I bought a 2015 MDX with 31k miles from a local Ford dealer. I asked them to do a transmission fluid change. After the change, I found they used 4 quarts Wolf's Head Synthetic ATF. I read its a "universal" oil that covers DW-1. They didn't replace the Dif and transfer case oil, which I actually just had changed at Acura. Now I'm thinking whether or not I should have had them put in '"proper" acura/honda ATF..
Have any of you guys used it? Would you let it go 30k miles with the Wolf's Head?
Thanks

 

I would stick with the DW-1 fluid. Others will probably disagree but I think the DW-1 is a safe move.

 

DW-1 is the only way to go, the so-called "Universal" fluids aren't. If you read the language on the universal products they say they are "recommend" or "suggested" for (numerous applications), but they do not contain the key words "Certified to meet DW-1 specifications".

The thing most folks don't understand is manufacturers build their transmissions to expect a very specific Coefficient Of Friction (COF); if the COF is too "slippery" and the clutches slip and wear out prematurely, too "grippy" and the clutches grab too quickly and transmit shock through the transmission and the rest of the drive train. Either way, the transmission will fail sooner than if it had the correct ATF put in.

Two additional points:

• Regardless of the viscosity and/or quality of the base oil, COF is the single most important component of an ATF for one's automatic transmission.
• The one exception to all of the above is if the transmission has been rebuilt using different material for the clutch packs and the manufacturer of said aftermarket clutch packs recommends a different ATF.

 

Yes, absolutely you can go 30K miles without changing it. You've only change about a third of the total trans capacity.

There is no aftermarket Honda certified ATF. Honda doesn't lend, sell, or license out it's DW1 ATF. The good news is the ATF doesn't need Honda Certification for it to meet Honda DW1 viscometrixs. All the aftermarket manufacturer needs to do is reverse engineer the ATF to know what's in it and produce the same or similar formula as Honda DW1 and rebrand it as their own. Valvoline Maxlife full synthetic is a good example.

As far as universal ATF goes, that's common practice in the oil industry. The ATF is not made to a specific transmission. It's the other way around. The trans is made to a specific ATF standard. Such as Dex, Merc, Type A, Type F, LV, etc.

It's no different than motor oil. 5-20W motor oil is use by virtually all car manufacturers. Nobody that knows anything would be stupid enough to say that using a universal motor oil is not recommended because it's not certified by a certain vehicle manufacturer... LOL

 

Thanks everyone for the advice. Spoke with service manager and he said I can go either way although (of course) he recommended switching to Honda oil.. I had a bunch of other things done to make sure I'm up to 30k mile service requirements so he said he'd replace the transmission oil for $80.. So I did. Didn't notice anything different in shifting, but at least it won't be a question mark should something go wrong down the road. Thanks everyone!

 

It's good that you had the ATF changed. The tranny in the 14s and 15s (includes back to the 12s actually) run hotter than designed, so the intervals either need to be shortened or the ATF needs to have a TSB applied to decrease the operating temperature. Otherwise, you will experience a fluttering on the tach.

 

i had the TSB "fluid changed" at 27k, when 42K my transmission was acting up again, so this time i changed at 43k miles.
a thing i learn that i'll change my transmission fluid with EVERY ENGINE oil change.

 

I wonder if installing the transmission cooler for towing would help with the heat..

 

The specs for the Wolfs Head fluid do claim to meet DW-1 specs. (http://www.wolfshead.com/assets/3b_w...atf-030515.pdf)

Personally, I wouldn't trust it, and would rather go with genuine Honda DW-1. Transmissions are picky!

 

To be literal, the make no such a claim; what they say is, "...we are now able to recommend..." and "...suitable for use..."; this is pretty standard language for the companies which do not go through the extra step of having their ATF certified for use in certain applications.

Like you I wouldn't trust this stuff in any vehicle.

 

I'm also a strong believer in the DW-1 vs. anything you'd ever buy at an auto parts store. Having said that, I did a 3x3 flush of my Honda Pilot's tranny with the Valvoline Maxlife ATF when I first purchased it (and didn't know better) and it ran fine. I've since done two of the regular 1x3 drain and refills with DW-1 and haven't noticed a huge difference. Despite that, I only stick to the DW-1 now.

I decided to experiment with the Redline Racing and Lightweight Racing ATF's in about a 1:1:1 ratio with DW-1. I've been pretty happy with it in the TL. It shifts more abruptly due to less friction modifiers normally found in the DW-1. A lot of the 3G TL guys have run it for years and have had good results. No failures or anything like that. It just changes the characteristic of shifting to a more stiff shift rather than smooth. Theoretically that would actually be better since it results in clutches grabbing quicker, reducing the amount of clutch wear. I'll probably stick with that for now. It seems to have only done good things to the transmission.

Edit - I've only used the Redline/DW-1 mixture on the TL. I don't see a reason to use it on the Pilot.

 

DW-1 or bust...

 

"this is pretty standard language for the companies which do not go through the extra step of having their ATF certified for use in certain applications"

What is the name of this extra step of Certification that you are referring to?

 

Uhhh, "certification". Here's an example of a certified to be compatible and a licensed and approved ATF:

• https://www.valvoline.com/our-produc...products/atf-4

 

That's excellent if this was a Chrysler forum but it's not so what does that have to do with Acura/Honda DW1?

Again, what is the name of this extra step of Certification that you are referring to?

 

Okay, I'm done here; nothing anybody says will convince you, so carry on in your ignorance.

 

So I'm ignorant because I don't understand why people like you like to make shit up?