Tranny and diff oil .....

[Dac]

Hi to all,
So i emailed Red Line,Mobil and Amsoil regarding the substitute of Honda's own oils,you'll be surprised to find out just how easy would be to wreck you're tranny and diff you buy into this "universal" BS .
Here is what they said :
Red Line :Honda uses a special fluid for their automatic transaxles as well as the rear differential fluid and unfortunately at this time we don't have a cross available for either. (Dave@ Red Line,a very honest man !)
Mobil 1: Mobil would recommend that you use the Honda products for the transmission and differential.The Mobil products will NOT give the best performance such as the Honda products. (Matt@Mobil,also an honest person !)
And now Amsoil :....here it gets funny !
In response to your inguiry,the Pilot does require that the ATF meets the Honda Z-1 specifications,but it definetely does NOT have to be the Honda brand .Amsoil Synthetic Universal Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) meets this spec.
The VTM fluid however is a special fluid that is not avaible from Amsoil.
Then i e-mailed back and asked if the use of Amsoil's own ATF voids my warranty or creates any problem,Amsoil said this:
Your warranty is not in jeopardy in any way.If a lube failure occur,the Amsoil warranty is in effect......

I can only imagine the hell someone will have to go thru to get Amsoil to cover the costs ,so guys it looks that until a reputable company makes synthetic ATF and VTM fluid we have to stick to Honda's stuff which i'm sure is good (i want better ).I did write to Royal Purple too....no reply.
Dac

[Bugshu]

Hi Dac,

Thats pretty much the same information that I have. Rear diff almost certainly requires the Honda product and the only substitute that Ive ever found for the transmission fluid is the Amsoil. Ive never seen anybody other than Amsoil claim that they meet Honda specs.

I think legally if there is an issue regarding warranty work the dealership has to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that using improper or inferior products was the cause of the problem before they can deny warranty work.

Still would you rather deal with that problem?

My opinion is to just use Honda fluids at least until your warranty expires. Then if you want to then you probably would be ok using the Amsoil transmission fluid if you so desired. Its really hard finding a full synthetic transmission fluid. Most people dont really care about spending $$$ on transmission fluids and they can get neglected.

Ive been accused of overkill and I bought the tow package just to add a tranny cooler so Im probably a bit anal about it and yet Im guessing that short of a manufacturers defect that my tranny will last a good long while.

Amsoil is a full synthetic tranny fluid and they claim not only that it meets all Honda specs but also that it has a 2X lifespan of usefulness. Remember that long drain intervals are Amsoils market. I probably wouldnt dispute their claim and I know people that use Amsoil in Honda's and have so far had good luck with it.

I think its comforting that Honda mentions in the manual that you can use Dexron or other brands for a bit if you need to in an emergency. The Amsoil is probably fine.

However, As expensive as the Honda fluid is the Amsoil is still almost twice as expensive. So ............ you could still buy 2X the amount of Honda fluid and change it twice as often. With my tranny cooler I plan on just sticking with the OEM fluid. I might even be able to beg my dealer for a discount or catch it on sale one day.

20 degrees of enhanced temperature range can fry your tranny fluid and reduce the life of your transmission. If you are really pushing the limits of transmission performance ie towing then perhaps the Amsoil might benefit you a bit. If I was a little old lady that didnt change transmission fluids more than once per 100K miles and I needed an extended drain fluid then the Amsoil would be for me. Amsoil excels best when other fluids reach the end limits of their performance life and the Amsoil can keep going.

I think for me that a tranny cooler complimented with fairly frequent partial drains and an occasional full flush that I should be fine.

Amsoil makes a good product and they design their fluids to last for ages. A full synthetic transmission fluid would have advantages in temperature extremes and longevity of life.

Still, if extreme performance or extended drains arent needed then you can just drain the Honda fluid and just put in some fresh stuff. Its pretty hard to beat fresh fluid.

Happy Piloting All,



Bugshu

[Dac]

Hi Bugshu,
We don't have a tranny cooler installed in our Pilot but i think i'll be looking at installing one in the summer.I got myself one of those 15.000 pages book endorsed by Honda (Factory Shop Manual) and i will install the cooler myself.
To be honest i'm surprised that none of the big oil companies have a substitute for Honda's oils ,but that's OK because i'm sure they designed what's best.Has anyone done an oil (ATF & VTM) analysis to find out what additives does it have or even it it's synthetic or semi-synthetic ? or perhaps the oil manufacturer that makes Honda ATF and VTM stuff.
Dac

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by Dac
Hi Bugshu,
We don't have a tranny cooler installed in our Pilot but i think i'll be looking at installing one in the summer.I got myself one of those 15.000 pages book endorsed by Honda (Factory Shop Manual) and i will install the cooler myself.
To be honest i'm surprised that none of the big oil companies have a substitute for Honda's oils ,but that's OK because i'm sure they designed what's best.Has anyone done an oil (ATF & VTM) analysis to find out what additives does it have or even it it's synthetic or semi-synthetic ? or perhaps the oil manufacturer that makes Honda ATF and VTM stuff.
Dac

I don't think a traditional oil analysis is going to tell you what you need to know.

ATF is a specialized type of hydraulic fluid with many tailored properties.

[pjb3]

Originally posted by Dac
To be honest i'm surprised that none of the big oil companies have a substitute for Honda's oils ,but that's OK because i'm sure they designed what's best.Dac

I know that Quaker State used to make a transmission fluid that was labeled "Import" of something like that instead of "Dexron". It listed Honda and claimed to meet all specs. I haven't seen it in about a year so I don't know if Quaker State stopped making it or the store stopped carrying it.