HM Honda ATF Fluid

[TrainingPolicy]

Good Day BITOG'ers,

I have an 05 Honda Accord with ~240k miles on it. I have had the car since it was ~140-160k miles, the first ever transmission fluid change to my knowledge was a year ago, and I changed it with Castrol Import ATF, it was just a drain and fill. I ran across some Valvoline Maxlife HM ATF fluid at the local Bi-lo for $4.99/Qt, is this a good deal? Is it worth me changing it again so soon (within a year)? Thanks for any input.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Maxlife is very popular on here, and $4.99 is a fair price for single quart

 

[The Critic]

4 or 6?

I have not been satisfied with the shift quality of universal ATF's after a full replacement. Some of them seem okay at first but after a while, they have all shifted poorly for me.

Since you have done only one drain and refill (40-42% fluid replaced) it may still shift okay for now.

 

[TrainingPolicy]

4 or 6?

I have not been satisfied with the shift quality of universal ATF's after a full replacement. Some of them seem okay at first but after a while, they have all shifted poorly for me.

Since you have done only one drain and refill (40-42% fluid replaced) it may still shift okay for now.

The 4 cylinder, and honestly the fluid was so black and burnt that anything was better than what was in there. I haven't noticed in change in driving since changing it roughly 18 months ago. i might just run that fluid until 300k since the OEM fluid got me to well over 200k miles.

 

[ctechbob]

The 4 cylinder, and honestly the fluid was so black and burnt that anything was better than what was in there. I haven't noticed in change in driving since changing it roughly 18 months ago. i might just run that fluid until 300k since the OEM fluid got me to well over 200k miles.

I would at least run another couple D&F's over the coming oil changes. Just dump the fluid on your next oil change and then again on the one after that. That's asking a lot of mileage out of the Z1 thats in there from the factory, even though you replaced 3 qts a while ago.

 

[Snowflake White]

Good Day BITOG'ers,

I have an 05 Honda Accord with ~240k miles on it. I have had the car since it was ~140-160k miles, the first ever transmission fluid change to my knowledge was a year ago, and I changed it with Castrol Import ATF, it was just a drain and fill. I ran across some Valvoline Maxlife HM ATF fluid at the local Bi-lo for $4.99/Qt, is this a good deal? Is it worth me changing it again so soon (within a year)? Thanks for any input.

Considering that's a regular big supermarket chain store here in the SE USA that's a very good deal. Most supermarkets would price that at around
6.50 to 7 bucks!

I really like Bi-Lo but they are leaving most of SC at the end of the year.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Considering that's a regular big supermarket chain store here in the SE USA that's a very good deal. Most supermarkets would price that at around
6.50 to 7 bucks!

I really like Bi-Lo but they are leaving most of SC at the end of the year.

If they're leaving in a few months, that means clearance sales

 

[nicholas]

4 or 6?

I have not been satisfied with the shift quality of universal ATF's after a full replacement. Some of them seem okay at first but after a while, they have all shifted poorly for me.

Since you have done only one drain and refill (40-42% fluid replaced) it may still shift okay for now.

I have found the exact opposite - - - I found that maxlife held up better then the OEM fluids in every application I have used it in.
interesting.

 

[The Critic]

I have found the exact opposite - - - I found that maxlife held up better then the OEM fluids in every application I have used it in.
interesting.

Maxlife may last longer but the shift quality is not equivalent to the dealer fluid, IMO.

 

[HyundaiAbuser]

Maxlife may last longer but the shift quality is not equivalent to the dealer fluid, IMO.

I can attest that in some cases it has made shifts feel more firm, however in my experience it was a positive thing. I could see how a 50/50 brew with an oem highly friction modified atf could balance the longevity and cost issues some people may have with oem fluid. Might be something someone could experiment with but I no longer have an automatic to experiment with . What would you consider poor shifting quality?

 

[Hall]

I can attest that in some cases it has made shifts feel more firm

This is by design with Honda transmissions. They intend them to be "firm", not super smooth and silky shifts. Universal fluids make shifts smoother, yes, but DW-1 keeps the shifts as Honda intended.

 

[Hall]

As rarely as you're talking about doing ATF drain-and-fills, splurge the extra $10 on Honda DW-1 fluid.

 

[ctechbob]

This is by design with Honda transmissions. They intend them to be "firm", not super smooth and silky shifts. Universal fluids make shifts smoother, yes, but DW-1 keeps the shifts as Honda intended.

The design, by the way it changes gears, can be harsh. One of the thoughts was that Z1/DW1 was 'invented' specifically to take the edge off of the shifts, since at the time (circa 2002/2003ish) Honda was working on moving their cars to be more 'upscale' and that required squishy smooth shifting transmissions. (Look no further than the difference between the 2002 and 2003 Accords. I've owned both and my 2003 was worlds more upscale than my wifes 2000). Z1 got beat up in a hurry, so DW1 came along with much the same additive package but a better base stock.

We've hashed it out before in one of the white paper threads and a few others here based on information from all over the place.

The current information I use for my maintenance comes from Merk Automotive (Very good Honda Transmission specialist in my area) who rebuilds pretty much all of the Honda transmissions. He doesn't use DW1 as his factory fill, he uses a 'multi use' fluid. His instructions are that it is much more important to have clean fluid than DW1, although he doesn't discourage it.

My personal opinion: Use what you like that says it can be used in the transmission. If it doesn't shift the way you like it? Try something else. But I highly doubt you're going to hurt it as long as there is good clean fluid in there.....and new pressure switches every now and then......and a new filter (If you can get to it).

 

[Hall]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against non-OEM fluids. There are people who insist "use Honda ATF only or your transmission WILL disintegrate" and they're, well, this is a family place so I won't say.... That said, for Hondas, I'll always suggest DW-1 as the first choice, followed by multiple, universal ATFs. In no particular order, I'd include Warren (Mag1/Supertech) FS LV, Valvoline Maxlife, Castrol FS, and so on.

I do repeat what you say, or your transmission rebuilder says - clean (suitable) fluid is better than the wrong fluid.

 

[TeamZero]

Maxlife may last longer but the shift quality is not equivalent to the dealer fluid, IMO.

What did u notice? softer or more harsh?

 

[The Critic]

What did u notice? softer or more harsh?

Firmer at first, then harsh and sloppy after some miles have accumulated.