wddwndrr

I'm due for a ATF fluid change according to my dashboard. I have a new-to-me '13 RDX AWD at 62000 miles. This will be my first ATF change.

I have read some good things about Valvoline Max/Derc so I'm considering taking that specific fluid to either an Acura dealer / local mechanic. I would like to hear if a few more people here have had experience with Valvoline ATF fluid?

The user manual is very specific about using genuine ATF DW1 and not mixing that fluid with another type.

Assuming, the previous ATF fluid was genuine Acura fluid, is there anything special that needs to be done before I switch? A full flush?

snorf

I went over 30k on my '16 RDX a couple months ago. I ordered Acura ATF from amazon and did the drain and fill in my garage. Personally, I would not consider using anything else. Honda has a long (well deserved) history of transmission problems and I don't think it's worth the risk of going against their recommendations. I say this as a guy who bought a 2000 accord new and had the original plus three rebuilt transmissions in the car before hitting 85k miles (1998-2002 was one of the year groups with lots of problems). I never flushed the transmission in the car as I never made it to 30k miles on a transmission.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

Kudos for changing your ATF. Is this your first change? If so, I'd consider making it a more frequent habit. I personally change mine every 10-15K. Some think that's excessive but like snorf eluded to, transmissions aren't exactly Honda's strong point. With ATF it's all about contamination and the fluids chemical breakdown due to heat, which diminishes it's wear resistance and viscosity. Since that's a relatively linear process, changing more frequently will undoubtedly extend the life of your transmission. If you intend on keeping the car for a few hundred thousand miles, I think it's critical to keep up on it. Changing the fluid more often is easy and cheap insurance to keep it running - even if you have to pay a shop to do it (which is kind of silly since it's not much harder than an oil change.....).

So here's my suggestions and experience on the topic:

1. Do not flush the transmission. The dealer might have the correct equipment to do a flush. But because it's generally not needed it's very likely they won't. A proper flush on a Honda or Acura transmission consists of hooking a hose to the inlet to the transmission while collecting the other fluid from the outlet. This way air never enters the transmission system. Never do one of those powerflushes on a Honda or Acura at a transmission shop. Those flushes can introduce air into the system and kill the transmission. There are a number of guys on here who inadvertently did that thinking it would be a good thing and ended up killing their transmission in just a matter of a few miles afterward. They're great for a Ford pickup. Not so with Hondas.

2. You can never go wrong with the DW-1. Based on a ton of usage on both older Honda/Acura vehicles (which originally ran on the old Z1 fluid) as well as current Honda/Acura vehicles, the stuff has been shown to be pretty top notch. It's not like there's been some extensive study to show it's better or worse than aftermarket stuff, but there's no doubt that it's very good quality, full synthetic fluid.

3. I've used the Valvoline Maxlife for about 30K miles now and have found it to behave pretty much exactly the same as DW-1. I switched because of the numerous positive reviews on bobistheoilguy.com. Everything from Jaguars to Hondas to Hummers seem to really like the stuff. There are dozens of Honda/Acura owners who have used it and I've not read one negative review. I specifically recall mention of Pilots, Civics, TLX's and MDX's - all with stellar feedback. However, I don't believe it's an approved fluid. If you take it into the dealer they'll very likely refuse to use it, and will probably tell you that it will void the warranty (if you have a warranty left). Regardless, the proof is in the pudding. I switched at 130K miles on my 2012 TL and now have 168K. Still runs as well as the day I bought it with no increase of clutch pack material on the magnetic ATF pan plug. I disassembled the ATF filter during my last change and there was very little material there as well. So apparently it's just as good than the DW-1 is at preventing excess wear. Unfortunately the only metrics you can really use to determine a good fluid are transmission behavior and material in the filter and on the magnetic plug. Although I wonder if Blackstone can do some sort of test. I dunno.....Anyway, I digress. The Valvoline fluid specifically targets the "long-life" crowd. Not the high performance crowd like Redline or Amsoil (which I've also used). Long life is what I'm looking for so I'm going with it for now. Oh, as a bonus, it's also way cheaper than DW-1. About $18 for 5 qts. at Walmart. You'll usually pay around $8-$10 a qt. for the DW-1.

4. Lastly, Mixing the DW-1 and Valvoline (should you choose to go with Valvoline) will not hurt the transmission. The two are already very similar in composition when you look at the MSDS for both. I've done two drain/refills of the ATF in my TL which would mean I've replaced around half of the fluid with Valvoline if you do the math. Runs great.

Anyway, I hope that helps you make an educated decision.

jjrphs

MaxLife Dex/Merc Full Synthetic is the only ATF I use in the transmissions of my personal Honda "fleet." I've used it with success across 9 Honda vehicles now (12 total) with a total mileage of almost 500,000 miles. I perform my own routine vehicle services and typically perform an initial transmission drain/fill x3 and a drain/fill at 30k miles thereafter.

Here's a thread I started where I post more in depth of its use and installation of a S-VCM Controller in our newly purchased 13 RDX-Tech earlier this year

2013 RDX-TECH AWD - MaxLife ATF + S-VCM Controller

Good luck!

auskip07

41k miles per car? Thats not exactly pushing the wear limits Do you take any car past 100k or 200k?

In my experience i encounter trans problems in cars around the 180k - 220k mile marks

But only 3 vehicles with 573,000 miles between them

jjrphs

Well past 500k today. Regardless, not a simple 500,000 divided 12...and not miles from new. I buy quality used and keep for the long term...at least that's what I've been doing since I've been paying dual tuitions for the past 7 years. Yes, I have Hondas now and in the past which had >200k miles.

The extremes in my current fleet are my newest acquisition (11 Civic sedan, bought with 139k miles on the odo) has only a few thousand miles on its MaxLife drain/fill x4...while the 04 Honda Element (225k on the odo) has had MaxLife in the transmission for >135,000 miles.

HTH