I have been reading on this forum a great deal and had a question on the ATF. The care I used to own had a shelf life on the ATF fluid, i.e. 3 years. My new car has 30K on it, but is 4 years old know. Should, I do a drain and fill during my next oil change (35K with OEM fluid)? If I am down there draining my oil and replacing the filter anyway....I can't see why not considering ATF is 20.00 for 4 quarts. Does this ATF have a shelf life I should be fully aware?

TIA

 

Look in the owner's manual for the interval for ATF. I doubt that the ATF has a shelf life. It certainly will not hurt to change the ATF earlier than recommended.

 

Well, the car didn't come with a manual, but I downloaded a copy when I ordered the car. I know the manual asks for it at 60K, but that is not the question I asked. All oil (motor, PS and ATF) has a shelf life and it isn't listed in any documents.

 

I don't agree with you that all hydraulic fluids have a shelf life, but that's a separate issue. You car has a maintenance information system ("Maintenance Minder", or MM), and it will tell you when it's time to change the AT fluid (and oil changes, and tire rotation, and coolant change, etc). And the interval for a first change is actually 120K miles or 6 years (on the 04 and 05's anyway). It also came up on the MM in my wife's 07 at around 120K. I don't have a problem with changing it earlier, but at 30K or 35K miles, in my opinion, that would just be a waste of time, energy, and ATF. The fluids have a pretty long life in the TSX (as recommended anyway), with oil changes usually between 6k and 8K miles, AT and/or MT fluid at around 120K, coolant at around 120K, brake fluid at every 3 years regardless of mileage (you maybe should be thinking about that), That's really about it. There's no recommended service for the PS fluid or clutch fluid (though it wouldn't hurt to change those). I can't speak for the clutch fluid, but changing the PS fluid is pretty easy.

 

Oh, and if you do decide to change the AT fluid, be sure to use Honda ATF. I know they all say that, but you really do need to use their fluid to get the best performance and service life out of the transmision.

 

Thank you for that information and have read many of your posts of different item with the TSX...So thank you for helping me learn as well. The only thing that has me thinking otherwise is Honda has the same tranny as us in their civic line...yet they have in their manuals change every 30K. Same ATF and pretty much the same setup. I saw this crap in the Audi/VW line with their lifetime fluid and on the bottle dispite all manuals it has a 3 year shelf life. Guess what came out 6 years later after the line was out...they changed the tranny guide lines.

I find it hard to eat that any oil (syn/dyno) can last longer then 3 to 4 years. I also find it hard from the fact I can't find anything on a tranny filter. I plan on loving this car for a long time and hate to have the tranny blow out cause I used the dealer book that was made with the car..at the time the car was made.... I could be dead wrong. but those two items above have me thinking about this isssue more then a dealer that will charge me an arm and a leg to repair at 100K.

 

FYI....I called and talked with my dealership and Acura Warranty department and found this helpful information for others. You can use Amsoil ATF or other ATF that have the Z1 rating spec on the bottle. Due to the Magnuson-Moss Act of 1975 any ATF or Oil that meets or beats the OEM spec's have to be covered under warranty.

Second important fact that is coming...Z1 will being removed from the line. DW-1 is the new OEM (syn not dyon) that is replacing the Z1 fluid. They already have it in the Honda USA and Japan line...Acura will be changing shortly.

 

I did the changeover to the DW-1 a couple of months ago. Its definitely smoother shifting; I would recommend it.

 

While it is certainly true you can use Amsoil, if you do have a problem with the transmission and they find out that you didn't use OEM fluid, they may ask you to pay the cost of finding out the root cause of the problem. The reason a dealer can ask you for the money upfront is that there is a chance that Honda may deny the dealership the claim if the cause was from the fluid used. Keep this in mind before making this decision.

If you have spare money to take this chance go for it, I would stick with the OEM stuff.

