Why is MaxLife Synthetic so inexpensive?

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I'm still trying to decide on an ATF to replace whatever is in my E4OD at the moment and I keep coming across Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic with many good experiences reported and it seems to consistently cost less than other synthetic ATF. I am not trying to cheap out on ATF but neither am I looking to store perfectly good money in my transmission if I don't need to. 5 gallons to perform a complete fluid change gets a bit expensive depending on the fluid but of course it's much less than a rebuild so that's always rattling around in the back of my head. So why is MaxLife so inexpensive compared to other synthetic ATF? I guess I always am a bit skeptical of the cheapest and the most expensive bottle on the shelf whether it's ATF or bourbon.

Well I guess the point is moot as I just discovered that for some ungodly reason MaxLife cannot be shipped to Caifornia. Boy it's great being special.
 
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$26 for 4 quarts of likely group 2/3 oil is still expensive. It's cheaper than the others because it's not as overpriced. It used to be $20 a few years ago which was a good price. Walmart has maxlife on shelf unless you tried and it was sold out. I'd skip the complete fluid change, just drain and fill two times, you get plenty out of it and just do one spill and fill every 25k or so.
 
I'm still trying to decide on an ATF to replace whatever is in my E4OD at the moment and I keep coming across Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic with many good experiences reported and it seems to consistently cost less than other synthetic ATF. I am not trying to cheap out on ATF but neither am I looking to store perfectly good money in my transmission if I don't need to. 5 gallons to perform a complete fluid change gets a bit expensive depending on the fluid but of course it's much less than a rebuild so that's always rattling around in the back of my head. So why is MaxLife so inexpensive compared to other synthetic ATF? I guess I always am a bit skeptical of the cheapest and the most expensive bottle on the shelf whether it's ATF or bourbon.

Well I guess the point is moot as I just discovered that for some ungodly reason MaxLife cannot be shipped to Caifornia. Boy it's great being special.
I order MaxLife all the time from Wally World. Just sayin'...
 
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I order MaxLife all the time from Wally World. Just sayin'...
I'm not surprised you can order it from certain places--most likely it's some stupid labeling issue.
As an aside I see you have a 2001 Tundra and hopefully it is treating you better than the one I owned. I had a 2003 that let so much water into the cab from so many different places I didn't know where to begin fixing things. I was never so glad to get rid of a vehicle even at a substantial loss. Couldn't even lightly wash the truck without soaking the floor front and rear.
 
So why is MaxLife so inexpensive compared to other synthetic ATF?
If I had to guess, it's volume-based. They produce/sell a LOT of this fluid.

most likely it's some stupid labeling issue.
99.9% certain that's exactly what it is. It's not a chemical or environmental issue. Maybe has something to do with claims of compatibility with OEM fluids. Found it - a CA law doesn't allow a fluid maker to claim compatibility unless the fluid is pretty much identical in viscosity.
 
I have Mobil 1 and Schaeffer AllTrans in my e4od. I wanted a synthetic and a thicker viscosity for towing and these 2 are closer to Mercon visc than ML. Ran M1 in my Expedition that called for MerconV and it was smooth. These 2 would be my vote over ML.
 
Keep an eye out for $51 case pricing on Amazon (three gallons.) It's good stuff.

Their "Multi-Vehicle Import" is a little higher viscosity if you're into that sort of thing.
 
I'm still trying to decide on an ATF to replace whatever is in my E4OD at the moment and I keep coming across Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic with many good experiences reported and it seems to consistently cost less than other synthetic ATF. I am not trying to cheap out on ATF but neither am I looking to store perfectly good money in my transmission if I don't need to. 5 gallons to perform a complete fluid change gets a bit expensive depending on the fluid but of course it's much less than a rebuild so that's always rattling around in the back of my head. So why is MaxLife so inexpensive compared to other synthetic ATF? I guess I always am a bit skeptical of the cheapest and the most expensive bottle on the shelf whether it's ATF or bourbon.

Well I guess the point is moot as I just discovered that for some ungodly reason MaxLife cannot be shipped to Caifornia. Boy it's great being special.
1.) Maxlife is excellent ATF. I have used it in heavy service for quite a few miles, in several vehicles, and never had a fluid issue. Why is it so INEXPENSIVE? I would say that it has to do with branding. What I mean by that is.........the same principle that gas stations don't make much money on gas, but sell a bunch of it: it gets you in the store to buy other stuff. Make a few cents per gallon on the ATF, and get a nice, attractively bottled and logo'd sticker on the customers shelf.

2.) Move from California, and move to the USA.
 
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