Shortage?

[ron17571]

I wanted a gallon of ATF(MERCON) For my trans fluid change.Walmart had only one jug of super tech.And that was it.I get a funny vibe about the stuff.So, I went to NAPA.Only really pricey Amsoil and purple stuff there.I finally ended up at O'Reilys and picked up a gallon of Valvoline ATF. Good Luck to others wanting ATF from Walmart.

 

[Alex_V]

My local WM hasn't had anything except Supertech ATF the last 9+ months, either. My local Napa (where I get all the parts I can, anyway) keeps a good selection of their ATF's on hand so I just buy their stuff when I can, but if they're out or I want something a little better O'Reilly's has regularly had VML ATF in stock... and they'll price match to Wally World.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Why the 'funny vibe'? Whoever makes ATF for Walmart is plenty fine for pretty much any car they spec for.

 

[joeparker54]

Super tech ATF fluids are manufactured by large well known manufacturers like Citgo or Warren (one or both of em). Their Mercon LV is the only reasonably priced fluid I've found aside from the Ford dealership (somehow $.25/qt less). Not only is it "suitable" for use in my vehicle, it is licensed by Ford. I would trust it to more completely meet the specs of the original fluid over something like Maxlife (well - the old non LV Maxlife). If you ever want to know who makes something for Walmart, you can punch the UPC into their MSDS site.

 

[Kira]

Just for clarity.....All MERCON today means MERCON V, yes? There is an LV and a "special version" of the stuff too, no?

 

[TinyVoices]

Never had an issue getting different varieties of ATF but trying to buy gl4 gear oil from a brick and mortar is maddening.

 

[joeparker54]

Originally Posted By: Kira

Just for clarity.....All MERCON today means MERCON V, yes? There is an LV and a "special version" of the stuff too, no?

Originally Ford said no to backwards compatibility, but then stopped making/licensing old Mercon and said V was fine to use - it's a semi-synth fluid and holds up pretty well. Just make sure you do a FULL flush to get rid of all the old fluid if changing over from Merc/Dex3. Be aware that most of what I have seen for Mercon V is a dedicated product - some stores still sell an old Dex/Merc formulation that would require additional friction modifier additive (if you can even still find it) in certain applications. Note that MercV is not suitable for transfer cases - Ford released a new fluid just for that purpose. LV stands for Low Viscosity - it is a full synthetic fluid and incompatible with Mercon V/Mercon. Walmart Mercon V is great fluid at a great price ($1.50 cheaper than Ford Dealership - they sell Mercon V and LV at same price) and is licensed by Ford, not just "suitable for use". I can't remember if they carry gallons or not though - only needed 2 quarts for my P/S fluid exchange, as the trans takes LV. Side note, I'm not really sure what Ford did in 09 to the 4R75E transmission that magically made it incompatible with MV, but I sure don't mind the extended service intervals afforded by the full synthetic LV formulation.