What's weird is I actually called Valvoline and they said that their fluid was compatible with the WS spec for Cadillac. I think by compatible, they meant that the trans would not fail. Lol.
Anyways, everybody on the Cadillac forum loves this transmission, and in my opinion, it's the best transmission GM has ever used. I've never had an issue with it and it's smooth or punchy whenever you want it to be, depending on the drive mode. It's incredibly reliable as well. Some people have put a thousand horsepower through this transmission with no issues long term. For the VSport edition, which I have of the CTS, it's exclusive to this car for the CTS line. There are a couple other cars that use it, but no complaints for this particular car of this transmission with it's setup of the Aisin trans and e-diff combo.
I'm going to go back to the WS type fluid and report back in a couple weeks. I used the max life fluid because it was supposedly compatible, and it seems like a lot of people on this form love the fluid, including myself. However, after this experience, I am always going to go with the manufacturer fluid, especially on a $75k car.
Originally Posted by MolaKule
Originally Posted by Bulletbling
Hey all,
I just had my 2014 Cadillac CTS VSport with the Aisin 8-speed serviced with MaxLife ATF and now the transmission is acting funny. Only 44k miles on the car and the transmission calls for GM WS-type fluid. I read on this very forum that WS fluid can be replaced with ATF such as MaxLife (what I usually use), Redline D6, and Amsoil Signature.
I chose the MaxLife route and now the car has a shudder / slight bucking forward and back feeling after some gear shifts have completed and lasts about a second in duration....
Was there a complete fluid exchange or simply a drain and fill with a filter change?
The transmission was completely flushed, with 15 quarts used in total.