ATF to put in a 2003 Toyota Corolla ?

[GuillaumeG]

Hi everyone, i'm new here.

First of all, i'm from france, so i'll be talking in kilometres, litres and so on.

So i'm about to buy a 03 toyota corolla, it has 55000km at the clock, a 1.6 engine and a 4 speed auto transmission. It is going to be my first automatic.
As it still has the factory fill, I pulled the stick when i first went to see the car and the fluid looks very light red-brown, so it doesn't appear burnt.
I'm willing to change the fluid to have peace of mind, at least for the next 50000km.
I found out the fluid recommended to be Toyota T-IV, and my gearbox to be a Aisin-Warner A236E.

As a true believer in synthetic oils, i was wondering what synthetic you would advise me to put in that gearbox, or if i should stick with toyota's stuff.

Thanks

 

[Warstud]

Use the Toyota Fluid

 

[slacktide_bitog]

First,

Do they have Maxlife ATF over there?

 

[simple_gifts]

55,000km on a 12 year old car?

A lot of people use Valvoline's Maxlife ATF for Toyota automatics. I have been using it in my friends 02 Tundra (which specifies Dexron III) and it holds up well. About 300000km on that vehicle.

Maxlife in Europe

 

[gregk24]

You cant go wrong with the OEM fluid.

 

[GuillaumeG]

Thanks for your answers.

Maxlife looks great, i'm going to look for it on the web, if a euro seller is to be found.

Edit : yes 55 000km on a 12 years old car, it's current owner is a 80-90 years old granny who can't drive anymore. The downside is : the car is scratched on the whole passenger side, i believe granny was not good at parking on her last trips...

 

[Bandito440]

Here are the equivalent fluids:

Mobil 3309
Toyota T-IV
Volvo JWS 3309
Mazda T-IV/3309
Saab JWS 3309
BMW/Mini JWS 3309

They're all the same. Use whatever's easiest for you to obtain.

 

[Bandito440]

Also, if you can locate Castrol ATF Multivehicle or Castrol Import Multi Vehicle, those are decent replacements for T-IV.

 

[crazyoildude]

max life at wal mart priced rite!

 

[Leo99]

Toyota T-IV available at your local Toyota dealer.

I have a Corolla with 1.8L. Didn't know they made a 1.6L for it.

 

[147_Grain]

1.8L for auto trans and 1.6L for manual trans.

 

[GuillaumeG]

Here in france, Corollas, in 03' were sold with either :

a 1.4 vvti engine (100hp)
a 1.6 vvti engine (110hp)
a 1.8 compressor engine (sport version) (something like 190hp i believe)
a 1.4 turbodiesel D4D engine (90hp)
a 2.0 turbodiesel D4D engine (115hp)

my parents used to have a 2.0 D4D one, it ran very nice for 170 000 km, time when they sold it... I often did the oil changes for them when the warranty was over, i used to put 0W30 or 5W30 full synthetic for turbo diesel.

 

[simple_gifts]

For the OPs benefit, in the US, Toyota gives buyers almost no engine options. For vehicles like the camry, it is either 4 or 6 cylinder gas. Smaller cars like the Yaris, Corolla, there are no choices. 1.5 Yaris, 1.8 Corolla (2 versions)

I was amazed when i looked at the UK toyota site, a whole bunch of drivetrain options.

 

[GuillaumeG]

Yes, but anyway, here in france, Diesel is like a national religion, and something like 80% of newer cars here are sold in diesel version, so on the used car market, you don't really have a lot of options.

It's a luck i found that corolla with a auto transmission and a 1.6 petrol engine, moreover a 3door with a beige and wood interior... really nice looking car. I'm going to do some pictures for you all when i'll finally have this car.

I found that maxlife atf, but in france it's like 17€/L minimum without shipping... After some more searching, i found a german eBayer selling it in 20L jugs, for a more reasonable price : http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Valvoline-MAXLIFE-ATF-Automatikgetriebeol-20l-Ol-/251825168415

That would be 133.46€ + 19€ shipped, so 152.46€ for 20L => 7,63€/L That's reasonable to me !
Should i go for it ?

 

[Bandito440]

Check on Toyota T-IV from a dealer and Mobil 3309 before ordering a lifetime of ATF from eBay.

 

[Bandito440]

How about this: If you ship me an Audi A4 Avant TDI one piece at a time, I'll send you all of the Maxlife ATF you could ever hope for.

 

[GuillaumeG]

Lol thanks, but doesn't look like a very trade fair, or i would have to become an ATF dealer to make up for the difference

Does that car make you dream in the US ?

 

[Bandito440]

We don't have many wagons here, fewer diesel options, and barely any vehicles come with manual transmissions anymore.

We do have a BMW 328d wagon now, but no manual transmission. The Audi A4 wagon was discontinued, and the only option is the Allroad, also without a manual. I'd take either of those, a Subaru Levorg 6MT, the diesel Forester, or Forester XT with a manual.

 

[Oro_O]

Guillame -

I would say this:

If you can get MaxLife for
3309/T-IV generally equals dino/mineral fluid. OK, but not great. Older viscoisity specs (~ 7.3cSt.).

MaxLife is full synthetic. Modern (post 2004 (Toyota) or 2006 (GM) viscosity - 6.9cST). But shears less over time so OK to use in older vehicles (more stable).

IF T-IV or 3309 is more available much cheaper, OK to use but change more often. MaxLife is excellent stuff and in the US we love it because it is very cheap ($18/US gallon). If I had to pay 3x that price for it, I'd use something else and change fluid more often. Very dependent upon price/supply.


Quote:
so 152.46€ for 20L


So that means - 5.2 US gallons for $174US. Here is the US anywhwere, I can buy 5 (US)gallons (20qts) for $91US. So 1/2 your cost. If I were you, I would look closely at comparative costs of T-IV, 3309, or Castrol products that meet what you need. (like Import Multi Vehicle, etc.). Costs are VERY market specific.

MaxLife is indeed very good stuff and I like it, but if it costs to me double what I am currently paying, I would compare other alternatives.

 

[sw99]

I have been running ML ATF in my 2001 Corolla and it shifts like new. I did the home flush method to replace all the OEM fluid around 50K. I also installed a Magnefine filter. Now i'm just under 80K. ML is under $14 for a gallon so it's a no brainer for me. ML is used exclusively in all three of my vehicles now.