Are there any tranny aditives that are worth it?

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Originally Posted By: wannafbody
I've used Lucus tranny fix in a 200K slipping tranny and it stopped the slipping.

Sure, the Lucas oil is great for getting a little more life out of a dying transmission, but I am not convinced that it is right for putting in a new transmission to extend the life of it.
 
Lucas in any trans =
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I'm a big believer in using high quality fluids of the correct spec, changing them regularly and not adding any mysterious aftermarket additives. In thirty years of driving I've never had a transmission failure in any of my vehicles, though I generally haven't kept any past 160k miles. Little magic bottles which claim to turn $.99/quart bulk Dexron III into much more expensive and demanding fluid equivalents don't pass the reasonableness test in my mind.
 
Originally Posted By: ryan2022
As the title says guys,

are there any transmission additives that are worth it these days?
thanks


The simple answer is NO.
 
I had a super high mileage crown vic. 270K on the original motor and trans. The trans shuddered real bad when I bought it at 200K for next to nothing because the "trans was bad".

I poured in one pint of something called "smart blend". The shudder stopped in about 10 miles and came back about every 10K afterwards. Every 10K it got another pint of smart blend and the shudder would vanish. Traded it for something about four years ago and still see it on the road.
 
Agree for most applications, but some require something more. In these instances I would say ARX first, then perform a cooler line exchange with your favorite fluid. Add a filter of your liking and continue living your life.
 
I know this is not going to be popular, but I use Gunk Solder Seal trans seal. I used it decades ago in an Accord and it stopped the case gasket from leaking. That got my attention. For the last few years I use it as a preventative measure for the seal conditioners and so far I have had great results!

IMO automatic transmissions have two basic enemies - heat and slippage. Anything that allows a trans to slip is wiping out the clutch material very quickly. So I try to prevent any internal leaks with the seal conditioner. As for the heat? Trans cooler. I live in an area with moderate temperatures so I try to get the largest one I can fit in front of the radiator.

I LOVE the Magnafine filter and highly recommend it! In fact I have a Ford branded one waiting to be installed on my F150 at the next fluid change. I'd consider them mandatory on the Honda's that don't have main filter in the trans. I recently did a fluid change on a friends Odyssey and installed a cooler and Magnafine. Used Honda fluid with some Solder Seal trans additive. Shift quality was somewhat improved immediately and after a few days was markedly better! He's now loving his 120,000+ mile van. I have seen a few non-serviceable transmissions (Mostly Volvo) and I'd consider a Magnafine mandatory for them too. I mean, who was asleep when they designed that?!

YMMV, but the Gunk/cooler combo is working well in my Camry too. Started using it (When I got worried about it) about 180k and it's continued to shift fine since I bought it at 120k.

Whatever you choose, Good Luck!
 
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