Hello - we purchased a new 2021 Acura RDX Advance Package AWD last year. I am trying to figure out what type of transmission fluid is required. This is my first Acura. I figure I would try to drain/fill when the time comes.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rdx-...-level-978726/

 

Thank you for the link and service procedure. Looks like its Acura/Honda ATF Type 2.0.

 

I can't believe the aftermarket still hasn't come out with an alternative yet.

 

Yeah no kidding. I was looking a Mobil and Amsoil and didn't see any compatible alternatives.

 

Why do you want an aftermarket fluid? What, to save two bucks? Transmission fluid is a very complex blend. The fluid is engineered to perform together with the internal parts of the transmission. One should also consider that the fluid needs to be 100% compatible with with every piece in the internals of the transmission. This is especially critical for the seals, gaskets and clutches in the transmission, not to mention modern transmissions have lots of internal wiring who's insulation also has to be compatible with the fluid. Add to this that in a normal transmission oil change you are only replacing PART of the fluid. There is still a lot of the former fluid left in the torque converter and other parts of the transmission. If you use non OEM oil there is always a risk of running into compatibility issues which could case serious (as in very expensive) damage to internal parts. Sometimes parts like internal seals will dissolve in the wrong fluid. We have seen clutch plates fall apart from the wrong oil. We have seen torque converter clutches that get really grabby from the wrong fluid resulting in chatter and rough operation. Some fluids actually have additives to control just how much friction exists between parts, often to help with smoothing out shifts. Transmission fluid has a lot of additives to help it do its job properly.A car maker spends a lot of time working out the exact formula to work properly with its transmission. It is just common sense to stick with the fluid that was specifically engineered for that vehicle's transmission. To do otherwise could put you at potential risk of poor operation or a shortened service life.
But, its your car.....

 

I call it BS, Acura probably uses the same fluid you can buy in the store but would not state that its compatible with other fluids. For reasons that are unknown to us, one can always speculate that they have some special ingredient. We will never know, so as a safe choice one would go with Acura ATF.

 

With all due respect you do have some limits on your knowledge of transmission fluids. Its understandable as few are transmission engineers that design this stuff. In my work for a couple of the largest car makers in the world my co-workers and myself had to deal with this subject as we worked with the dealerships, the field service engineers and the dealership service people as they had to cope with customer transmission complaints. Transmission fluid is very much formulated to the transmission it is intended for. There are some fluids that will work in more than one brand of vehicles due to those car makers using the same general materials in the construction of their transmission. Also there are companies, such as ZF and Aisin which supply transmission parts and whole assemblies to OEM manufacturers.
Often each manufacture of cars needs to "customize" the blend of the fluid to get the desired "Feel" they want in shifting and to be compatible with the parts they use in their individual transmission. There is a lot of engineering that goes into that. In the industry we saw the results of using the "wrong" fluid in certain transmissions as we had to deal with customer complaints from the field.
There are differences in transmission fluid and using the incorrect fluid can and does cause real world issues. To say otherwise is BS or just simply not understanding how things work.

 

Absolutely wrong again……….Acura like everyone else these days is buying ZF a transmissions for the 8-9-10 speeds…….so ZF is setting the standards and supplies the ATF. Obviously Acura/HONDA is approving and testing, model performance specifications.

Even when Acura/HONDA was manufacturing their own transmissions ( 3-5-6 speeds) the ATF was some what special…….wrong ATF caused shift quality issues. TC shutter and other unpleasant features.

Just like GM and Ford ATF years ago was NOT the same even when both were red.

 

ZF transmission, isnt this a last generation 9sp?
We have no proof that you have to use acura fluid in these 10sp transmissions other than what we are told by owner manual. The problem is that we dont know which after market fluid is compatible, but I am sure it exists.

 

Where is the proof that Acura ATF fluid in 10sp can not be substituted by specific after market fluid? I am not saying any fluid, or cheap fluid. Lets talk about 10sp, instead of some old transmission. If you know something specific about Honda ATF fluid for 10sp, tell us instead of talking about your experiences in automotive industry.

 

https://www.amsoil.com/p/oe-fuel-eff...ion-fluid-otl/

Honda/Acura DW-1*, Type 3.0.


Its a matter of time before we have after market for 10sp

 

First, its not a ZF transmission, its a Honda design built in Ohio.
"Honda’s 10AT is notable as being the first planetary automatic transmission manufactured by the automaker, officials from the company say at the 2017 SAE World Congress Experience here. The 10AT is a 100% in-house design and development, Tom Sladek, principal transmission engineer for the new Odyssey, tells media here"

Second: .Amsoil claims their transmission fluid works in a long list of various manufacture's transmissions. Of course they make that claim, they have a product to sell. BUT, I stand by what I have said, the only way to be 100% certain if a fluid is completely compatible is to use the same product that the manufacture recommends. You may put anything you want in your vehicle. And, maybe, or maybe not, an aftermarket product will be safe to use. My work experience in the industry was that the safest approach to avoiding problems was to use the same product that the engineers did all of those millions of miles of testing with. If you wish to do something different that is your personal choice.

Honda/Acura warranty issues: Honda/Acura (as well as most manufactures) can deny a warranty claim if an aftermarket product is used in your vehicle during the warranty coverage. It would seem very prudent that at least during your warranty coverage that you would use the recommended Honda/Acura fluid if for no other reason than to maintain the factory warranty coverage. Once she is out of warranty it on you.