 

I too was skeptical at Honda's insistence about using only their ATF, but I've read enough stuff here to push me toward using only Honda fluid. You can (and will of course) use whatever you're comfortable with. And.... if you feel that it's time to change the ATF regardless of mileage, then by all means do it. It's a relatively cheap job (especially if you do it yourself) and it can't hurt.

I know that Honda is changing their ATF, and I'd assume that the dealers have the new stuff. That said, we've gone well over 100K miles on both of our TSX's using the older ATF, so I'm wondering about changing now. Not a concern for someone with so few miles though.

 

Hmm...I did not think about that piece and thank you greatly for bring that up.

 

Well, owning a VW and having to spend my tax return every year for the 8 years I own it to keep it on the road. I am not used to a car like this one.... My thinking is one I trust syn oils due to how they worked in other cars. Secondly, 30.00 for peace of mind is far better to me and if I am down there changing the oil...why not. Now, I am leaning towards DW-1 or Amsoil ATF, which I have used and seen great things from. However, keeping the warranty in a must and leaning towards the DW-1.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions for I have learned much in this topic.

 

+1. I did too.

 

+2 I did this over the weekend and Wow. The change was felt and enjoy the shifting with just a drain of 3 quarts. I am looking forwaard to changing more out with the DW-1 during my oil change next month.

 

I did the 3x drain and refill just because my oil was brown and smelly @52k miles. I am the second owner so I have no idea what the previous owner did (Judging by the condition of the engine and cabin air filter, I would say not much) so I tried to possibly get most of the old fluid out plus you get the full benefit if all fluid is Dw-1.

I don't know if I will do the 3x method again. At the third drainage, oil was coming out red and clean, unlike the first two times.

 

Keep in mind the service intervals are given and say to service every 100k are for normal driving conditions. I have always personally felt that it is very rare that someone actually drives in normal driving conditions as it is defined in the owner's manual, especially living in Southern California. So I think it has a lot to do with your driving style. At my shop I have seen fluid look and smell burnt on cars with less than 20k on them so it varies. It definitely can't hurt to do it early though.

 

yeah you can use OEM stuff, Amsoil (my choice), and Redline i hear makes some good stuff also

 

I've had Amsoil in for 30k miles now. Except for the slightly softer shifting I haven't noticed anything deleterious.

http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/atf.aspx

 

Of course everyone is welcome to use whatever they want, but I'm just curious why the urge to not use the Honda fluid.

 

Im about to do a drain and fill this weekend. Does anyone see any harm in mixing the new Synthetic Honda ATF in with the existing non syn ATF?

 

Have a look here:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...52#Post2348552

 

I have a question. Would it make a difference whether I go to a Honda Dealer or an Acura Dealer to have my ATF changed?

 

The only difference might be the price. The Honda dealer may (or may not) be cheaper. You could try calling first.

 

Thanks. I just got a quote from bother dealer. Honda Dealer = 89.99 and from Acura Dealer = 189 Honda Dealer it is.

 

189 for a tranny fluid change from Acura does not sound right. I usually get quoted $89-120, depending on which Acura dealer I call.

 

I just paid $90 today for a MTF change, for what it's worth.

 

1) ATF and nearly every lubricant DOES have a shelf life, or life in use. That time is generally 3 years from the date of manufacture. It isn't the base oil that begins to degrade, it is the additive package. There are exceptions, but very few.

2) You can definitely use ANY fluid that meets or exceeds the technical specifications of DW-1 and you can go anywhere you like for service (including DIY). However, the Honda/Acura fluids are specificallly designed for our vehicles and I highly recommend them.

3) DW-1 and Z-1 can be mixed, but the combination will lean toward the lowest denominator (meaning you may not see the benefits of the improved formula. Of course, for 2011 and 2012 vehicles, you must use DW-1 or an technical equivalent.

Remember that any non-OEM fluid will raise questions if you have a warranty claim. IMO, it doesn't make sense to go there. Why not at least wait until the factory warranty (and an extended warranty, if so blessed) has expired.