Dexron 6 - Chevy Sonic

[WyrTwister]

Did a drain & fill a few months ago at ~ 30000 miles , on our 2015 Chevy Sonic . Old fluid pretty dark .

I read the late model Cruze & Sonic share the same 6 speed transmission . I also read that Dexron 6 goes dark , pretty quickly in these transmissions .

One thing I read attributes it to a rust inhibitor in DEX 6 .

Any one know ?

Thanks ,
Wyr
God bless

 

[Jimzz]

Yea Dexron VI can be a semi-syn fluid. Many aftermarket Dex-VI is a full syn like Valvoline for example. So I bet most Dex-VI from the factory is the cheapest VI that meets spec. I have also seen similar things with factory Toyota trans fluid. The factory fill goes dark much quicker than the full syn aftermarket fluids.

Most, maybe all, trans fluid has a rust inhibitor. So I doubt Dex-VI has any less/more, let alone causes any issues.

Just use a good full Syn Dex-VI speced fluid every 30k and you should be good.

 

[i_hate_autofraud]

Did you have any shift issues?

Could you change the tranny filter?

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: Jimzz
Yea Dexron VI can be a semi-syn fluid. Many aftermarket Dex-VI is a full syn like Valvoline for example. So I bet most Dex-VI from the factory is the cheapest VI that meets spec. I have also seen similar things with factory Toyota trans fluid. The factory fill goes dark much quicker than the full syn aftermarket fluids.

Most, maybe all, trans fluid has a rust inhibitor. So I doubt Dex-VI has any less/more, let alone causes any issues.

Just use a good full Syn Dex-VI speced fluid every 30k and you should be good.


DEXRON-VI has no deviation available in the base oils, the Valvoline is claiming full synthetic on Group 3 oils, it's the same as Supertech with a limited supplier group providing the base oils they might come from a different supplier but have to fall within the same performance category and it's fairly stringent. This is of course for actual GM licensed DexronVI not multi vehicle fluids.

 

[HOG]

I could not find ANY full synthetic Dexron VI up here in Canada in any of our local stores. Walmarts carry a "generic" ATF thats for multivehicle, which I've heard could cause major issues. My vehicle uses Dex VI, and thats what I wanted.

Our local Canadian Tires have - among many brands, most of multi vehicle, Mobil which is available in different flavors (ATF+4, ATF D/M, etc) and Mobil Dex VI which is a blend. I have never seen Valvoline Full Syn ATF. This may be available in specialty shops, but then you would be paying a premium also.... I picked up the Mobil Dex VI, although a blend, looked like the best stuff I could get locally.

 

[Jimzz]

Originally Posted By: HOG
I could not find ANY full synthetic Dexron VI up here in Canada in any of our local stores. Walmarts carry a "generic" ATF thats for multivehicle, which I've heard could cause major issues. My vehicle uses Dex VI, and thats what I wanted.

Our local Canadian Tires have - among many brands, most of multi vehicle, Mobil which is available in different flavors (ATF+4, ATF D/M, etc) and Mobil Dex VI which is a blend. I have never seen Valvoline Full Syn ATF. This may be available in specialty shops, but then you would be paying a premium also.... I picked up the Mobil Dex VI, although a blend, looked like the best stuff I could get locally.



You mean Supertech? If it says it meets Dex-VI spec then it should be fine.
I use Valvoline Maxlife in my Cadillac CTS and it works fine. In fact it held up better than the factory stuff in my old CTS. My newer CTS the fluid looked ok at 40k when I drained it.

 

[merconvvv]

ya i dont think there is full synthetic dexron 6 even though bottles say so.
Not valvoline. Not ac delco.

After a headache i settled on mobil semi syn dex 6.

I think if the spec allowed it mobil wud have it. They do not have shortage of anything

 

[HOG]

Originally Posted By: Jimzz



You mean Supertech? If it says it meets Dex-VI spec then it should be fine.
I use Valvoline Maxlife in my Cadillac CTS and it works fine. In fact it held up better than the factory stuff in my old CTS. My newer CTS the fluid looked ok at 40k when I drained it.


