Best ATF For Honda Civic

[AKhan87]

Originally Posted By: lubedude13
I never said they were or weren't worth the high price. But blanket statements like that aren't necessarily correct. In a Honda doing a drain and refill every 30k any fluid that meets the spec should be fine, but like in Amsoil Signature Series trans fluid which is designed for hard use and up to 100k service life I think that they may be worth the higher price


Agreed, civics are not picky on fluids have owned 4 in the family with 150k+.
1. My 00 civic developed a slipping gear after it got it's first fluid (flush) change at 310k. Honda clearly recommends against tranny flushes , I didn't know then.
2. 06 (brothers) civic got it's first fluid D&R(only 2) at 150k, another one 15K later, the car shifts as smooth as new...
3. 05 (cuzin's) civic got it's first fluid (flush) at 130k, shifts as smooth as new.
4. My 96 civic which was the only one that was bought used had 165k with brown fluid, after honda recommend 3x D&R with Castrol Import ATF, it made a whinning noise going uphill disappear and now that car with 10k more miles shifts smooth as new.

I think that actually counts for some serious real world civic AT experience.
I think Civics are NOT picky, use any compatible ATF.
I personally would use Maxlife ATF as I know it's cheaper and I think it is better on paper then DW-1 and then every 30k do the Honda recommend 3x D&R which is still overkill.

 

[ARB1977]

I do 30K intervals with DW1. The fluid looks pretty good even at that interval.

 

[wgtoys]

DW-1 is available for $89/case ($7.41/quart) including shipping on eBay at the moment. That is close enough to the cost of typical aftermarket "compatible" fluids that I would stick with the Honda/Acura original fluid.

That said, I've use Castrol Import in our Hondas with no noticeable problems. I wasn't a big fan of the old Z-1 Honda fluid as it did not seem to hold up terribly well.

 

[ChrisJH]

Originally Posted By: wgtoys
DW-1 is available for $89/case ($7.41/quart) including shipping on eBay at the moment. That is close enough to the cost of typical aftermarket "compatible" fluids that I would stick with the Honda/Acura original fluid.

That said, I've use Castrol Import in our Hondas with no noticeable problems. I wasn't a big fan of the old Z-1 Honda fluid as it did not seem to hold up terribly well.


Advance Auto is running a 2 for 8.00 on quarts of Castrol Transmax Import fluid. Thats CHEAP, but Im still unable to find if its DW-1 compatible or not. One MSDS I found says it is, and another doesnt state it.

Im currently changing our 2003 TL over to MaxLife ATF. The transmission is a replacement, but was put in before the changeover to DW-1, so its had Z-1 all its life. MaxLife ATF is Z-1 compatible, so I feel comfortable using it. If I had DW-1 in it, I would buy more DW-1 from Honda (against my better judgement, because if they cant make a transmission hold up, whats to say their fluid is any better?)

 

[antiqueshell]

Actually the Castrol Transmax Import Multi Vehicle ATF has the
DW-1 AND Z-1 approvals right on the bottle itself. That is the best proof. Certainly means that the company stands behind that claim. I'd use the Castrol IMV over the Maxlife.

 

[ChrisJH]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Actually the Castrol Transmax Import Multi Vehicle ATF has the
DW-1 AND Z-1 approvals right on the bottle itself. That is the best proof. Certainly means that the company stands behind that claim. I'd use the Castrol IMV over the Maxlife.


Yeah, I havent seen it in store (yet) but the docs on the net show 2 different back labels.

I just put in 3 qts of MaxLife, as the 3rd drain and refill (the first 2 I used Z-1 that I had leftover). I might just pickup 10 qts of the Transmax stuff, for 40 bux its just about what I paid for the Maxlife since it was on clearance at AutoZone.

I plan on doing a drain/refill every other oil change, so it will take a bit to get it ALL TransMax (or even MaxLife), but at least I know it will be clean along the way.

 

[sw99]

Tons of folks running Maxlife with stellar results.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: sw99
Tons of folks running Maxlife with stellar results.

Now have ~40k miles using ML on a 203k mi. 01 Civic EX AT, with solid results. Only used Z-1 before that and never did a 3x ATF service, only single d&f. Check that year model for AT on car complaints.com.

I did see that AAP has Castrol IMV on sale for $4 qt (good price), and an AAP store very close. But then looking closer at Castrol IMV noticed it wasn't a full synthetic like ML. It has made me think twice about trying it even though ML is bit harder to find at area WM, lowest price. With ML working well, thinking that sticking with ML is my best bet.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I say try them all (over time, obviously) and see what you like the best. They'll all "work" fine, and I'm sure transmission durability will be the same with all of them. One "neat" thing about these transmissions, at least in the case of our two, is it seems that you can really "tune" how the transmission feels with different fluids.

