Valvoline Import Multi-Vehicle ATF

[Hokiefyd]

I haven't seen this posted here yet, and the guy at Advance said they JUST got this in this week or last.

Import Multi-Vehicle ATF info on Valvoline.com

There is little information on the website so far. No PDS even yet. So I called Valvoline to see what the real difference is between the MaxLife ATF and this new IMV ATF. He said they're very similar, very close in formulation, all the stuff you would expect someone to say. He did say something interesting, that doesn't seem to be reflected on the website. He said the new IMV has OEM approval, whereas the MaxLife ATF was certified by Valvoline to meet certain specs but wasn't recognized by OEMs. I highly doubt that Honda is going to sign off on this new IMV as as a licensed product, but he did also use the word "license".

I asked for viscosity and he said that it's 7.1 at 100*C. That is a bit thicker than the MaxLife ATF at 6.1 at the same temperature. I mentioned that the IMV claims that it's a fully synthetic formula, and questioned whether MaxLife was as well, and he said that both fluids are fully synthetic fluids.

So...interesting. I'll be interested in more information on this product as time goes on. It looks like it may be an answer to Castrol's Transmax IMV more than anything else, but we'll see. For now, I have 2 gallons of MaxLife ATF to run through the Acura.

Anyone here have any inside information on this new Valvoline ATF?

 

[eljefino]

The 1.4 kw could have been one of those puny things they did for the first car off the line so it would weigh less and pass some fuel economy standard.

My parts store "worldwide" starter for my 87 mazda b2000 was a tiny thing compared to the "coffee thermos" that came off it. Still worked. And with gear reduction units, physically smaller starters get the job done. Your PCM probably cuts off fuel for the first few revs anyway, so a faster starter would just serve to waste electricity. :dunno:

 

[Sayjac]

Saw it Monday at AAP, $6.50 a quart. Already ineligible for any codes.

Yes, bottle advertises fully synthetic, MaxLife a bit more nebulous though pdf says synthetic fluid. http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/maxlife_atf.pdf

Worth $2.00 more quart than ML?

Less expensive alternative to OEM, sure.

 

[K20FA5]

Give me specs and certifications/recommendations Valvoline! LOL!

This sounds like its another option to the MaxLife. Although it's surprisingly similar to the MaxLife. Maybe it's a marketing thing?

 

[pbm]

I saw this fluid last year while visiting Texas. I can't recall if it was AA or O'Reilly's that had it.
Valvoline ATF's have been very good performers and I wouldn't hesitate to use this full synthetic in a Toyota, Honda etc...

 

[Boomer]

So which Nissan fluid spec does it meet??? J, S, D? All of them?? If these multi fluids were the end all/be all, car makers would just use a fluid like this rather than spec different fluids within a family of vehicles. Their internal savings, inventory costs and shipping costs would be reduced dramatically.

I have never bought into these!

 

[Mr Nice]

I still don't like mulit vehicle ATF that is suitable for 10 different manufacturers spec'ing different fluid.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Boomer
So which Nissan fluid spec does it meet??? J, S, D? All of them?? If these multi fluids were the end all/be all, car makers would just use a fluid like this rather than spec different fluids within a family of vehicles. Their internal savings, inventory costs and shipping costs would be reduced dramatically.

I have never bought into these!


The more I learn about different ATFs, the more I believe that they all are more similar than they are different. Each may be just slightly different from another in viscosity and friction modifier. In the end, each fluid is tuned to how the OEM wants the transmission to shift, but other fluids may be better suited to how a particular owner wants it to shift.

And OEMs are happy to spec house fluid for their vehicles; folks often return to the dealership to buy this specific fluid. Unless they license the fluid spec like Chrysler does for ATF+4, I'm becoming more convinced that it's all about generating sales at the parts department.

 

[K20FA5]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Boomer
So which Nissan fluid spec does it meet??? J, S, D? All of them?? If these multi fluids were the end all/be all, car makers would just use a fluid like this rather than spec different fluids within a family of vehicles. Their internal savings, inventory costs and shipping costs would be reduced dramatically.

I have never bought into these!


The more I learn about different ATFs, the more I believe that they all are more similar than they are different. Each may be just slightly different from another in viscosity and friction modifier. In the end, each fluid is tuned to how the OEM wants the transmission to shift, but other fluids may be better suited to how a particular owner wants it to shift.

And OEMs are happy to spec house fluid for their vehicles; folks often return to the dealership to buy this specific fluid. Unless they license the fluid spec like Chrysler does for ATF+4, I'm becoming more convinced that it's all about generating sales at the parts department.


