Is there any reason not to use maxlife?

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daves87rs

daves87rs

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Wife's car is due shortly for a trans service. Just a plain jane 4 speed auto in a ten year old Cavalier. Car is quite close to 86k, last change was at 51k with Valvoline Dex/Merc.

Car still shifts fine...and seems to be doing just fine. I was going to throw more Dex/Merc in there (guessing same stuff), but I noticed that that Maxlife ATF is now a full syn, which for some reason, had me considering it.

Would it offer me any benefit for our car? I'm mainly looking for added protection, but if it shifts even better, I could live with that. And at WM, it's not too much more than the regular Valvoline ATF.

Your thoughts?
 
I'll give you a reason not to use it ...

Presuming you're going to continue 30k mile OCIs, then it's too expensive contrasted to reasonable alternatives. You can get W/M ST Dex/Merc for a lot less, and it will do a fine job, all while protecting quite well. If you review the ATF data over at PQIA, you'll see that they all are pretty much similar. While there is no licensed standard for that service fluid, all the majors are still staying true to the application. I have used house-brand D/M fluids for quite a long time in some applications, and my UOAs on the fluids show them to perform more than adequately.

If you were going to greatly extend your OCIs, then I'd be in favor of the MaxLife. But you'd have to go way past 30k miles to make it worthwhile.

A ten year old vehicle with 80k miles isn't exactly seeing heavy service; you're likely to get rid of it, or crash it, before fluid would effect the life of the tranny. I am not intimately familiar with this tranny. If it's not trouble-prone, then syns are a waste for moderate OCIs. If it is trouble prone, then you'll have to decide if it's worth the added expense. It would take you four years just to get to another OCI (approximated at 8k/year).
 
Last edited:
...or maybe put Walmart SuperTech Dexron VI in the Cavalier if you want something fancier. Think it's priced at about $4.29/quart.
 
In contrast to Dnewton3's opinion, I was using Maxlife Dex/Merc in a 2005 Escape and it worked great. Cheaped out and with with a house brand and the shift quality declined noticably. Maxlife is good stuff. IMO far superior to the cheaper Dex/Merc brands out there. It only $6 more a gallon, and if you plan on driving that 10 year old car 10 more years, $6 is nothing.
 
Originally Posted By: dnewton3
I'll give you a reason not to use it ...

Presuming you're going to continue 30k mile OCIs, then it's too expensive contrasted to reasonable alternatives. You can get W/M ST Dex/Merc for a lot less, and it will do a fine job, all while protecting quite well. If you review the ATF data over at PQIA, you'll see that they all are pretty much similar. While there is no licensed standard for that service fluid, all the majors are still staying true to the application. I have used house-brand D/M fluids for quite a long time in some applications, and my UOAs on the fluids show them to perform more than adequately.

If you were going to greatly extend your OCIs, then I'd be in favor of the MaxLife. But you'd have to go way past 30k miles to make it worthwhile.

A ten year old vehicle with 80k miles isn't exactly seeing heavy service; you're likely to get rid of it, or crash it, before fluid would effect the life of the tranny. I am not intimately familiar with this tranny. If it's not trouble-prone, then syns are a waste for moderate OCIs. If it is trouble prone, then you'll have to decide if it's worth the added expense. It would take you four years just to get to another OCI (approximated at 8k/year).
A couple extra $$ every 30K miles for the peace of mind a syn brings is worth it IMO. Go for the Max Life, its good stuff.
 
Quote:
..... You can get W/M ST Dex/Merc for a lot less, and it will do a fine job, all while protecting quite well.....

Afaik, Wally no longer sells a Super Tech Dex/Merc ATF product. It's either ST Dex VI or Multi Vehicle for Dex applications. And the Wally price for either in this area is $4.27/qt.

I recently purchased a MaxLife gallon at Wally for ~$17 a gallon, so no cost savings with ST there for me at 30k fluid change intervals or otherwise. Plus imo, I'm getting a better product that I currently run in three different vehicles. One spec'd for Dex III and two for Z-1.

Based on my experience, there's no reason I can think of not to run ML in the OP's application.
 
I put Maxlife in my daughter's '02 Grand Am a month ago. Today I'm changing the fluid in my '07 Grand Prix. While some will say ATF is generic and any brand will do, you will pay as much or more for conventional or blends as ML. You will change your oil 5 times while your ATF keeps going. Go for the synthetic.
 
Those Cavaliers never caused too many transmission issues if I recall correctly. You may notice a better performing transmission if you move up to a DEX VI to which GM has OK'ed.