I've tried the three "majors", MaxLife, Transmax IMV, and DW-1. Of the two aftermarket fluids, I liked the Transmax IMV the most, but I've gone back to OEM DW-1 on both transmissions. I do a drain-and-fill every 15k miles on both of them.

 

[Redpatches]

Use on the Honda ATF DW-1. Check out Eric the Car Guy's video on how to change Honda ATF fluid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7_RsnD8hAU

 

[David1]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Actually the Castrol Transmax Import Multi Vehicle ATF has the
DW-1 AND Z-1 approvals right on the bottle itself. That is the best proof. Certainly means that the company stands behind that claim. I'd use the Castrol IMV over the Maxlife.



Yea I noticed that also that is said ATF Z1 & DW-1 , however the Castrol High Milage ATF only said ATF Z1,

Also MaxLife only said ATF-Z1

With as many miles as my orginal Tranny on my 02 Accord I might go with the 8 deal, I mean 12$ for 3 QTs cant be bet.

However each time I go to get a diff ATF I always change my mind a drive 1 mile down the road and get the real HONDA ATF DW-1

However with $ being so tight and I just had to put a new calipar on my Driver side front brake $ is tight and I like to change 3 QTs each year in my Honda....

190,000 miles and still going strong and shifting good.

Also its the V6 3.0

 

[ChrisJH]

Im right there with you....used up the 6 quarts of Z1 I had left, and then 3 quarts of MaxLife to finish the 3x3 in our Acura.

Now debating using MaxLife forever, buyin a bunch of the Castrol or just sucking it up and buying DW1.

Read around about the Castrol....Ive read it shears down to something really low, like worse than Z1 shears down to. MaxLife starts "thinner" but doesnt shear down over time so the shifts are more like WYSIWYG from day 1. The Castrol thats on sale is not "fully synthetic", which is why it shears, apparently.

 

[antiqueshell]

My main concern about using a synthetic fluid is that most Honda models were never engineered with a synthetic fluid in mind, and that brings a concern of issues with seals, especially those that are on older cars. I certainly don't want to risk leaking seals on an older car even if the product is slightly higher performance.

I haven't read anything about Castrol Transmax IMV shearing down worse than Z-1, if anything it is less prone to shear.

Also Honda DW-1 is NOT synthetic in the USA. Although it may be in other markets.

 

[ChrisJH]

Ill have to dig up the thread, I was Googling about Transmax MIV and a thread here showed up with someone saying they posted a UOA of it and it sheared after 20K miles (granted, anyone with a glass Honda transmission probably doesnt leave 100% of the same fluid in for 20K anymore)

By the same token, is a Z-1 transmission really ready to use DW-1? I know Honda says its backwards compatible, but Honda also said they fixed their transmissions back in 2001.

Our replacement tranny has 38K miles on it, so its not old....but it was spec-ed with Z1 (service order from the dealer said they used 10 qts of Z1).

The Castrol stuff is thicker than Z1 at both 40C and 100C. Maybe for a higher mileage unit that might be better?

The MaxLife is about the same as Z1 at 40C, and a little *thinner* at 100C. At 100C is also even thinner than DW-1.

While the popular Honda/Acura forum answer is "Honda/Acura ONLY" I just dont feel comfortable with "Honda promises its backwards compatible". So I just need to make a decision between MaxLife and Castrol.

 

[antiqueshell]

Actually the "official" word from American Honda Motor Co. is that
DW-1 ATF is COMPLETELY backwards compatible with units using
the old Z-1 and even older "Premium" ATF Honda products.

I wouldn't want anything thinner in my older Honda unit than what was originally specced by Honda. Seems to make more sense to have a slightly thicker fluid in significantly older Honda units due to wear and age.

There have been a few members here that have commented that they disliked the Valvoline MaxLife in their Honda. I recall that some said the shifts seemed very harsh, and a bit clunky compared to OEM Honda and Castrol Transmax IMV fluids.

 

[AKhan87]

Originally Posted By: ChrisJH
Ill have to dig up the thread, I was Googling about Transmax MIV and a thread here showed up with someone saying they posted a UOA of it and it sheared after 20K miles (granted, anyone with a glass Honda transmission probably doesnt leave 100% of the same fluid in for 20K anymore)

By the same token, is a Z-1 transmission really ready to use DW-1? I know Honda says its backwards compatible, but Honda also said they fixed their transmissions back in 2001.

Our replacement tranny has 38K miles on it, so its not old....but it was spec-ed with Z1 (service order from the dealer said they used 10 qts of Z1).

The Castrol stuff is thicker than Z1 at both 40C and 100C. Maybe for a higher mileage unit that might be better?

The MaxLife is about the same as Z1 at 40C, and a little *thinner* at 100C. At 100C is also even thinner than DW-1.

While the popular Honda/Acura forum answer is "Honda/Acura ONLY" I just dont feel comfortable with "Honda promises its backwards compatible". So I just need to make a decision between MaxLife and Castrol.


