That corrected the hard, jerky shifts. For the record, I have a 7 quart Derale pan and I do a simple drain and refill every 6,250 miles.
Recently, it was time for another drain/refill. This time, the "U.S." stuff wasn't available. Instead, the new stuff, which came in a completely different bottle, was "Blended and in Thailand and bottled in the UAE". Anything blended, bottled, formulated or otherwise linked to a blender in the Middle East, I stay the heck away from. If their motor oils sludge and varnish engines, heaven knows what their transmission fluid is like. Now I'm caught between a rock and a hard place, and I'm looking for North American or European alternatives to the garbage GM sells in this part of the world.
I'm basically looking for a specification that closely matches Dexron-VI. I tried the BMW dealer, given a number of them used GM transmissions, but part numbers 83 22 2 163 514 (1 L) and 83 22 0 397 114 (4 L) do not come up in the local dealer's database and they claim none of the vehicles they imported require Dexron-VI. Any leads? Thank you.
For years I've been using Peto-Canada sourced Dexron-VI, until it was no longer available. The replacement came in a black bottle with a red label on it, and was now made in the U.S. I assumed the supplier was Exxon Mobil, but the shape of the bottle did not match what Mobil products usually come in. It was more like the black old, plain ConocoPhillips bottles. Not only that, but the labels on the bottle were coming off at the corners. Because I wasn't sure of the source, and the GMC dealer still had the Canadian stuff, I continued to pay a premium and bought it until that was exhausted and I had to switch to the U.S. stuff. It had a license number on it, starting with J, and I figured I should be good to go. Still, I was skeptical, and knew this was a cost cutting measure in some shape or form.
The "U.S." stuff caused the transmission to shift noticeably harder, and a bit jerky. Right away, I realized this isn't Exxon Mobil's blend and replaced half a quart with LubeGard Red. That corrected the hard, jerky shifts. For the record, I have a 7 quart Derale pan and I do a simple drain and refill every 6,250 miles.
Recently, it was time for another drain/refill. This time, the "U.S." stuff wasn't available. Instead, the new stuff, which came in a completely different bottle, was "Blended and in Thailand and bottled in the UAE". Anything blended, bottled, formulated or otherwise linked to a blender in the Middle East, I stay the heck away from. If their motor oils sludge and varnish engines, heaven knows what their transmission fluid is like. Now I'm caught between a rock and a hard place, and I'm looking for North American or European alternatives to the garbage GM sells in this part of the world.
I'm basically looking for a specification that closely matches Dexron-VI. I tried the BMW dealer, given a number of them used GM transmissions, but part numbers 83 22 2 163 514 (1 L) and 83 22 0 397 114 (4 L) do not come up in the local dealer's database and they claim none of the vehicles they imported require Dexron-VI. Any leads? Thank you.
