ultralub Ultra1Plus Full Synthetic ATF Universal

[Infomercial]

I saw a 5 gallon bucket of this stuff for $75 on the 'zon. For full synthetic that lists mercon v compatability that is the best price by far. I've also seen ultralub had some very competitive prices on synthetic gear oil.

Any usage reports or hard data on what's in this stuff?

 

[kschachn]

Ah yes, the "compatible with" fluids.

The list also says it is Suitable for Use with "BMW", "Volvo" and others. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

 

[Strokenmerc]

Terms like "compatible with", "recommended for", and "suitable for" just don't mean the same as an actual approval. If you trust the company give it a try. I would rather spend a few more dollars on an approved fluid than have to drain out and flush or rebuild a transmission.

 

[Infomercial]

It meets or exceeds the specs for all, sounds good to me. Is that not a claim they have to back up in any way?

My ford deserves the very best just like some fancy euro car. Motorcraft mercon v is old tech and I doubt has the hot lube action of a space age full synthetic. Ford says otherwise, but they want my car dead so I buy another.

I was thinking of redline d4 for my next pan drop, but for the same price I could do multiple flushes every 10k for a few years, including filters.

 

[kschachn]

It meets or exceeds the specs for all, sounds good to me. Is that not a claim they have to back up in any way?

My ford deserves the very best just like some fancy euro car. Motorcraft mercon v is old tech and I doubt has the hot lube action of a space age full synthetic. Ford says otherwise, but they want my car dead so I buy another.

I was thinking of redline d4 for my next pan drop, but for the same price I could do multiple flushes every 10k for a few years, including filters.

Hmm, all BMWs and all Mercedes and all VW, all at once? I don't think so.

Look at the PI Sheet for Maxlife ATF, another universal fluid. Notice the difference in how they give compatibility with specific approvals and specifications.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

It's only slightly cheaper than Maxlife by the gallon. Probably not worth it

Also, the Ultra1plus (UltraLub) GL4 for manual transmissions seems to be garbage from the VOA I had done on it. I was interested in it because it was the cheapest 75w90 GL4 by far. Trouble finding a suitable 75w90 GL4 usable in a manual transmission makes me afraid to buy a a non-Honda manual transmission.

While the topic ATF in the OP is probably ok to use with no problem, I'm still weary about Ultra1Plus because of the weak MTF VOA. And it's not much cheaper than Maxlife that you don't have to buy by the bucket.

 

[Jake_J]

I wouldn't get too hung up on the terminology of recommended, suitable, meets spec, etc as it can involve variables that don't really affect the quality of the end product. For example many "approved" fluids involve paying a licensing fee to the manufacture, so for example Valvoline may decide that paying licensing fees to a dozen manufacturers is too costly for a universal ATF so they'll label it differently. Some ATF's are now being dyed others colors like Mazda's blue FZ, so if color is part of the spec you can't make a fluid that is both red and blue.

 

[Infomercial]

In my situation I do not feel like using maxlife because it is listed for mercon LV and not V. I know valvoline will say it is fine for V applications, but it will be mixed partially with other fluids. I used it in my last dex/Merc speced car and it seems to be about $10/gal more expensive here locally now.

I have heard of people using the wrong transmission fluid and it will not engage after the fill. I have read no such stories in the reviews of multi use atf. the customer feedback seems mostly glowing. A large part of what I've read about atf is bitog members reccomending maxlife for all applications. It really seems to me if it meets all specs it would be better, but I am far from the most educated on atf. Surely some of these applications are more demanding than original mercon v.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

If you want licensed Mercon V, go to Walmart and get Supertech Mercon V

 

[Wolf359]

I wouldn't get too hung up on the terminology of recommended, suitable, meets spec, etc as it can involve variables that don't really affect the quality of the end product. For example many "approved" fluids involve paying a licensing fee to the manufacture, so for example Valvoline may decide that paying licensing fees to a dozen manufacturers is too costly for a universal ATF so they'll label it differently. Some ATF's are now being dyed others colors like Mazda's blue FZ, so if color is part of the spec you can't make a fluid that is both red and blue.

Or they really don't meet spec but the manufacturer of the fluid thinks it'll be fine. The manufacturer of the car doesn't know because it only uses approved fluids. There was a long thread about this a while ago. Basically Valvoline doesn't really back you up with any warranty, they just say they'll work with you if you have any problems. I don't think saving nickels on transmission fluid is the right place to be saving them.

 

[kschachn]

I wouldn't get too hung up on the terminology of recommended, suitable, meets spec, etc as it can involve variables that don't really affect the quality of the end product. For example many "approved" fluids involve paying a licensing fee to the manufacture, so for example Valvoline may decide that paying licensing fees to a dozen manufacturers is too costly for a universal ATF so they'll label it differently. Some ATF's are now being dyed others colors like Mazda's blue FZ, so if color is part of the spec you can't make a fluid that is both red and blue.

That’s not the problem I was talking about.

 

[ruhroh]

It's a week-old thread but I'll chime in with my experience with the Ultralub/U1P fluid brand. I didn't buy this particular fluid, I bought a 5-ga bucket of Ultralub Dex-VI almost 6 months ago when they were unknown and had large discounts to get their name out. I think I ended up paying $50 for the 5-ga. It was to be used in an old but new-to-me Volvo/AW55 transmission that called for JWS3309 (T-IV). It said it was D-VI approved but I couldn't find any recent public list of GM's approved brands. I took a chance on it anyway since Maxlife is also Dex-based and Super Tech's licensed Dex-VI says compatible with T-IV. The labeling was fishy, incomplete, and vague. It listed 3309 for BMW and Lexus but not for Toyota T-IV.

I did the fluid replacement through trans cooler line about a day before the VOA of its 75W90 GL4 was posted here and mentioned above. When I bought it, there were no reviews at all and it was newly listed on WM/AMZ but I ordered it directly from their incomplete website that had dead/nonfunctional links. That and the gear oil VOA were bad signs and I thought I should drain it all out again to replaced it with Castrol IMV or Maxlife but may as well test drive it first. It shifts fine, feels fine, and it didn't feel any different than before. The previous ATF was probably the initial fill at over 150K miles. Would I buy from them again? Not at their current price since it's so close to WM's Maxlife but the product itself did work out for me. That GL4 VOA was downright concerning.