Walmart Canada has changed their house brand fluids name to "Tune It". Pretty LAME if you ask me. Super Tech - although not really that impressive either, sounds better then Tune It. The Tune-It fluids at ALL my local Walmarts are multivehicle and most are for cars that use Dex III. They do not carry a dedicated Dexron VI fluid. I have come across some Maxlife at our Walmart, but that too is a multivehicle ATF.

I agree with the last poster who said that Dexron VI may not actually be a FULL synthetic fluid, as Mobil would likely have it. I know Valvoline says full syn, but who knows. I know my vehicle calls for Dex VI, so thats what I want to put in it. If it called for something generic, fits all, then I'd be glad to put something in like MaxLife. I'm no expert on all the specifics of what makes up ATF, so I'll just use whats called for.

 

[merconvvv]

Ya i did not feel comfy in multi veh. Fluid for my sis 2016 equinox that calls for dex vi. Warranty plus specific fluids at same price.

Mobil dex 6 cost me about 5.50 bucks delivered to my front door.

 

[merconvvv]

I had started a thread last week re dex 6. Two well known members reported black atf dex vi after about 30k miles post factory fill.
Not too comforting.
I am doing 2016 equinox atf drain and fill with less than 20k miles on the odometer after bad experience with honda atf

Factory fill mercon v after 160k miles was not black and i think that was semi syn or such in 1999 but not sure. Could be newer poorly designed transmissions or atf or both !!

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: i_hate_autofraud


Did you have any shift issues?

Could you change the tranny filter?





No issues at all . Car had ~ 30000 miles on it at the time .

No , I did not change the filter . From what I read , that requires you to pull the transmission and split the 2 case halves ? Not a DIY procedure , at least for an old fat man .

Here is part of my thought process . I figure any mechanical device such as a transmission or engine is going to experience accelerated wear at the initial " break in " process ( first 5 , 10 , 15 thousand miles ? ) . Due to " burrs " and slight roughness of parts moving against each other . Since I can not replace the filter DIY , I am hoping an early drain & re-fill will help prevent these " wear participial " from getting locked away in the filter . Is this a correct plan / procedure / thought process ? I do not know .

I plan to do an engine oil / filter change in the next few days . Thinking of doing another ATF drain & fill . Since the 1st one replaced , maybe , 1/2 the total amount of fluid . ( Considering the fluid in the torque converter , that does not drain out ) . It has been 4000 - 6000 miles since the previous drain & fill .

By the way , this transmission does not have a dip stick . :-(

Thumbs down for GM ! :-(

Thanks ,
God bless
Wyr

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: Jimzz
Yea Dexron VI can be a semi-syn fluid. Many aftermarket Dex-VI is a full syn like Valvoline for example. So I bet most Dex-VI from the factory is the cheapest VI that meets spec. I have also seen similar things with factory Toyota trans fluid. The factory fill goes dark much quicker than the full syn aftermarket fluids.

Most, maybe all, trans fluid has a rust inhibitor. So I doubt Dex-VI has any less/more, let alone causes any issues.

Just use a good full Syn Dex-VI speced fluid every 30k and you should be good.


I was some what dubious of the rust inhibitor explanation .

Yes , reading the labels , I have seen blend & full synthetic GM Dex 6 .

Kind of like GM spec Dexos engine oil . I have seen labels that indicate blend or full synthetic ( " after market " brands ) . Do not know about GM brand Dexos ?

I have used Mobil full synthetic Dexos in the engine . Although I purchased 24 quarts of NAPA 5W30 full synthetic , when it was on sale .

Thanks ,
God bless
Wyr

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: HOG
I could not find ANY full synthetic Dexron VI up here in Canada in any of our local stores. Walmarts carry a "generic" ATF thats for multivehicle, which I've heard could cause major issues. My vehicle uses Dex VI, and thats what I wanted.

Our local Canadian Tires have - among many brands, most of multi vehicle, Mobil which is available in different flavors (ATF+4, ATF D/M, etc) and Mobil Dex VI which is a blend. I have never seen Valvoline Full Syn ATF. This may be available in specialty shops, but then you would be paying a premium also.... I picked up the Mobil Dex VI, although a blend, looked like the best stuff I could get locally.





Can you order from USA sources , through Amazon ?

God bless
Wyr

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: HOG
Originally Posted By: Jimzz



You mean Supertech? If it says it meets Dex-VI spec then it should be fine.
I use Valvoline Maxlife in my Cadillac CTS and it works fine. In fact it held up better than the factory stuff in my old CTS. My newer CTS the fluid looked ok at 40k when I drained it.


Walmart Canada has changed their house brand fluids name to "Tune It". Pretty LAME if you ask me. Super Tech - although not really that impressive either, sounds better then Tune It. The Tune-It fluids at ALL my local Walmarts are multivehicle and most are for cars that use Dex III. They do not carry a dedicated Dexron VI fluid. I have come across some Maxlife at our Walmart, but that too is a multivehicle ATF.

I agree with the last poster who said that Dexron VI may not actually be a FULL synthetic fluid, as Mobil would likely have it. I know Valvoline says full syn, but who knows. I know my vehicle calls for Dex VI, so thats what I want to put in it. If it called for something generic, fits all, then I'd be glad to put something in like MaxLife. I'm no expert on all the specifics of what makes up ATF, so I'll just use whats called for.




Our Walmarts , in the USA , allow you to order on line & have it delivered to your local store . Freight free . This gives you choices beyond what you see on the shelf . ( I think Walmart is trying to capture some of the Amazon customers / market share ? ) Can you do this in Canada ?

God bless
Wyr

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: merconvvv
I had started a thread last week re dex 6. Two well known members reported black atf dex vi after about 30k miles post factory fill.
Not too comforting.
I am doing 2016 equinox atf drain and fill with less than 20k miles on the odometer after bad experience with honda atf

Factory fill mercon v after 160k miles was not black and i think that was semi syn or such in 1999 but not sure. Could be newer poorly designed transmissions or atf or both !!


Yes , I think I read your thread .




Thanks

After we purchased the Chevy Sonic , I started researching transmission drain / fill . Found a you tube video of someone checking fluid level on a Sonic ( no dip stick ! ) . He removed the second / opper drain plug . Fluid oozed out . So fluid lever was fine , but the fluid was black .

I left a comment that with the looks of the fluid , I would do a drain & fill . His reply was he had been told this is " normal " on a Sonic .

I am not real confident in that answer .

God bless
Wyr

 

[MolaKule]

I would say this is not normal.

If my fluid was black, I would continue to do drain and refills until it cleared up.

 

[HOG]

Originally Posted By: WyrTwister

Can you order from USA sources , through Amazon ?

God bless
Wyr


Not worth it IMO. The shipping to Canada, from practically anywhere is usually outrageous. I have found another parts store which seems to be able to order specialty fluids and other automotive stuff at somewhat reasonable prices - albeit I've only used them once to order some Amsoil gear fluid. It would be easier to have them order and I pick up.

As far as ordering from Walmart online and having them deliver to the store, I DID browse their website, and noticed they do have some things not available IN-store which was nice, but nothing spectacular. As I said, I was looking for gear oil just a while ago, and Walmart only has Tune-It brand and it wasn't the right grade. Online they have Pennzoil gear oil, available by the CASE (12pcs) for over $200! Decent price for good quality, but seeing as I only needed 1-2 quarts, it wasn't something I could use.

They need to up their game as far as online ordering goes if they want to compete with Amazon or any other dedicated online retailers.

 

[4WD]

Indeed - my Cruze dumps 4 quarts of 9 - and it looked better each time but back to normal after round 3 ...
It's just a drain plug - filter is for overhauling tech only

 

[merconvvv]

So amazon does ship free if say order exceeds 50 dollars ?

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: 4WD
Indeed - my Cruze dumps 4 quarts of 9 - and it looked better each time but back to normal after round 3 ...
It's just a drain plug - filter is for overhauling tech only

I think it has the same tranny as the Sonic . Seems like I added about 4-1/2 quarts .

What brand of fluid did you use ?

Yes , I read you must remove the tranny & split thcase to change the filter . :-( And no dip stick !

Thanks,
Wyr
God bless