How can a fuild be speced for Toyota T-IV and WS

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Bullet

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So yesterday I'm looking on the back of a bottle of MaxLife DEX/MERC ATF and its speced for IV and WS. The website says, "Recommended for use where DEXRON, DEXRON II, III and VI, Toyota T-IV and WS, MERCON®, MERCON® SP and LV, Allison TES 295 and 389, Nissan Matic-D, Matic-J and Matic-K, Honda Z-1 (except CVT), Mercedes NAG-1, Mitsubishi Diamond SP-II and SP-III and many others are required."

http://www.valvoline.com/products/consum...ission-fluid/37

My Tacoma uses WS fluid. The Maxlife is on sale at Oriley's for $2.49 a quart iirc. In a few months I was planning a fluid change with Redline, but if I can use the Malife I might as well then . I'd like some opinions as I'm not vary knowledgeable on these types of fluids and is as confusing as buying a coolant.
 
Good Question!


Fluid makers seem to say their Juice works in everything. Tranny Manufacturers seem to say only their best will do.

The only interest fluid makers have is moving fluid off shelves and money from your wallet. the fluid MAY WELL WORK just fine with no perceptible performance or longevity issues.

Personally I just use what is recommended, change it often and sleep well at night.

Either we are being swindled by the fluid makers or by the tranny makers.
 
maxlife just recently changed their viscosity to around 6.0. that is why it picked up the ws,sp,vI,and lv.

i have used maxlife in hyundai spIII application before and it works great! it is a fully synthetic that is highly friction modified. in my opinion that makes it better than t-iv. mike
 
I have an 05 Tacoma, I did a cooler line flush using the Max Life Dex/Merc at 40k mi. The truck now has 52k and I am very pleased with the Max Life. The trans shifts smoother, and overall seems quieter. I also installed a spin on remote filter at the same time, with a magnet on it.
 
Originally Posted By: Bullet
So yesterday I'm looking on the back of a bottle of MaxLife DEX/MERC ATF and its speced for IV and WS. The website says, "Recommended for use where DEXRON, DEXRON II, III and VI, Toyota T-IV and WS, MERCON®, MERCON® SP and LV, Allison TES 295 and 389, Nissan Matic-D, Matic-J and Matic-K, Honda Z-1 (except CVT), Mercedes NAG-1, Mitsubishi Diamond SP-II and SP-III and many others are required."

There is a difference between "recommended" and "meets or exceeds." The near-universal fluids use additive packages from the chemical companies that come very close to meeting the specs, but cannot exactly meet the spec. They have not been submitted for testing and licensing, because (a) it costs a lot, and (b) they won't quite pass. They work very well as many thousands of satisfied customers can attest.

I trust the major fluid makers and will use these near-universal fluids. There are only a few additive suppliers, and they sell to all the blenders...Amsoil, Valvoline, etc., etc.
 
One must read carefully and understand the difference between "Suitable for" and "Approved" The one size fits all may work ok but, probably is not the best fit for the application. I only change AT fluids every 30-50,000 miles so I use Toyota T-IV from the dealer at ~ $5.xx per quart. The cost over the life of the vehicle is negligible so I prefer to us the "approved" fluid recommended by the vehicle manufacture.
 
I'm not the smartest person on earth, but I do understand the game of marketing semantics when I see/read it.

Whatever I've laid my mitts upon, be it lubricants, replacement parts, etc is either manufactured to a standard set by the OEM, or it's not. If so, then there exists a process and agreement for licensing, where some may gain notariety, while others are notorious.

Wording like "approved" is very subjective. "Approved" by whom? By the OEM, or by some other entity? Valvoline's high-end Dex/Merc fluid cannot be both fully compliant with those two Toyota standards at the same time and be "licensed" for both. But it's fine with Valovoline if you use them for either application; and they would back you with their warraty coverage for those uses. But that does not mean the fluid is correctly spec'd. Same goes for the Amsoil ATF, which was originally touted for both DEX/Merc applications, and also DEX VI. You simply cannot be truly compliant with both, not at least in this three-dimensional world I live in. But that didn't stop Amsoil from offering the fluid for both applications, even though it wasn't licesned for either. Now they have ATL to compliment ATF; neither is still licensed, but both are "approved" by Amsoil for specific uses. These are excellent products; but they are not "licensed".

Even the "meets or exceeds" claim gives me cause for further investigation. This may mean that the fluid is licensed, it may not. From this statement, you have to ask who did the testing, because they are the ones that likely will determine what was met or exceeded.

Licensing is absolute. Products are either licesend, or not. It's just that simple. Licensed fluids provide a guaranteed level of performance via the OEM licensing system. NON-licensed fluids may or may not be good products; there is no OEM verification. It does not mean that Amsoil or Valvoline make inferior products for these applications; they are quite good fluids. But it does mean that they don't make fluids that are licensed.

Caution should always be used when you see words/wording like:
Approved for use (approved by whom?)
Recommended for use (same as above)
Meets or exceeds (as tested by whom?)

If you want to know what products are licensed, don't ask the vendor of the product; ask the OEM! They always have a "approved product / licensed product" listing.
 
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Some things aren't worth the in-my-mind worry or doubt. Since the auto trans in my car specs Toyota-WS, I will just stick with OEM, and rest easy. Its not worth a couple of dollars in up front savings IMO.
 
I checked with the dealer in my area the the WS fuild was $11.80 a quart. I was thinking the Maxlife because the wife's FJ Cruiser needs the fuild changed too and cash is a little tight. After searching and reading I believe many of these fuilds are probably very close or the same. Now I'd rather just use Amsoil as the 2.5 gallon jug is $93.00 and spread it out over a couple of months and be certain of a quality fuild, not that Maxlife isn't a quality fuild. Thanks to all those that replied.
 
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I don't have the in-my-mind worry with ANY non-OE fluid.
Actually, from what I've seen over the years, aftermarket have performed better, and I only thing I worry about is the pathetic OE fluid until I remove it all.
 
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