Valvoline maxlife or valvoline
- Thread starter Dogman
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What does your owner's manual call for?
As long as it meets your Frontier's ATF spec, either one will be fine and both are full synthetic.
Valvoline Import Multi-Vehicle only meets Nissan ATF spec's for:
Matic D, J, K
Whereas...
Valvoline MaxLife meets Nissan ATF spec's for:
Matic C, D, J, K, S & W
Which one does your Frontier require?
CB
As long as it meets your Frontier's ATF spec, either one will be fine and both are full synthetic.
Valvoline Import Multi-Vehicle only meets Nissan ATF spec's for:
Matic D, J, K
Whereas...
Valvoline MaxLife meets Nissan ATF spec's for:
Matic C, D, J, K, S & W
Which one does your Frontier require?
CB
Planning, to me, starts with reading the owner's manual.
That being said, I think the 2017 manual requires Genuine Nissan Matic S ATF. But... YOU should check that. That's what I would use instead of experimenting with "universal" fluids.
If it meets the manual, why does it matter if they are "synthetic"? Does the manual require that?
PS: This forum is full of fallacies like "Synthetic is better and needed". Including the mantra that "use LV instead of standard, in older cars, because muh... synthetic".
There isn't any proven benefit of using synthetic in a functional transmission versus normal fluid, as long as both meet the manufacturer specs.
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Yes the forum is full of fallacies including the one that the owner's manual requires Nissan fluid. What it says is:
• Genuine NISSAN Matic S ATF or equivalent
• NISSAN recommends using Genuine NISSAN Matic S ATF in
NISSAN automatic transmissions. If Genuine NISSAN Matic S
ATF is not available, Genuine NISSAN Matic J ATF may also be
used. Do not mix with other fluids. Using fluids that are not
equivalent to Genuine NISSAN Matic S ATF or Genuine NISSAN
Matic J ATF may damage the automatic transmission. Damage
caused by the use of other automatic transmission fluids is not
covered under the NISSAN New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Therefore both Valvoline fluids you mention are acceptable per the Valvoline's PI sheets. If you want a fully synthetic fluid then the Maxlife product is the one to use.
You're not "experimenting" with this fluid, you're using one that is listed as compatible per the blender. Experimenting would be using one that is not listed as compatible.
• Genuine NISSAN Matic S ATF or equivalent
• NISSAN recommends using Genuine NISSAN Matic S ATF in
NISSAN automatic transmissions. If Genuine NISSAN Matic S
ATF is not available, Genuine NISSAN Matic J ATF may also be
used. Do not mix with other fluids. Using fluids that are not
equivalent to Genuine NISSAN Matic S ATF or Genuine NISSAN
Matic J ATF may damage the automatic transmission. Damage
caused by the use of other automatic transmission fluids is not
covered under the NISSAN New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Therefore both Valvoline fluids you mention are acceptable per the Valvoline's PI sheets. If you want a fully synthetic fluid then the Maxlife product is the one to use.
You're not "experimenting" with this fluid, you're using one that is listed as compatible per the blender. Experimenting would be using one that is not listed as compatible.
Nissan finally changed their manuals ! Bold added by me.
In this case, since they say "J" is okay to use, the Frontier must have their JATCO 5-speed still. For Nissans with their 7-speed, they want "S" or equivalent.
Maxlife
Do you mean Castrol ? Never mind, I see Valvoline has their own variety.... Have never seen it in the wild though.
If my trans originally called for the "old school" fluid (dex3), I would use that. But I think everyone on this forum should know by now OEM fluid is not required. There are thousands of data points in the form of reviews. That stuff in the manual is a warranty cop out for the DIYers or quick lube shops.
As far as I can tell it's also a fully synthetic fluid like Maxlife ATF but it's thicker. We sell it at work.
Does it meet Matic J ? If so, it's perfectly fine for your truck's transmission. Read your owner's manual to see what they recommend.
Does it have a 5-speed or 7-speed transmission ? Around 10 years ago, Nissan started putting 7-speeds in various models and at the same time, moved to Matic-S ATF and said any vehicle that uses Matic J can also use Matic S. One reason is they can inventory Matic S more than Matic J as can their dealers.
Did you read your owner's manual or the excerpt I posted above?
Yes it meets matic j, it is a 5 speed.
l see from your prior posts you are a fan of castrol import. Why are you a fan of this fluid? Does it meet j & s? There doesn’t seem to be a product info sheet on their regular site, where you’d be able to find applications just clicking on the lubricants info.
Recommended for use in vehicles as indicated below:
Manufacturer Specification
Nissan Matic-D, Matic-J, Matic K
Yes, matic s is what Nissan requires/recommends. Is the import version not considered a full synthetic?
Why are the import fluids not meeting matic s? I get i can run j but why do they not meet the most recent “standards”. It would be quite confusing for some that did not know and just picked up a bottle saying Nissan, Honda, Toyota on it.
Description
Castrol Transmax™ Import Multi-Vehicle Automatic Transmission Fluid is a synthetic technology formulated product for use in most Honda, Toyota, Nissan and other imported vehicles.
And considering the price at Walmart it’s hard to suggest anything else.
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