It's fluid man.
Honda doesn't make their 'own' fluid...
Any compatible fluids will do.
Synthetic ATFs: Maxlife, Amsoil, Mobil 1...
Semi Synthetic ATFs: Castrol MultiVehicle-Import
All are better on paper and from my own personal experience better and even cheaper then Honda fluid.

Now for your own peace of mind buy Honda ATF if you want.

 

[David1]

Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
Originally Posted By: ChrisJH
Ill have to dig up the thread, I was Googling about Transmax MIV and a thread here showed up with someone saying they posted a UOA of it and it sheared after 20K miles (granted, anyone with a glass Honda transmission probably doesnt leave 100% of the same fluid in for 20K anymore)

By the same token, is a Z-1 transmission really ready to use DW-1? I know Honda says its backwards compatible, but Honda also said they fixed their transmissions back in 2001.

Our replacement tranny has 38K miles on it, so its not old....but it was spec-ed with Z1 (service order from the dealer said they used 10 qts of Z1).

The Castrol stuff is thicker than Z1 at both 40C and 100C. Maybe for a higher mileage unit that might be better?

The MaxLife is about the same as Z1 at 40C, and a little *thinner* at 100C. At 100C is also even thinner than DW-1.

While the popular Honda/Acura forum answer is "Honda/Acura ONLY" I just dont feel comfortable with "Honda promises its backwards compatible". So I just need to make a decision between MaxLife and Castrol.


It's fluid man.
Honda doesn't make their 'own' fluid...
Any compatible fluids will do.
Synthetic ATFs: Maxlife, Amsoil, Mobil 1...
Semi Synthetic ATFs: Castrol MultiVehicle-Import
All are better on paper and from my own personal experience better and even cheaper then Honda fluid.

Now for your own peace of mind buy Honda ATF if you want.



Remebmer the Max Life is FULL Synthetic.

I dont see how they can say its the same as Z1 when Z1 was by no means synthetic and DW-1 is not syntheic in the USA.

I dunno, I just stick to DW-1

However I see your point 100% and since this is the first time I have seen Castrol ATF Multi Import actually say AF Z1 & DW-1 is very encouraging.

3QT for 12$ or drive to Honda Dealer and pay 30$ and sure you get a nice HONDA bag...

I might, Might do my next drain and fill with Castrol Multi Import since I can buy it now on sale.

However there is only 12000 miles since the last time I did 3 full drain and fills.

Now I only do a drain and fill only every other Oil Change.. so If I can do it for 12$ then why not.

HOWEVER what I do not like is even at WALLYMART there Spertech Multi ATF now says DW-1 and I wouldnt put that in my Honda AT if it was 1$ a QT.

So you said ATF is is ATF,,, what do you think about SperTech Multi ATF that clearly says on bottle ATF Z1 & DW-1 just like the Castol Bottle.

 

[Sayjac]

Quote:
...Also MaxLife only said ATF-Z1...

Ashland/Valvoline has recetnly added DW1 to the recommeded/suitable for list. Not that that is relevant for any Honda spec'd for Z-1. As pointed out, I have 40k with ML on an 01 Civic and though less miles, also using in an 07 3.0L, both shifting fine. So in my sigificant experience with ML I find the 'I wouldn't use synthetic ATF in a Honda' without merit.

That said, using Castrol IMV is also another option that I wouldn't be afraid to try, good price currently at AAP. I will say though, the quart Castrol IMV black container is completely useless for measuring applications requiring less than a full quart. There is no way to view amount of fluid left in the quart, must use another container to measure any fraction of a quart. Whoever designed their containers needs to go back to the drawing board.

 

[drolds]

The Z-1 ATF is the standard viscosity dexron type fluid for all Hondas made prior to 2009.
For Hondas made 2009 and later, you should use DW-1 low- viscosity ATF. Be sure that the fluid you buy has the Z-1 additive package w/ proper anti-shudder additives for your 2002 Civic.

1994 Dodge Interpid ES 3.5 Amsoil Signature Series
and Amsoil ATF

 

[ChrisJH]

Originally Posted By: drolds
The Z-1 ATF is the standard viscosity dexron type fluid for all Hondas made prior to 2009.
For Hondas made 2009 and later, you should use DW-1 low- viscosity ATF. Be sure that the fluid you buy has the Z-1 additive package w/ proper anti-shudder additives for your 2002 Civic.

1994 Dodge Interpid ES 3.5 Amsoil Signature Series
and Amsoil ATF



But thats the thing.....Honda never says what was in Z1 so who knows if Z1-rated comes with the proper additives and anti-shudder stuff.

Honda specs DW-1 for even the 02 Civic at this point.

Which begs the same question - how can something made for 2009+ vehicles have the same additives expected of a 2002 vehicle? The transmission in the 2002 vehicle didnt change, but the transmission in the 2009+ vehicle could be very different from the one in the 2002 vehicle.