Changed ATF -> MaxLife ATF in 6F50

[redhat]

Yesterday I did a drain and fill on the 6F50 in my 2017 Taurus Limited AWD.

Drained out about 5qts of Mercon LV. Bright red and clean. No material on the magnet. In went 5qts of Valvoline MaxLife ATF. Car shifts as good as before. Some folks on Taurus forums do not like the MaxLife in their 6F50s and claim that the only fluid for them is Motorcraft Mercon LV. Although I've driven only about 50 miles, I cannot find any negatives of the MaxLife in this application. Also, at $17 per 4qt jug -- the price is tough to beat.

I am thinking I will keep on a 25-30k interval for the trans. Next up, PTU.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Love MaxLife ATF, its low cal. My 6F35 likes it too.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by redhat
Some folks on Taurus forums do not like the MaxLife in their 6F50s and claim that the only fluid for them is Motorcraft Mercon LV.

Those same folks preach gloom and doom that your transmission WILL FAIL in a matter of time and it will be 100% the fault of the non-Motorcraft fluid too ?

 

[redhat]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by redhat
Some folks on Taurus forums do not like the MaxLife in their 6F50s and claim that the only fluid for them is Motorcraft Mercon LV.

Those same folks preach gloom and doom that your transmission WILL FAIL in a matter of time and it will be 100% the fault of the non-Motorcraft fluid too ?


This is very accurate.

 

[RyanY]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by redhat
Some folks on Taurus forums do not like the MaxLife in their 6F50s and claim that the only fluid for them is Motorcraft Mercon LV.

Those same folks preach gloom and doom that your transmission WILL FAIL in a matter of time and it will be 100% the fault of the non-Motorcraft fluid too ?

LOL that sounds like the Honda crowd claiming that one must use Honda fluids in the trans, brakes, PS, radiator, etc!

Edit: as long as the fluids come from a reputable manufacturer and are listed as compatible with Honda, it will work just fine...in many cases better than Honda fluids.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by RyanY
LOL that sounds like the Honda crowd claiming that one must use Honda fluids in the trans, brakes, PS, radiator, etc!

Same with the Nissan / Infiniti crowd, as I've found out since buying a G35.

Regarding Honda power steering fluid, it does seem that you actually do need to use fluid designed for Hondas. I've looked at remanufactured PS pumps and even they 'require' Honda PS fluid. I would think they'd change the seals to something that's compatible with normal fluid.

 

[maxdustington]

C'mon guys, even we have threads on this board where people want to switch to Redline/Amsoil at 200k+ miles. Some equate cost = quality and that the magic of OEM parts extends to consumables, fluids and other obviously reboxed parts.

Also TGMO = protection that is "legend"

 

[tig1]

Last week I changed over to Max Life LV in my 2017 Fusion with the 6F35 trans and see no difference in shifting, up or down, VS the MC LV atf.

 

[Lubener]

Hopefullly you won't have a transmission issue because your warranty could be in jeopardy.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by Lubener
Hopefullly you won't have a transmission issue because your warranty could be in jeopardy.



I could become the Greeco-Roman national champ at 38.

None of the above are going to happen.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by Lubener
Hopefullly you won't have a transmission issue because your warranty could be in jeopardy.

This is an example of repeating false information that will get repeated and repeated and then some people will believe it is fact.

Automakers don't extract a sample of fluid, be it ATF, engine oil, etc, and analyze to determine if it's the factory-spec'd fluid anyway. Do you know why ? Because it has no value to the automaker in denying a claim.

I compare this to signs on the back of dump trucks that say "Stay back 500'. Not responsible for damage from items thrown from truck." Uhhhh, yes, you are and your silly little sign doesn't exempt you. But guess what, many people will believe it and not fight it.

 

[SirTanon]

While my 6F35 trans spent a lot of its life on Mercon LV, the last 75,000 miles or so of it (at least) were on Valvoline MaxLife trans fluid.. and it's still made it to 263,000 miles without an issue.

If my 6F35 trans can make it this far with Valvoline in it, your 6F50 can handle it just fine.

 

[dustyroads]

Originally Posted by redhat
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by redhat
Some folks on Taurus forums do not like the MaxLife in their 6F50s and claim that the only fluid for them is Motorcraft Mercon LV.

Those same folks preach gloom and doom that your transmission WILL FAIL in a matter of time and it will be 100% the fault of the non-Motorcraft fluid too ?


This is very accurate.



Yup, I noticed the same commentary on the Taurus forums when I had mine, and have seen the same thing on the F150 forums.