I would double-check viscosity requirements though. Dex III/Merc fluid viscosity typically ran form 7-8 cst. DEX VI is right around 6 cst (20% thinner than DEXRON III). The Maxlife DEX/Merc is around 5.5 cst. I would be hesitant to chop more than 25% off the viscosity of the original fill.

GM has back spec'ed many of those transmissions prior to 2006 to DEXRON VI as well, so you could use that product with confidence.

Ultimately it's your call. I'm not going to tell you what to pick.
 
Quote:
....I would double-check viscosity requirements though. Dex III/Merc fluid viscosity typically ran form 7-8 cst. DEX VI is right around 6 cst (20% thinner than DEXRON III). The Maxlife DEX/Merc is around 5.5 cst. I would be hesitant to chop more than 25% off the viscosity of the original fill....

According to PQIA, ML tested at 6.0 cst. Also according to the thread below increased shear stability of the newer synthetic atf's like Maxlife and blends like Dex VI allow them to start lower but shear much less than Dex III over time.

Improvements in Dex VI over DexIII
 
Originally Posted By: sayjac
Quote:
....I would double-check viscosity requirements though. Dex III/Merc fluid viscosity typically ran form 7-8 cst. DEX VI is right around 6 cst (20% thinner than DEXRON III). The Maxlife DEX/Merc is around 5.5 cst. I would be hesitant to chop more than 25% off the viscosity of the original fill....

According to PQIA, ML tested at 6.0 cst. Also according to the thread below increased shear stability of the newer synthetic atf's like Maxlife and blends like Dex VI allow them to start lower but shear much less than Dex III over time.

Improvements in Dex VI over DexIII



Yup. Going to be dropping ML in my newly acquired BMW. It's Dex VI approved (mine is GM 6 Speed). Using it in everything else with good results.
 
Well if you want a reason.. it is perhaps the worst smelling fluid I've ever been around. Don't get it on your clothes or they'll be rags. And I grew up around hydraulic fluids on the farm. Don't have enough long term experience to say how good it is though.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
If you have hoards of money, then go with Amsoil. Its probably the best available.


While true, I don't have the hoards of money part....
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: dnewton3
I'll give you a reason not to use it ...

Presuming you're going to continue 30k mile OCIs, then it's too expensive contrasted to reasonable alternatives. You can get W/M ST Dex/Merc for a lot less, and it will do a fine job, all while protecting quite well. If you review the ATF data over at PQIA, you'll see that they all are pretty much similar. While there is no licensed standard for that service fluid, all the majors are still staying true to the application. I have used house-brand D/M fluids for quite a long time in some applications, and my UOAs on the fluids show them to perform more than adequately.

If you were going to greatly extend your OCIs, then I'd be in favor of the MaxLife. But you'd have to go way past 30k miles to make it worthwhile.

A ten year old vehicle with 80k miles isn't exactly seeing heavy service; you're likely to get rid of it, or crash it, before fluid would effect the life of the tranny. I am not intimately familiar with this tranny. If it's not trouble-prone, then syns are a waste for moderate OCIs. If it is trouble prone, then you'll have to decide if it's worth the added expense. It would take you four years just to get to another OCI (approximated at 8k/year).


It's a good point, and a common sense one as well.
smile.gif



I figure her car has another 2-3 years before the rust becomes an issue on her car. I'm a little torn, because I would still like to give her car the good stuff, but don't want to put good money out on a car that could be gone before it hits that next 40k or so. My one reason for the better protection side is that her car does mostly city driving (stop and go) to drop out little one off at school before she heads to work. So I'm guessing that the atf takes a beating. Other the multi/dex/merc would be a simple no brainer. Though the stuff in there now seems to be doing just fine....

Though people are making a good point about the gallon ML jugs at WM...that does cut the cost down...
 
Originally Posted By: sayjac
Quote:
....I would double-check viscosity requirements though. Dex III/Merc fluid viscosity typically ran form 7-8 cst. DEX VI is right around 6 cst (20% thinner than DEXRON III). The Maxlife DEX/Merc is around 5.5 cst. I would be hesitant to chop more than 25% off the viscosity of the original fill....

According to PQIA, ML tested at 6.0 cst. Also according to the thread below increased shear stability of the newer synthetic atf's like Maxlife and blends like Dex VI allow them to start lower but shear much less than Dex III over time.

Improvements in Dex VI over DexIII



Yikes! Only 30 & my eyesight is going... I fat-fingered the keyboard when writing it down which threw off my calculations. Apologies to the board.

Citation for actual viscosity: http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/maxlife_atf.pdf
 
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