Any reason to not use Maxlife ATF and Lubrgard in Honda?

[Buzzsaw]

My wife's '03 CRV's tranny is due servicing. I already have Maxlife ATF and Lubegard black here at home. The nearest Honda dealer is roughly 90 miles away and wants $5.42 + tax a quart for ATF-Z1. I planned on using 1oz of Lubegard per quart and possibly using 1oz of Lube Control.

BTW the CRV is not under warranty. Any reason not to go this route?

 

[Buford T. Justice]

Why use the additives? MaxLife ATF is good by itself.

 

[Steelers]

No reason not to. As long as Maxlife is rated for Hondas it should perform fine. No need for the Lubegard. Frequent drain and fills are easy and will keep your fluid fresh.

 

[unDummy]

Use the Maxlife all by itself. It it feels OK(not too abrubt), leave it alone.
Dose the Lubegard black as needed in ounce increments if the shift is too hard.

 

[Schmoe]

Take that chance and let us know when you transmission craps out. I tell you, your playing with fire using something other than Z1 in that thing.

 

[Quest]

LOL! Dad's 2001 Civic 7th gen AT gear box have been seeing Honda genuine Z1 fluid for over 98,000kms to date (been drained+refilled twice) and the trannie is behaving like it should (smooth shifting, no jerks).

No need to add anything into the Z1 so long as it gets replaced on a regular basis.

 

[The Critic]

OP: Valvoline MaxLife ATF will work fine in a Honda transmission without needing to add Lubegard HFM Supplement. In agreement with unDummy's post, only add Lubegard HFM Supplement if shifts are hard, which I doubt will be a problem.

A more cost-effective solution would be to purchase SuperTech Dexron III from Walmart and add Lubegard @ 1oz/qt (sometimes a bit more) as an alternative.

Schmoe: To each his own, but I can certainly see where you're coming from. Honda ATF-Z1 (Genuine) may last a bit longer during extended drains, but if Buzzsaw continues to service his transmission every 30-40K, I see no reason why MaxLife or Dexron III and Lubegard cannot provide sufficient anti-shudder and wear protection.

 

[Ray H]

Do you have any personal experience with Lubegard Black mixed into Dexron III in Honda ATs with extended use, Michael?

 

[The Critic]

Haven't myself, but local tranny shops haven't had issues with this mix for intervals past 30K, AFAIK.

Patman has > 30K on his Honda, and I have one other buddy who has similar mileage.

 

[Buzzsaw]

Update: I used the Maxlife and 4oz of Lubegard on the trans. My wife nor I could not tell any difference in shift quality, which was good to begin with. I guess that I will use my wife's vehicle as a testbed for not using the Z1 ATF. The owner's manual said that Dex III could be used but one may detect a change in shift quality.

 

[Schmoe]

That's just it, you WON'T tell a difference at first. I mean, you can put anything you want in there and it will work. However, the key here is what everybody is searching for, longevity. Without the correct additives, the clutches will wear out quicker and depending on the type of metal inside the transmission, you may actually be adding corrosive liquids to that transmission. Plus, what exactly are you saving? Z1 is about 3 to 4 bucks a quart. I paid 3.80 for a quart of Mercon V for my truck at Wallyworld the other day, well actually about 16 quarts for the new shiftplate. I have read almost every thread into this issue and I have yet found a suitable reason except for being cheaper, to make the change with absolute confidence.

 

[BrianWC]

Actually, the best price I've seen is $18 something shipped. I'm not using maxlife to save money, though.

 

[Schmoe]

For a QUART??? You got to be kidding!!! Find another dealer.

 

[GimmeTorq]

Price for Z1 has gone up quite a bit. I can still find it locally for less than $6/qt (used to be $4.50 /qt like two months ago). But I wouldn't experiment with anything else in our failure prone 5-speed Odyssey...

 

[BrianWC]

Yep, I just changed to maxlife as well (but no lubegard) in my 02 CRV. I can't tell a bit of difference....

 

[Mr. Boston]

I've been using Lubeguard Red for years. Does it work...don't know - but it makes me feel better...

 

[The Critic]

quote:

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Without the correct additives, the clutches will wear out quicker and depending on the type of metal inside the transmission, you may actually be adding corrosive liquids to that transmission.

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Perhaps. And what evidence do you have to back up your claim? These multi-vehicle fluids have an additive package developed by a leading additive supplier, and it was possibly one that developed the original Honda Z1 additive package?

If I told you that Aamco backs their transmission rebuilds for life, and they run generic Dexron III and Lubegard, does this change anything?

 

[Mr Nice]

You can get HONDA Z1 ATF for $3.60 if you look hard

If I could get Maxlife or Honda Z1 for the same cost, I would rather have the Honda fluid.

Honda fluid is cheap.....why bother mixing your own ATF with additives?

[ June 23, 2006, 08:15 AM: Message edited by: LT4 Vette ]

 

[BrianWC]

quote:

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Originally posted by Schmoe:
For a QUART??? You got to be kidding!!! Find another dealer.

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Nope, that's for a 3 quart pack shipped.

 

[Schmoe]

quote:

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Originally posted by The Critic:

quote:

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Without the correct additives, the clutches will wear out quicker and depending on the type of metal inside the transmission, you may actually be adding corrosive liquids to that transmission.

---

Perhaps. And what evidence do you have to back up your claim? These multi-vehicle fluids have an additive package developed by a leading additive supplier, and it was possibly one that developed the original Honda Z1 additive package?

If I told you that Aamco backs their transmission rebuilds for life, and they run generic Dexron III and Lubegard, does this change anything?

---

Well...duh...it's a rebuilt Aamco transmission, using their parts and their stuff, not Honda factory parts. If you'd go back and research some of these topics, a lot of members have issues with the "one fluid solves all" type of ATF. Would YOU be comfortable with that? I mean the additives is the whole point with ATF. You wouldn't dare put a Mercon V in a GM transmission, now would you????