Originally Posted By: glum
I'm trying to choose between these two fluids. Both are synthetic, and both are stated as being compatible with my car's transmission.
The Royal Purple Max ATF costs roughly twice as much as the Valvoline MaxLife DEX/MERC ATF.
When I do the flush, it will be nice to have purple-colored fluid coming out, to clearly tell when the flush is complete. That's not worth paying twice as much for, however.
Can anyone provide facts/opinions to sway me one way or the other on these?
****************************
I intentionally left off the vehicle type because it seems some people tend to give opinions based on what they think the car itself is worth (e.g. it's not "worth" using synthetic oil in). I don't want opinions like that. I want the car to last, period. A big repair on my "cheapo" car will be more than I can handle.
Anyway... The car is a 2008 Hyundai Sonata GLS, with a 2.4L and 4-speed AT. It has ~46,000 miles on it now. Around 1,000 miles ago, I changed the fluid with more OEM SP-III. I am not completely sure, but I strongly suspect that the ATF had never been changed before I did so.
It wasn't until after doing that fluid swap that I realized OEM Hyundai SP-III fluid is garbage. (I bought into the nonsense parroted by the idiots who scream that you should ONLY use OEM fluid.) That's why I want to replace it.
Someone in one of the Hyundai forums mentioned that they used Royal Purple ATF, and 20K miles later found no metal shavings and nicely-colored fluid.
I'm sure both ATFs are good and will work fine, but "Both ATFs will work fine" is not particularly helpful. I'm trying to choose between the two, not trying to find out if both are good.
Well, without trying to sound confrontational it does matter what it goes in as many times a particular brand does not work well in a particular tranny even when it should be compatible. Also, the mileage and maintenance history does matter too so that we can give you the best answer. Not everyone will give you grief and tell you it isn;t worth it. When that happens just ignore those people. Some of us do try and give the best answer we can but that requires info. In some applications Maxlife would be a better option than MaxATF even though MaxATF is a superior product overall(IMHOA).
This is a 2008 with just 46,000 miles so Maxlife would not be my 1st choice. MaxLife is designed for high mileage vehicles( at least 75,000+ ). It is designed to clean them out, recondition seals, has special additives to help with shift issues, etc... You really should not be in that kind of situation with your 2008. If it shifts good and has no leaks I would not use a high mileage ATF at this time. If it had another 40K, shift issues, and/or leaks I would for sure. Just no need of a high mileage fluid with just 46K. If you like Valvoline I would say use the regular DEX/MERC ATF in the blue bottle over the Maxlife considering your situation.
If you are determined however to use Maxlife( again your situation does not fit with what it was designed for )it seems to be good stuff. I am a fan of Valvoline Maxlife products in general. I just did a Maxlife service( oil, tranny, coolant )on a 2005 Impala w/ almost 120K that never had the tranny serviced. That tranny calls for Dex-IIIH FWIW. It has improved shift quality and clearly it runs cooler. For what you can notice with a fluid change it seems to be good stuff.
Like the others I am not 100% sure but if SP-III is the equivelent of Dex-III or Dex-IIIH then most universal ATF's will meet that spec and you have plenty of options. Lots of people have made favorable comments on Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle ATF. You may want to look into that as it specifies SP-III and is readily available.
I am a huge Royal Purple fan and I really like the MaxATF fluid. It is compatible with SP-III. I have never used it in your application however so no 1st hand experience to relate. I have used it in full sized 4WD trucks and muscle cars. It helps the tranny to run cooler and the shifts seem better with it. Lasts a long time as well. In general I highly recommend this fluid but I can not say with certainty it is best for your specific vehicle.
So pretty much if these are your only 2 options I actually say the MaxATF just because I don't see you needing a high mileage fluid at this point. If it is MaxATF or the regular Valvoline DEX/MERC ATF in the blue bottle then it comes down to your wallet. The MaxATF would still be my 1st choice of the 2 but the regular blue bottle Valvoline will do the job and do it well. While you said you don't want to hear that it is true. You have any number of options available to you for this application/fluid that will do the job well.
Note - If this vehicle is under warranty it is doubtful a universal fluid will meet your requirements however just FYI.
