Saturn Transmission Oil Brand best choice

[JohnStef]

Greetings
I am new to the site. Could I get some guidance on which ATF Brand of DEX MERC III to use in my 2001 Saturn L300? It has the Ecotech 3.0L motor. I bought this used with 230k miles. It runs well and shifts well. I did the fluid level overflow check and there is an adequate supply now, but the oil is not Red, it is a shade below this, somewhat dirty and darker than a bright red one would see in fresh ATF. I would like to pull the pan, change the filter and flush the ATF system with 10 quarts minimum. I would like to use the best economy oil. Is there any comparative data on ATF brands?

 

[simple_gifts]

A well regarded choice, but all but 1 person here, is MaxLife Dex/Merc; Certainly not an "economy oil" but a good value @ $23USD/gal @ AAP or even less @ WM.

I am using it in my friend's Tundra.

 

[bourne]

Maxlife ATF

 

[mattwithcats]

Blue jug of Valvoline ATF at Wal-Mart, around $17.

Not the red jug, that is Dexron VI....

 

[71Chevyguy]

I agree with Maxlife being a very good choice, but then again with all those miles and dirty fluid in it I would use Supertech from Walmart. It is cheap and more than decent for any application. Since you don't know how long the oil has been in it you might be ahead just doing a pan drop now as a flush and doing it again in a few weeks/ months. Might not be a good idea to shock the transmission with all new fluid if it is looking pretty dirty. If you were going to do 1x or 2x pan drop and fluid replacement I would fill with Maxlife on the final drop as the oil I keep in there for the long term.

 

[Bandito440]

Maxlife is the way to go. I don't know how much you need, but Amazon has 3 gallons for $62 if it isn't any cheaper near you.

 

[JohnStef]

Thanks I will go with Max Life, why not? A few extra bucks could be worth a ton of heart burn!

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: JohnStef
Thanks I will go with Max Life, why not? A few extra bucks could be worth a ton of heart burn!

+3 on the max life. I use it on a Toyota Sienna and Honda civic.

Regards, JC.

 

[bourne]

I have run it currently in my G. Just had the flush done, shifts nice and smooth, no noticeable change. Old fluid had 96k on it (didnt look like previous owner had changed it before).

 

[901Memphis]

+7 - Maxlife...

 

[barkingspider]

I would use maxlife or Supertech. Both will fit the bill

 

[901Memphis]

If you do have trouble finding Maxlife, the Supertech high mileage is good stuff too, although not nearly as advanced as the full synthetic maxlife.

 

[David1]

I was told Some saturns use Honda Transmissions ... I could of heard wrong.

However Lots of people like Valvoline Maxx Life, why not go for it.. Decent price.

Im not very fond of it.. but some swear by it.. so go for it if you wish.

 

[bourne]

Originally Posted By: David1
I was told Some saturns use Honda Transmissions ... I could of heard wrong.

However Lots of people like Valvoline Maxx Life, why not go for it.. Decent price.

Im not very fond of it.. but some swear by it.. so go for it if you wish.



You are correct. Only one model that I know of, Saturn Vue V6 used a Honda V6 and a Honda 5 speed transmission.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: bourne
Originally Posted By: David1
I was told Some saturns use Honda Transmissions ... I could of heard wrong.

However Lots of people like Valvoline Maxx Life, why not go for it.. Decent price.

Im not very fond of it.. but some swear by it.. so go for it if you wish.



You are correct. Only one model that I know of, Saturn Vue V6 used a Honda V6 and a Honda 5 speed transmission.


Yes and thats because it's mated to the Honda 3.5, which required a Honda tranny.

 

[chrly919]

I use Maxlife ATF in my 90 Honda Prelude. 265k miles. Shifts great.
I also use it in my 83 Porsche 928S (which is a Mercedes auto trans) 213k miles, shifts great. I'm thinking of putting it in my 2001 Corvette, 85k miles, in the near future.

 

[MinamiKotaro]

Peak brand Dex-VI from AAP. $5.99/qt. Probably the same thing as Super Tech Dex-VI from Wal-Mart. Worked great in my friend's 2001 SL-1, until she decided to get another car.

 

[901Memphis]

If you're going dex 6 the Supertech is closer to $4 a quart