Cheap ATF

[black thunder]

now that i'm on the topic in my other post of changing the ATF in my mom's car i was wondering have any of you used a cheaper brand of ATF and had any problems?

brands like Supertech, Advanced Auto brand or any other parts stores brands like napa and carquest or even Resolute for that matter
Resolute is the cheapest that i've found at Fleet Farm and is packaged by Citgo which leads me to believe that it is the same or close to the same as the Citgo Fluid.
I've used both Citgo and Resolute and Supertech and haven't had any problems.

so far in my T-bird the only problems i've had since i've bought it was an occasional shudder at low rpms when it shifts into 3rd, has done this with the old fluid and new fluid. I've heard that switching to Mercon V would help with the shudder as well as switching to maybe Amsoil.

 

[Dad2leia]

On this topic, I would recommend Specialty Formulation's AutoGlide ATF in the appropriate blend/formula for your mom's vehicle.

I use this personally in my '04 CR-V and the transmission shifts and sounds better than with the Honda OEM fluid.

www.specialtyformulations.com

 

[MaximaGuy]

Why in the world would you go for a cheaper brand when the good ones cost between $2 - $3 and last 2-3 years.

Drain and fill costs less than a good lunch and a complete flush would cost as much as a good dinner. That is the least one could do for their vehicles.

 

[black thunder]

Why spend more for a so-called good brand when i can get just as good of a product for a much lower price, same with the oil filter and oil side of the boards, the more it costs doesn't always mean its better.

 

[Dick in Falls Church]

Well, odds are that the 87 cent a qt stuff isn't really as good as the more expensive stuff.
And compared to the cost of a transmission, the fluid cost is peanuts.
Most times you will get what you pay for.

 

[Ray H]

If the fluid is licensed to OEM spec, Mercon V in this case, price and brand name are irrelevant. You will always pay for what you get. Occasionally you'll actually get what you pay for.

 

[Dick in Falls Church]

Well, some of the API oils don't meet the specs.
And I'd be willing to bet that they are a bit cheaper than some of the others.

 

[Fastride95]

I think the point that MaximaGuy makes is a good one. True, you MAY get a quality with the remote chance of a superior product with a lower cost product but by staying with a slightly more expensive quality brand at least you KNOW that you have a decent lubricant inside that expensive hardware. It's all about improving the odds in your favor without necessarily going overboard.

As he said, all for the price of a good lunch if you do it yourself or going out to dinner if you use full synthetics.

Unless you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that a fluid that cost 3 - 5 bucks less overall then a comparable brand name conventional will protect just as well, you're still taking a gamble.

Just the way I see it.

This may not apply to you but I see people try to skimp on critical things all the time to save 5 or 10 bucks then immediately blow 6 bucks at Burger King without a second thought. It baffles me.

 

[LarryL]

A friend has two Dodge minivans. One got what ever the dealer put in, and the other, after 15k got an expensive synthetic that the neighbor put in with a complete flush. The one with the standard stuff had problems and was at the shop with warranty repair, three times. The one with the good stuff has never had a wiff of a problem and went to almost 100k miles with no other flushing, just minor services, when it was traded in. Maybe it was just dumb luck, but I'm switching to synthetic. I keep my cars a lot longer than 100k miles and transmission is expensive and something you usually don't do in your driveway.

 

[Alan]

I've used SuperTech ATF in my transmissions and in my PS systems with no problems.It seems to shift pretty crisply with this stuff.

Currently i'm running a 50/50 mix of SuperTech and Mobil 1 ATF oils in auto.

 

[Islandvic]

If your T-Bird has 4r70w trans, use only Mercon V.

Even cheap Mercon V will be good b/c it has to meet Ford's spec to be called MV, and it is a SynBlend.

I have had good luck with QS and Castrol MV.

MV was made by Ford to eliminate shudder and is backwards compatible with all 4r70w's