I am also starting to agree with you on this!

 

[Sayjac]

Quote:
I still don't like mulit vehicle ATF that is suitable for 10 different manufacturers spec'ing different fluid.

I guess that means you won't be using Mobil 1 Synthetic, Amsoil Universal Synthetic or Redline D4 either then. Some well respected multi vehicle ATF's.

MaxLife is also well respected here and many posters have posted testimonials to successfully using it and that includes Asian vehicles like Honda. Their recent switch to the pricey DW-1 has encouraged previous Z-1 users to look for non oem alternatives, at the moment for me that's MaxLife. And while the testimonial here are anecdotal, this being Bitog they carry credibility, at least with me.

I am intrigued though by the OP's topic'd Valvoline IMV primarily because it specifically touts a 'fully synthetic' ATF. But for now, I'm all in with MaxLife in three vehicles.

As for the alphabet soup of Nissan ATF's, I'd have no issue running MaxLife Dex/Merc or the topic'd Valvoline IMV in the Matic D,J and K (not CVT) as ML recommends. In fact, I ran Super Tech Multi Vehicle in an 03 Altima 2.5L with absolutely no issues. Of course, that was before the 2.5L fatal flaw precat failed, and destoyed the engine. But, at least the trans was in good shape when I got rid of it.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: K20FA5
I am also starting to agree with you on this!


You and I owning Hondas, you see it all over what I would call "non-enthusiast" Honda boards. These are folks more interested in the best ski rack to buy than the best oil to use. Those boards are covered with dire warnings against using a non-OEM fluid.

Lately I've started reading some of the "enthusiast" Honda boards, namely AcuraZine.com. The guys in the TL board there have turbo- and super-charged TLs and they're pushing 80,000-100,000 miles on their 5-speed automatics with excellent shifting...but none of them are running OEM fluid. In fact, a lot of them are running a Type F type fluid, like Redline Racing ATF. At first, I was flabbergasted: FORD ATF IN AN ACURA?? But some of those guys have done a ton of research and trial-and-error and are convinced that the main difference between most of these ATFs is the amount of friction modifier in the fluid. Type F fluid has next to none. Dexron III has a small amount. And then there are highly friction-modified fluids, such as the Honda genuine fluid. Using a Dexron III type fluid in a Honda will produce firmer shifting because the clutches will slip less. The average soccer mom won't care for that because there's more shock felt in the cabin. But a "longevity enthusiast" like me loves that kind of thing: clutches that slip less are clutches that last longer.

This is one reason I believe all of these special OEM fluids have shown up. I think each manufacturer is blending a very specific amount of friction modifier into their fluid to get the exact shift feel that they want...and there seems to be a trade-off between shift feel and clutch life. Softer shifts generally indicate clutches that slip or engage slowly. A firmer shift generally indicates less clutch slip and faster engagement.

I've seen a lot of comments such as, "Honda transmissions have failed enough in the past for me to use anything but Honda fluid." Or, "Honda trannies are bad enough, why risk it using any other fluid?" The more I've read about Honda transmission issues, the aspect of "heat" seems to always be involved. And any of us who pay any attention to Honda fluid know that it's not all that robust, especially the older Z1. It would shear down pretty quick and wasn't all that tolerant of heat. I've found that DW-1 isn't all that much better in terms of shearing. Our Acura seems to slip a 1-2 shift pretty bad when the fluid is real hot.

So for that reason, I begin to question the advice of, "these transmissions are bad enough as it is, why use a different fluid?" I'm beginning to think that it may just be that the fluid itself is a large contributing factor in the heat issues these transmissions experience (especially the V-6 transmissions). Some of these universal fluids out there are fully synthetic, and will tolerate heat better, and also offer faster shifting with less slipping due to the reducing in friction modifiers. Better heat tolerance AND longer clutch life? Sign me up.

I don't say this to argue with anyone who believes that OEM is the way to go. In fact, I fiercely held that opinion for a long time myself. I'm just sharing how my perspective has changed over the past month or two, and the reasons for it.

Cheers all,
Jason

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
The more I learn about different ATFs, the more I believe that they all are more similar than they are different.


I know that a PS application isn't the same as a transmission application, but something about Infinitis manuals does bear considering. For PSF up here, you are allowed to use (in addition to OEM PSF) Nissan Matic J or Matic S or Dexron VI or an older Dexron. Now, of course, that doesn't mean those are all the same fluids and can be used interchangeably in any application, but it does tell me there are certain similarities, at least with respect to protecting seals.

