- Joined
- Jul 30, 2026
- Messages
- 1
I feel like this is a topic that isn't talked about enough. Sorry for the long read but I wanted to share my experience with this.
I have a 2006 Infiniti G35x 5AT and I've tried a decent amount of fluids over the years in this car. With other cars too. The car was originally spec'd Nissan Matic J ATF and that was mostly discontinued and superseded by Nissan Matic S. Which is backwards compatible with most Nissan/Infiniti transmissions that originally spec'd Matic J/D/K. Nissan Matic S is a "fuel efficient" ATF that is formulated for modern transmissions like 6/7 speed autos etc.. Eventually at 108k miles I ran into the dreaded P1757 code where the Valve Body needs replacing. The car has been driven hard at times as any sports car should be driven. I also put 60k miles on it doordashing when it paid a lot during the pandemic, so I'm sure that didn't help. I bought a used transmission for $300 and took the valve body out of it. And is working great with no needed programming. Since the failure I've tried finding the best transmission fluid for each car I drive. It's been very interesting seeing how different ATFs can affect the driving experience so much. I have found that in cars where they originally spec the older style thicker fluids—that works much better than the new fuel efficient stuff. After the Valve Body repair I used Valvoline Maxlife which worked okay but I felt like it could shift a little better. It was missing that silky smooth feel, mostly at low speed shifts. Then I did 3 drain and fills with Valvoline Import Multi Vehicle and it literally feels like a new/rebuilt transmission. So smooth and feels how the car did when I originally bought it at 54k miles when it had the original Nissan Matic J (thicker fluid). This same experience also applied to my 2003 Toyota Avalon I used to own. Valvoline Maxlife while acceptable felt like it was lacking at times. I changed the fluid to Valvoline Import and again, it felt like a brand new transmission. Import ATF met the original Toyota T-IV spec for the Avalon where Maxlife was for cars that called for Toyota WS. Before I serviced the Avalon transmission the fluid was completely dark brown and stunk at 180k miles and hadn't been changed since 30k. Oddly enough no metal was present on the pan magnets.
Im wondering what your guy's experience is with Valvoline Import Multi Vehicle ATF. I think it's a very underrated fluid for older cars that originally spec'd non fuel efficient ATF. I'm surprised it's not talked about more. Most people just talk about Valvoline Maxlife, which is a great fluid too. I'm still interested to try Amsoil Signature Series ATF too as I've heard that's the best transmission fluid.
Some stats about viscosities (at 100°c)
-Valvoline Import: 6.9cst
-Valvoline Maxlife: 5.9cst
-Nissan Matic J: about 7.5cst
-Nissan Matic S: 5.9cst
I have a 2006 Infiniti G35x 5AT and I've tried a decent amount of fluids over the years in this car. With other cars too. The car was originally spec'd Nissan Matic J ATF and that was mostly discontinued and superseded by Nissan Matic S. Which is backwards compatible with most Nissan/Infiniti transmissions that originally spec'd Matic J/D/K. Nissan Matic S is a "fuel efficient" ATF that is formulated for modern transmissions like 6/7 speed autos etc.. Eventually at 108k miles I ran into the dreaded P1757 code where the Valve Body needs replacing. The car has been driven hard at times as any sports car should be driven. I also put 60k miles on it doordashing when it paid a lot during the pandemic, so I'm sure that didn't help. I bought a used transmission for $300 and took the valve body out of it. And is working great with no needed programming. Since the failure I've tried finding the best transmission fluid for each car I drive. It's been very interesting seeing how different ATFs can affect the driving experience so much. I have found that in cars where they originally spec the older style thicker fluids—that works much better than the new fuel efficient stuff. After the Valve Body repair I used Valvoline Maxlife which worked okay but I felt like it could shift a little better. It was missing that silky smooth feel, mostly at low speed shifts. Then I did 3 drain and fills with Valvoline Import Multi Vehicle and it literally feels like a new/rebuilt transmission. So smooth and feels how the car did when I originally bought it at 54k miles when it had the original Nissan Matic J (thicker fluid). This same experience also applied to my 2003 Toyota Avalon I used to own. Valvoline Maxlife while acceptable felt like it was lacking at times. I changed the fluid to Valvoline Import and again, it felt like a brand new transmission. Import ATF met the original Toyota T-IV spec for the Avalon where Maxlife was for cars that called for Toyota WS. Before I serviced the Avalon transmission the fluid was completely dark brown and stunk at 180k miles and hadn't been changed since 30k. Oddly enough no metal was present on the pan magnets.
Im wondering what your guy's experience is with Valvoline Import Multi Vehicle ATF. I think it's a very underrated fluid for older cars that originally spec'd non fuel efficient ATF. I'm surprised it's not talked about more. Most people just talk about Valvoline Maxlife, which is a great fluid too. I'm still interested to try Amsoil Signature Series ATF too as I've heard that's the best transmission fluid.
Some stats about viscosities (at 100°c)
-Valvoline Import: 6.9cst
-Valvoline Maxlife: 5.9cst
-Nissan Matic J: about 7.5cst
-Nissan Matic S: 5.9cst
Last edited: