Honda ATF or Castrol multi-ATF or Mobil1 Sync ATF?

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lalamax

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I have an Acura 3.2 TL currently have 80000km on it. this car is known for their Transmission problems, as a result i drain and fill it every 6000-7000km with Honda's ATF when i do my oil change. (The reason for this short OCI on the Transmission is because they already smells burn although the color looks fine. If i extend the OCI to 12000km-14000km, the color will looks a bit dark and orange.)

That oil is cost the same price as a Mobil 1 Sync ATF. Just wondering are the OEM oil worth the money?

I used Honda's ATF for so long because my friend told me that i better stick with it's OEM ATF because of their well known transmission problems. I have no idea if they are right or wrong, so please educate me for the difference between those oils and point me to the right oil.

If i have to switch, how many bottles do i need to use for the complete drain and fill? (note: there are no way to do the flush on this car because of its stupid design! The only way is to drain it out and fill it back(3L each time)...
crushedcar.gif
)
Thank you for your time!
 
Do yourself (and us) a favor and use the search function on this one. Type in Z-1 or Honda and search under the ATF section and settle in for some reading.

Honda Z-1 is the correct fluid for that car, can't go wrong staying with that. Cheaper to buy at Honda dealers instead of Acura dealers.

M1 is not recommended for use in Honda/Acura. Several members on here have had good experiences using Amsoil's Universal ATF which is recommended for Hondas. Others are experimenting with other other multi-vehicle fluids such as Valvoline Maxlife.

The only recommended way to replace all the fluid in a Honda transmission is to do three drain/fills. No flushing. Consider that it is not necessary to replace all the fluid at once. Aftermarket stuff will mix with Z-1. Continue your drain/fills at each oil change with your new fluid and you'll be fine.

Never used any thing but Z-1 in my Acura. Drain and fill every 10K at each oil change. If you go with something other than Z-1 let us know how you like it. Those of us with Honda/Acuras are curious which fluids we can safely replace the OEMs with and which we can't.
 
I've read and talked to several people who switched to Mobil 1 ATF in assorted vehicles... and #@$%! near every single one told me that they can notice a difference because it "shifts smoother". That may be true... but I wouldn't neccesarily consider that a good thing. To me, it means that Mobil I has different friction properties than certain OEM fluids... and that's why I decided not to use it.
 
I've been using Amsoil ATF for a while now on my '00 3.2TL and it seems to be running fine with it. As far as the discoloration goes, it should hold up better in your car than the stock Honda fluid; I've noticed that the magnetic drain plug doesn't have as much wear material on it as it used to.
 
Since you are on frequent(very smart) maintenance intervals, both the Castrol and Pennzoil multivehicle ATFs can be used.

Mobil-1 ATF can be used if you want to dose lubegard(preferably platinum).

Amsoil might be a little too costly for quarterly drain/refills.

Since you are caring for your transmission, consider a full flow ATF filter kit.

Any new correctly spec'd ATF, in various transmissions, when compared to spent old ATF, will cause smoother shifts. New ATF is always a good thing. And, the effect is not exclusive to M1.

When changing brands of ATF, it is always smart to leave battery disconnected overnight. If the vehicle has any adaptive, driver specific, learned or fuzzy logic, relearning with your new fluid is a must.
 
Personally I stick with the factory fluid. Honda uses a completely different automatic transmission design than anyone else, being built more like a manual transmission. I tried Maxlife ATF once and didn't notice any difference in shift quality, but the next time around I went back to the factory stuff. My solution is to use the factory fluid and to change it often.
 
looks like Z-1 is the big winner... i might just stick with Z-1 then... keep my OCI.... thanx guys....
 
Big winner? I see recommendations for many brands. I have Maxlife/LG Black and in our Odysssey and the shift quality is no different than Z1.
 
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Big winner? I see recommendations for many brands. I have Maxlife/LG Black and in our Odysssey and the shift quality is no different than Z1.

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I have been using Maxlife and Lubeguard Black for the last 20,000 miles and I can't tell a difference between it and Z-1.
 
About 14K-15K miles on Maxlife/LG Black on mine. Ready to do one drain/fill to keep it fresh.
 
Transmission shops love the ENEOS product line, because they can stock 2 products(ENEOS ATF and ENEOS CVT) and service all of the most exotic cars all of the japanese cars, and most of the domestics with the exception of a few fleet trucks and vans that require the SP fluid
 
"oem fluid is the way to go Its made by nippon"

Hmmm, the bottles of Honda ATF-Z1 I have say they are made by Idemitsu. Interestingly enough, both Nippon and Idemitsu claim to be Japan's #1.
 
Nippon Oil Corperation sells alot of Base stocks and additives to mitsu.. And Nippon Oil Corperation purchased Mitsu in 1931
In 1999 they were called Nippon Mitsu Oil Corperation
In 2002 it was changed to Nippon oil corperation
And today still some specialty products of the company still are marketed under Nippon Mitsu or Idemitsu
 
It just depends on where the bottle came from.. All bulk oem rail tankers,drums and most quarts for honda,Acura,Nissan,Infinty,Huyndai,cosworth,kawasaki
Will come from Torrance,CA or alabama
If the bottles say mitsu and are from japan they are either old or imported directly like some dealers do
 
Any advice to use universal ATF's is to be avoided. That's anectdotal evidence. If the owners manual says use Honda AFT Z-1, then use it. I drain and fill almost every oil change too. Overkill, more than likely, but you can't prove that. No one can tell me that a universal ATF can outperform the Z-1, because no one has proof. The ATF Z-1 is designed for the Honda trans. Changing it frequently will greatly increase the trans life.
At the rate you are changing it, you will only use about 12 quarts per year. probably costing $60 or so. Cheap insurance
 
Quote:

Any advice to use universal ATF's is to be avoided.

Click to expand...

From all those hundreds and thousands of failure reports that are not out there right.
Quote:

No one can tell me that a universal ATF can outperform the Z-1, because no one has proof.

Click to expand...

Do you have proof that the Z-1 performs better than other fluids?
 
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