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Dealer clueless about VTM4 fluid

6K views 29 replies 13 participants last post by  hondalover 
#1 ·
Stopped by the dealer where we bought the Pilot to get some VTM4 fluid today. VT what? the parts guy sez. I explain it is the diff fluid for the Pilot. Ohhh....he sez then goes and stands in front of their oil storage shelves. I can see him looking puzzled. Then he asks another parts guy about it. Don't have it he sez, never needed it yet he sez. WHAT? Pilot's been out a year and nobody has had their diff fluid changed? I explain it is needed at 15k max, well he sez most people don't drive that much the average is 12k while giving me the "you must be from Mars look". I'm dumbfounded. I ask well what about the people that do? He then does some more checking and finds it "in the back". Then he sez...OH VTM4 fluid! I thought you said Vtenfour fluid, and he never heard of VTM4 fluid before today. Apparently he has so very little puzzle solving ability, he couldn't connect Pilot differential with VTM4 Vtenfour or whatever. :rolleyes: This is exactly the reason I hope the dealer never has to touch our Pilot.
I got it for $17.
 
#2 ·
I've said it a hundred times...these dealers are dumber than ****!!!
 
#3 ·
:( i have to check the manual, you shouldn't replace the VTM fluid as frequently as 15K miles unless you are towing or doing some heavy duty stuff, but normal wear and tear should be every 40K. then again have to check my manual.
 
#4 ·
sblvro said:
:( i have to check the manual, you shouldn't replace the VTM fluid as frequently as 15K miles unless you are towing or doing some heavy duty stuff, but normal wear and tear should be every 40K. then again have to check my manual.
replace it every 30K miles except first time
 

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#5 ·
First time at 15k, second time at 30k, then at 60k. However, those of us that do the maint. ourselves, should do it every 15k. Your cost is about $11, including washers. $11 to me is worth doing every 15 k. Same goes for ATF as well. Every 15k people...use your brains!!! Waiting for 45k for normal use as suggested by the manual is suicide...
 
#7 ·
ramirami said:


and why is that:confused:

its actually 30K between changes
I meant 45k for the first transmission fluid change---
 
#9 ·
Just changed the fluid a few minutes ago, came out pretty clean with very little adhered to the magnet, just some black stuff, just like what sticks to the magnet in many auto transmission pans. It took right at 3 quarts. Have about 12,500 miles.
For those that had trouble finding a pump to fit the Honda container the Sta-Lube brand for regular diff oil fit perfectly, got mine at Pep Boys. And NO I did NOT change the "crush washers". I've reused them lots of times on my motorcycles and it isn't necessary to change them hardly at all unless you are heavy fisted and really crush them. In fact I've changed oil 4 times on the same washer and no leaks. Too bad Honda hasn't the class to give the buyer some, my Suzuki outboard came with a bag of crush washers.
Some of you guys fussing over the the first change at 15,000 need to look at your manual more carefully, it is 7500 miles for the FIRST change if you drive the severe cycle, the the SECOND is due at 15,000. It's every 15,000 after that if following the severe schedule.
 
#10 ·
AlH said:

Some of you guys fussing over the the first change at 15,000 need to look at your manual more carefully, it is 7500 miles for the FIRST change if you drive the severe cycle, the the SECOND is due at 15,000. It's every 15,000 after that if following the severe schedule.
95% of people fall under the normal schedule...you must have been doing a lot of offroading and towing for you to justify a change at 7500 miles I guess.
 
#11 ·
MG Pilot said:


95% of people fall under the normal schedule...you must have been doing a lot of offroading and towing for you to justify a change at 7500 miles I guess.
yes for the VTM-4 they say follow nomal schedule (even if rest is severe) unless you do a lot of off-roading
 
#12 ·
My dealer, who isn't the greatest wealth of knowledge classifies city driving as severe, as does the manual. In fact just by living in the south, at least 3 months a year are severe, because they exceed 90deg. I think a whole lot more people are in that severe definition than commonly believed, probably more like 50% rather than 5%.
I virtually never let any vehicle I own go for the max mileage on any fluid change. So I plan on splitting the difference, or if I feel the trans or diff has been abused in some way it'll get an even earlier change. Fluid is cheap...parts aren't.;)
 
#13 ·
Vtm by the gallon?

I went to the dealer yesterday to pick up an oil filter, and asked the parts sales guy about the VTM fluid. And I get this look like :confused:

So he looks at a table mat thats on the counter with all of the oil products and finds it. I told him I wanted to know what weight it was and if I could use synthetic. Again I get this look like :confused:

So he brings it out and its the size of anti freeze, A WHOLE GALLON! Is this the only way you can buy it? $25.00 bucks. I guess if you eventually will use it all.

Well I tried to look at the container for any clues as to its weight, no luck. I shook it and looked down the little clear line, and surprisingly its kind of thin oil. For those of you guys that changed it already, is it really thin?
 
#14 ·
You'll use most of the gallon on the change, I think mine took around 3 qts more or less. There is no substitute for the VTM4 fluid according to Honda. Wierd stuff was kinda like a thick ATF.
 
#15 ·
Re: Vtm by the gallon?

sagepearl said:


[ S N I P P E D ]

So he brings it out and its the size of anti freeze, A WHOLE GALLON! Is this the only way you can buy it? $25.00 bucks. I guess if you eventually will use it all.

