Got some Valvoline ATF+4 today

[G-MAN]

Last time I checked at my local Advance Auto all they had was Valvoline ATF+3. I stopped by there today and they had a shelf full of ATF+4 and no ATF+3. So I picked up six quarts @ $4.68 per qt.

I've got a four-year-old bottle of Mopar ATF+4 and all you have to do is smell the Valvoline ATF+4 to know they are the exact same formula. ATF+4 has got to be the most foul smelling ATF ever devised. If whale oil was the "secret ingredient" in ATFs from bygone days, SKUNK OIL must be the secret in ATF+4.

 

[The Critic]

How many miles has the current Aamco ATF+3 been in use?

Are you going to change the fluid and filter again with the Valvoline ATF+4?

For nearly $5/qt, I would've spent the extra $1 or so per quart for the Mobil 1 ATF, even though it isn't approved by Chrysler, as I trust that ExxonMobil has done significant testing to assure its compatibility.

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by The Critic:
How many miles has the current Aamco ATF+3 been in use?

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It's got about a 6000 miles on it. Still shifting like new.

I didn't change the filter when I put the ATF+3 in. I used a sump pump through the dipstick tube and pumped the pan dry and then added the ATF+3. I'm going to do the same thing with the ATF+4 tomorrow. This fall I'm going to have my mechanic do a fluid and filter change with more ATF+4.

 

[G-MAN]

I put the ATF+4 in this afternoon and it hit me what this stuff smells like: BABY POOP! I'm not kidding. Think of the most foul, awful, poop-filled diaper you ever changed (for those of you with kids who didn't stick your wife with this job) and that's what "genuine" ATF+4 smells like.

Lubrizol created a unique additive package for this fluid and the odor has got to be an inside joke to their chemists.

I know the smell of a finished motor oil or ATF has nothing to do with it being a "synthetic" or a "conventional," but one whiff of this stuff and you'd swear they just used straight crude from the well-head as the basestock.

 

[keith]

I didn't notice the smell of Valvoline ATF+4. At any sensible distance and in the outdoors, you won't smell it at all. Couple of weeks ago I flushed 12 quarts through the minivan transmission and didn't notice the smell.

Mobil 1 ATF costs more than Valvoline ATF+4 and is not a Chrysler approved product. Mobil might be better than some other AT fluids in some way, but likely not in this ATF+4 application. What motivation is there to spend more and take on the additional risk of an unapproved fluid? I'm open to being convinced but where is the data?

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by keith:
I didn't notice the smell of Valvoline ATF+4. At any sensible distance and in the outdoors, you won't smell it at all. Couple of weeks ago I flushed 12 quarts through the minivan transmission and didn't notice the smell.

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You have to put some in a paper bag and huff it to get the full effect.

quote:

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Mobil 1 ATF costs more than Valvoline ATF+4 and is not a Chrysler approved product. Mobil might be better than some other AT fluids in some way, but likely not in this ATF+4 application. What motivation is there to spend more and take on the additional risk of an unapproved fluid?

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I agree. I'm sure XOM has done extensive internal testing and is satisfied that Mobil 1 is perfectly suitable for Chrysler transmissions that require ATF+4. But now that "real" ATF+4 is finally available (Valvoline seems to be the first to get theirs to market, but others will follow), I can see no reason to choose Mobil 1 ATF over ATF+4.