I had a 2011 Taurus that had been a rental. I didn't get around to doing drain and fills until somewhere around 35k miles, so the Mercon LV came out the color of grape juice, which is seemingly normal for that fluid.

The transmission worked flawlessly on Mercon LV, but I did a couple drain and fills (4 quarts at a time) with Maxlife ATF and nothing changed. I sold the car at 100k miles with a perfectly functioning trans. The Maxlife never did turn dark like the Mercon LV had.

 

[Hall]

Mercon LV turns dark very quickly and is normal and not indicative of any problem. Someone posted a document from Ford, sent to dealer service shops, advising this because so many people are used to the color of the fluid being some indication of the age/condition of it. In this case, it's not an accurate way to judge.

 

[Fifty150]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by RyanY
LOL that sounds like the Honda crowd claiming that one must use Honda fluids in the trans, brakes, PS, radiator, etc!

Same with the Nissan / Infiniti crowd, as I've found out since buying a G35.




Honda Fan-Boys believe that everything Honda is perfect. I also know a Japanese chef who really believes that Japanese spaghetti is better than Italian. Without getting into all of the real life problems that Honda cars do have.....and I know because i have owned them, family members have owned them, and friends have owned them......My buddy's eyes got as big as a saucer when he saw me pouring Lucas Oil into the engine, and installing a Ford MotorCraft filter on my Accord. My brother in law couldn't believe that I poured Lucas ATF into my Accord. I'm a little more open minded. Every oil on sale, in the correct weight, has gone into my cars. Transmission fluid will work, as long as it meets or exceeds specs. I've wrecked cars. I've lost cars that were stolen and never recovered. I've had cars with so much body rust that rain was pouring into the car and it was rusting throughout. I've sold cars just because they no longer appealed to me. But i've never lost a car because the wrong oil or transmission fluid rendered the inoperable.

Honda owners can continue to believe that OEM Honda is the only fluid which will work in their cars. It doesn't hurt anyone else. From my own experience, other fluids ded not cause catastrophic events.

 

[Fifty150]

Originally Posted by tig1
Last week I changed over to Max Life LV in my 2017 Fusion with the 6F35 trans and see no difference in shifting, up or down, VS the MC LV atf.


In theory, any fluid which states that it meets or exceeds Mercon LV specs, will work just fine. That's what you need to look for on the label. Some manufacturers, will actually detail on their spec sheet that you should NOT use their product for Mercon LV. But not everybody is as honest.

 

[Fifty150]

The only problem is that I have cars which use Mercon V, and Mercon LV.......and I'm in California. Read the fine print. MaxLife meets Mercon V, but not in California.....

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by Lubener
Hopefullly you won't have a transmission issue because your warranty could be in jeopardy.

This is an example of repeating false information that will get repeated and repeated and then some people will believe it is fact.

Automakers don't extract a sample of fluid, be it ATF, engine oil, etc, and analyze to determine if it's the factory-spec'd fluid anyway. Do you know why ? Because it has no value to the automaker in denying a claim.

I compare this to signs on the back of dump trucks that say "Stay back 500'. Not responsible for damage from items thrown from truck." Uhhhh, yes, you are and your silly little sign doesn't exempt you. But guess what, many people will believe it and not fight it.

I wouldn't take your word on this and I doubt you have any facts to back that up. Anyway, you have nothing to lose. Would you think if the max life was better than the originally spec'd fluid, the automakers would spec it? Think about it.

 

[RyanY]

Originally Posted by Lubener
Would you think if the max life was better than the originally spec'd fluid, the automakers would spec it? Think about it.


That is a great question! It is really hard to say whether maxlife is better than OEM fluids for their intended purpose(s). OEM fluid meets the needs of the auto maker and will last the "lifetime" of the trans...at least, if you never change the fluid it will usually last 100k+ when the car is sold or the warranty expires. Maxlife works great as a replacement fluid for many cars, and sometimes improves shifting characteristics. It is also very durable and can stand up to towing in hot weather better than OEM in some cases (e.g., my 2012 Odyssey). However, we really don't have info on how well maxlife performs (or compares to OEM in durability, etc) in a brand new trans. It is therefore hard to say whether maxlife is the panacea for transmission woes, or just seems to be one of he best choices for replacement when the OEM fluid shows its age.

Now, if anyone wants to buy a new car and change out oem for maxlife as soon as they bring it home, we may have some data to work with...

 

[Kjmack]

There is only 1 reason why people love maxlife . COST. .If the good German ATF had a cheap price e everyone would say it was the best .Myself i put the factory spec. ATF in and call it a day . No guessing or praying because you know its correct .