I'm doing a drain and fill in Mom's VUE with the VT25e. Any experience with fluids aside from the Dex-CVT stuff? That stuff is crazy expensive and you need an additive to make it work properly, so I don't really want to use it.
CVT fluid?
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I have a 2007 Dodge Caliber, with the CVT in it. I wanted to replace the fluid at roughly 100,000 KMS, but all I could find was the OEM fluid at $38-$42 a quart, here in Canada. Last Summer I found Valvoline had come out with a Full Synthetic CVT fluid. I got it here for around $10 a quart.
It is also recommended for use in: GM/Saturn (DEX-CVT) I've now got 245,000KMS on the car (roughly 50,000KMS on the Valvoline) and I'm happy with it. Seems good in the extreme cold as well.
It is also recommended for use in: GM/Saturn (DEX-CVT) I've now got 245,000KMS on the car (roughly 50,000KMS on the Valvoline) and I'm happy with it. Seems good in the extreme cold as well.
I have used the Redline CVT fluid in my friend's 2008 Nissan Altima. It was starting to hunt between ratios on the stock Nissan fluid, which Nissan says does not need to be changed frequently (if at all).
So we did several drain and fills with Redline CVT fluid, and the CVT is back to working like a brand new transmission. Perfect ratio selection all the time, and no more hunting. His car now has upwards of 200,000 km (we did it around 70,000 km) and no issues at all. It's a very good product.
If Redline says it's good for your application, I'd use it without hesitation. Just be prepared that the cost may not be much less than the dealer stuff (some cases it's more). Good CVT fluid is expensive.
So we did several drain and fills with Redline CVT fluid, and the CVT is back to working like a brand new transmission. Perfect ratio selection all the time, and no more hunting. His car now has upwards of 200,000 km (we did it around 70,000 km) and no issues at all. It's a very good product.
If Redline says it's good for your application, I'd use it without hesitation. Just be prepared that the cost may not be much less than the dealer stuff (some cases it's more). Good CVT fluid is expensive.
Originally Posted By: il_signore97
Good CVT fluid is expensive.
Why? Low volume product?
Good CVT fluid is expensive.
Why? Low volume product?
I have no idea why the fluid is so expensive. Maybe as more suppliers choose to make their own variant of CVT fluid the prices will come down. I know that there are not very many options, so that is likely one reason.
I went with Valvoline CVT as I was able to get it locally for $7.99 vs. $13.95 for Red Line, which was actually the next cheapest one I found and would have to be ordered. (There is something called "Syngard CVT" which is $6.99/qt on Amazon. I couldn't find out anything about it, so no go on that one. Lubegard also makes one but it's even more than Red Line!)
I drained the trans, then poured in one quart at a time until I had replaced as much as I took out, which was about 6qts. I drove the VUE around the block and the trans didn't explode, so I guess it'll be ok.
CVT fluid is nothing like any ATF I've used. It is crystal clear, doesn't feel "slick" between your fingers, and it pours even more rapidly than Dex VI.
I drained the trans, then poured in one quart at a time until I had replaced as much as I took out, which was about 6qts. I drove the VUE around the block and the trans didn't explode, so I guess it'll be ok.
CVT fluid is nothing like any ATF I've used. It is crystal clear, doesn't feel "slick" between your fingers, and it pours even more rapidly than Dex VI.
I heard in the past that CVT fluid for the cone and belt type CVT requires a particle like additives that would bite into the metal to metal surface for friction to hold them in place without slipping. It is either this additive's cost or low volume that makes the final fluid expensive.
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