For what it's worth, a few ATFs out there claim compatibility with Matic S, but a lot more claim compatibility with Matic J.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Garak
For what it's worth, a few ATFs out there claim compatibility with Matic S, but a lot more claim compatibility with Matic J.


I'm going to wager that Matic S is essentially a slightly thinner Matic J. Think about it like a Dex-III vs. a Dex-VI product. Almost all ATFs out there will meet Dex-III, but only certain ones have the right viscosity and shear stability to meet Dex-VI.

I bet the two Nissan Matic fluids are the same way: almost all ATFs will meet Matic J, but only certain ones have the right viscosity and shear stability to meet Matic S.

I could be wrong of course, but it's just a guess.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Reply to the above; after a quick look at Valvoline.com, I'm convinced that Matic S is a thinner variant of Matic J.

Valvoline's Mercon V product is suitable for use in Nissan Matic D, J, and K. And check out the viscosity; 7.4 cSt at 100*C:

http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/mercon_v.pdf

Valvoline's MaxLife DEX/MERC ATF product is suitable for use in Nissan Matic D, J, K, and S. Viscosity is 6.1 cSt at 100*C:

http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/maxlife_atf.pdf

I do believe that Matic S is just a slightly thinner Matic J (or K). It's possible that the earlier Nissan Matics were developed as conventional oils with slightly higher viscosities, and that Matic S is developed as a synthetic oil or a semi-synthetic with a slightly lower viscosity and better shear stability. The older-style ATFs won't meet it (like standard Dexron or Mercon V), but the synthetic ATFs (such as the MaxLife DEX/MERC ATF) will meet it.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Sorry for all the posts, but more:
Castrol Transmax IMV

Look at the Castrol Transmax IMV. It meets Matic D, J, and K. But not S. And look at the viscosity: 8 cSt at 100*C. It's too thick to meet S.

It's also been surmised before that Matic J is nothing more than Castrol Transmax J, labeled as a Nissan Matic OEM fluid. I don't know that for sure.

The more I look at all of this stuff, the more "the same" I believe all these fluids are, save for slight differences in visc. or FM so they can call it their own.

 

[Sayjac]

I missed Nissan Matic-S in my previous post as I was reading off the MaxLife Overview rather than the pdf. And the no CVT specifically refers to Honda. Al this is confirmed on the recommended list on the current bottle/jug.

 

[gogozy]

thanks for the finding! probably that the only different between these 2 (Maxlife ATF vs Import MV) is viscosity. New car owner are probably more concern about warranty, so Valvoline is offering this licensed ATF. this product probably warren a profit margin to that target market, plus licensing and certification process plus insurance underwrite are probably the reason it cost more than Maxlife. Shopper with older cars that are out of warranty period likely more budget concern, and likely to spend less compare to new car owner, so Maxlife ATF will carter this market. I suspect both fluid use same additive package, and same base fluid, with different finishing viscosity; probably like how Redline D4 compare to D6.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Note that the Valvoline rep used the word "license", but I've yet to see these OEMs (Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, etc) license anything. If this really does turn out to be a licensed product from any of these, that'd be a big deal in my opinion.

 

[K20FA5]

My Frontier does spec the Matic S, but in the manual says that you can use Matic J if you have to.

From what I've read on the Nissan forums, the Matic S was developed specifically for the newer 7 speed auto transmissions. In those, you have no option to use Matic J like I do in my old 5 speed auto.

BTW - I'm using MaxLife ATF in both the vehicles (Nissan and Honda) in my signature and they are working great. I also have a bottle of Lube Guard Red in each one as well. I also use MaxLife in my Nissan's power steering. It calls for a low vis fluid (OEM Nissan PSF or Dex IV) and it's working great in there as well. Heck, I might start putting it on my Cheerios

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: K20FA5
My Frontier does spec the Matic S, but in the manual says that you can use Matic J if you have to.

From what I've read on the Nissan forums, the Matic S was developed specifically for the newer 7 speed auto transmissions. In those, you have no option to use Matic J like I do in my old 5 speed auto.


This furthers my suspicions that Matic S is simply a thinner Matic J. It also furthers the notion that these OEM fluids are more similar than they are different, and with a little bit of research they can be substituted with others. The newer Nissan transmission that requires the Matic S may not be able to withstand a thicker ATF like Matic J due to valve body orifice sizing or something like that, but an older Nissan transmission will accomodate the thinner Matic S quite well apparently.