The short and simple is that the safe approach is always to use the factory approved product. What does one actually gain by using something else?

 

As I thought, you dont have any specific technical information about ATF 2.0 that is used in this Honda 10sp transmission which makes it unique.

I am very well aware or warranty implications.
As far as possibility that no after market fluid is good enough, this is something that we dont know, and just pure speculation.

 

Maybe re-read my original post:

“For reasons that are unknown to us, one can always speculate that they have some special ingredient. We will never know, so as a safe choice one would go with Acura ATF”

 

Yea, I have no worries that a reputable aftermarket fluid company wouldn't come out with something as good if not better than ATF 2.0. Just because Honda makes the transmission doesn't mean they're the end all be all. In fact, it's more than likely Honda contracted a major fluid company to formulate the oil for them to meet certain specs in the first place. I mean, fluid specs/ratings are available for a reason, and so long as something meets those standards, there's no issue using that over the factory filled fluid.

Saving a few bucks per quart doesn't hurt either, especially if you're doing the 3-refill technique that is popular amongst Honda transmissions. 15qts x $3-4 a quart savings ... I wouldn't mind spending that on a couple steaks instead. I'll likely just change it every 10k miles though. Still, works out to be about the same over a 30k interval.

 

Do you have the shop manual for your RDX? I have a 2020 and the dealer said they charge 299.00 for just the transmission. Do they do a drain and refill or do they do a flush? The service guy didn't know. My previous RDX(2018) it was a simple drain and refill.....but the 18 had a transmission dipstick. I did it twice. It would be nice to see what the shop maintenance says. I just need an excerpt for transmission service. Couldn't find anything from an internet search.

 

I do not have a shop manual. Would be interested if there is one to purchase however.

 

I am LOL as why bother with all the nonsense of when to do this or that maintenance. Save yourselves some trouble and just go by what the maintenance minder says what and when something’s due. Works like a charm.

 

And then do what? Take it to the dealer and get hosed, and learn nothing how your vehicle is maintained? I'm thinking it's just a simple drain and refill,,,but not entirely sure.

 

Why not just don't change it if you're going to worry about $2-3/quart difference? Save the whole expense and just skip out on that.

 

Didn't realize this would be such a lively topic. In general I like to do my own maintenance on my vehicles. One I enjoy the work, two in most cases you can find better products that exist in the aftermarket than what came with the vehicle, and three you have some confidence that the job is done correctly. I have no problem paying more for fluids if they can be demonstrated as a better product.

 

So your reasoning is to use factory fluid only, even despite the alternative meeting or exceeding the very specifications set by the manufacturer, or don't replace the fluid at all. I hope you only use Acura engine oil too, otherwise why even bother changing the oil.

 

Based on my experience owning Hondas since 1976, it tends to be a bad idea to put non-Honda transmission fluid in them unless you're going to run the vehicle less than about 80,000 miles.

 

The saga with bad Honda 5AT transmissions in early 2000 was not related to wrong fluid, it was a bad design.

 

Hey, it's a thread about oil. They always provoke long and lively discussions. Probably as bad as religion or politics.

 

Wait, what???? We are supposed to put oil in our cars? Why is this the first time I’ve heard of this nonsense?? LOL

 

My reasoning is that people in this thread don't even know what transmission is in their vehicle and are trying to save a buck or "find the better fluid" for it like transmission fluid = engine oil. They should not tamper with this.

 

This is literally in violation of the Magnusson-Moss Act. Yes, if you're going to, "hurrr, ATF is red right? I just put some of dat dere red stuff in the tranny and now it don't shift so good'm" ... then yes, they can tell you to pound sand. But, if you're using fluid that meets or exceeds the specifications of the fluid set by the manufacturer themselves, and service intervals were followed, the manufacturer cannot void warranty claim for using a non-factory labeled fluid. This is literally the very purpose of Magnusson-Moss ... not like other idiots who think they can throw a Stage 2 tune on their cars, destroy their turbos, flash back to stock and then scream "Magnusson-Moss!" when the dealer refuses warranty work because they can see the ECU was tampered with.


Nobody is trying to find a better fluid. We desire an aftermarket alternative that meets specifications to be used in the transmission and hopefully save a few bucks in the process. It's a win:win. Regular service intervals are equally as important as the fluid itself, so changing more frequently with fluid meeting the standards of the factory fluid would only be beneficial. There is no "tampering" ...

WEPP-BRPBG3.pdf (castrol.com)

Find a fluid that meets specs set by your manufacturer for your specific transmission. Just like engine oil, there are ratings/specifications for transmission fluid that make it compatible with specific transmissions.



So, this thread prompted me to do a little digging.

Just as I thought, Honda doesn't make their own fluids. DW-1 was manufactured by Idemitsu. ATF 2.0 is manufactured by JX Nippon Oil & Energy which owns Eneos. Ironically, I remember my dad trying to give me some Eneos full syn engine oil that he got from a supplier because it was a lot cheaper than Mobil 1. I never heard of the brand so I rejected it. I probably shouldn't have been so quick to turn the stuff away.

 

Honda is notorious for pushing their own fluids, including brake fluid which can just be DOT3. I just dont know if they make their transmission fluid specs publicly available for others manufactures to produce aftermarket.