[ S N I P P E D ]

The Pilot Service Manual says that the VTM-4 differential fluid capacity is 2.64 liters (2.79 US quarts). :)
 
#16 ·
AlH said:
You'll use most of the gallon on the change, I think mine took around 3 qts more or less. There is no substitute for the VTM4 fluid according to Honda. Wierd stuff was kinda like a thick ATF.
Was it thick? I thought it seemed kind of thin, but of course i was looking at it through the little plastic line on the side of the container.
 
#17 ·
Just thought I'd add one more to the "I did it myself" VTM change. I did it with 12k mi because I had begun doing a little more towing and figured I didn't want to wait til 15k mi.

Anyway, I thought the fluid looked to be in great shape. I couldn't find a Sta-Lube pump as mentioned earlier at any NAPA or Pep-Boys in the Louisville area, but one Autozone carried their Coastal brand pump that fit the bill (found it in the Marine section for lower unit changes).

Really, once you get those bolts free (yes, that was a b*tch), it was easier than an oil change. It was a good time to check the inflation on the spare, as well.


One question: I've read alot on the MDX forum about tranny fluid getting used up very quickly, and I've thought about changing mine out earlier than recommended, but the fluid on the stick looks really good. Anybody here actually changed theirs out yet? Was it used up? Did you do a triple flush or did you use the PS cooler lines? Any info there would be helpful for me

Thank, Ted
 
#18 ·
I just changed mine and it took almost 3 qts. You should fill unit initially as much as it will fill. Then drive around the block, stopping to lock the unit is 1, 2, and R. Again loosen the fill bolt and top it off. It ended up taking two or three addl. pumps of fluid. Very easy job though, even easier if a breaker bar or 1" wrench are used to loosen the bolts.

Regarding the tranny fluid, I would do a single drain and fill every 15 k. Since I do it myself, the cost is relatively minimal.
 
#19 ·
Now I'm a bit ticked off... I just changed mine and it sure looks a heck of a lot like transmission fluid to me. I'm going to get in touch with AMSOIL corporate and see when an available synthetic alternative might be available. They recently informed me that the ATF now is officially tested to ensure it meets the Honda and Toyota specs (some of us expected that, but it's prudent to wait for the test results).

Anyway, back to why I'm upset over the VTM-4 fluid... The jack-a$$ dealer I got it from charged me $40.42 for the gallon. What a rip! If I ever go back to that place again it would only be to raise hell. Atamian Honda in Tewksbury, MA will never ever get another cent from me...

And to stay in line with most of the other posts, it came out clean with only a few small particles on the magnet and took 3 quarts to refill. As for the cars being new and them never changing it yet (first post), I'm pretty sure the fluid was used in the Odyssey prior to the 2003 model year...

Regards,
~ Fred
 
#20 ·
RagerXS said:
[Anyway, back to why I'm upset over the VTM-4 fluid... The jack-a$$ dealer I got it from charged me $40.42 for the gallon. What a rip! If I ever go back to that place again it would only be to raise hell. Atamian Honda in Tewksbury, MA will never ever get another cent from me...

Regards,
~ Fred [/B]
Yikes, I bought a gallon at HondaBarn (less than 10 miles away from there) for about $22. How much did they charge you for the two washers...$10?
 
#22 ·
RagerXS said:
. . . ... I just changed mine and it sure looks a heck of a lot like transmission fluid to me. I'm going to get in touch with AMSOIL corporate and see when an available synthetic alternative might be available. They recently informed me that the ATF now is officially tested to ensure it meets the Honda and Toyota specs (some of us expected that, but it's prudent to wait for the test results).

. . . .
Yep, it is a lot LIKE ATF, but it is not ATF.
As a matter of fact ATF is not LIKE ATF!
Each type of fluid is engineered to perform as needed under different conditions.
That is why there are so many different types of ATF. Its not just viscosity like oil.

So go have fun, maybe you can save $10 or $20 on each of the 5 or 10 changes in the life of the car. It might only cost you one or two new VTM-4 units? :2:
 
#24 ·
RagerXS said:
I called around and found prices ranging from $18.21 to $24.82 in the area. Then I called Atamian and the guy said all he could do is allow me to return it as long as it is unopened and I have the sales slip...
Suppose, if you still have sales slip, why not buy a gallon (or two, if planning on doing it yourself at 30,000miles) from another dealer at cheaper price and returning one to Atamian for your refund?
 
#25 ·
Well, I was naive enough to initially purchase the aluminum engine oil drain bolt washers and rear differential oil drain bolt washers from a Honda dealer. The cost: $1.00 per washer!! The next time I purchased on-line at $0.10 per washer!! I was screwed once..but not again! Also, make sure you read the small print in your owner's warranty: my understanding is that you must change your rear differential oil under "severe" conditions (city-driving, short trips, cold weather, etc.?) initially at 7500 miles or 1 year WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. Not to do so indicates you are not following the maintenance schedule, hence invalidating your warranty at the point. Better to error on the side of caution. :7:
 
#26 ·
VTM4 service charge

I live in Houston and as per dealer we fall under severe condition category. I have already 9900 miles and a year passed. So I called the dealer for VTM4 rear differential change and the service charge is $98. Is this reasonable? Also, I have not done 7500 miles maintenance (I do oil change and tire rotation regularly). Is this required or should I wait for 15000 miles ($175)?
 
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