Automatic Transmission Fluid Choice

[ktt88]

Walking around the store yesterday and I remembered that I needed to change my transmission fluid. Looked around and noticed that Valvoline had a product that was Toyota T-IV compatible. http://www.valvoline.com/produ...id/37I know most people are gonna say to put oem Toyota T-IV fluid in, but has anyone had any experience with this product? If so, would this be fine?Thanks!

[silverbullet]

your defiantly right about that expectation, it seems like a lot of people here are sticklers about using oem products. i even see lots of talk about getting toyota oil filters from the dealership. but more to the point i have had that exact fluid in the vibe sine the first month i got the car. been working great as far as i can tell everything runs good and shifts stay smooth. my only concern was if this should be mixed with whatever was in there before. i really doubt there would be a problem but just to make myself feel better i did it a couple times. drained the pan. refilled to the proper level drove about a week, drain, fill. drove like two weeks drain and filled again. there are more specific increments called for i just dont remember exactly, or how many times i did it. two or three? but each time it got a little cleaner. started out looking like overused motor and ended up a nice red. anyhow i would not hesitate to use it again i know others will disagree but i say go for it it should work great for you. good luck be sure to check for a proper level before driving off. its a pretty straight forward job.

[j42.snyder]

I haven't tried it personally - but IF I was in need of a T-IV fluid, and Valvoline sold a product it said met my requirements, I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Any major oil company would be highly unwise to advertise a spec on their product that it wasn't suitable for. Too much liability on their part - but...Looking at the link provided - it does seem a bit suspicious being an apparent "one size fits all" type of product. The "Max Life" series of products are generally aimed at higher mileage (worn) vehicles. To me, 75k miles is NOT high mileage - although that may vary widely on HOW those miles are accumulated.If your transmission is working fine, and you're just doing a routine servicing - I'd probably prefer to find a product more specifically geared to your application. Technically, that product doesn't claim to "meet" your specification - but it's "recommended for use" where it's called for. I'd prefer to use a product advertised to "meet" my particular requirement. This one is likely fine (as per their recommendations) - but I'd still keep looking.It's not like Toyota "makes" their own fluids though. Obviously it's going to be made by a refiner to their specifications. It probably meets specs for other applications as well - but they won't bother to advertise that, as who else is going to come to a Toyota dealer to buy their fluids? I'm sure there are others out there which also meet this spec.All that being said though - if the price is reasonable from Toyota - it's probably the easiest and most reliable source to get the "right" thing. I'll probably go there for my "WS" fluid when the time comes for my '09.Speaking of which - what year is your Vibe? If it's one of the later ones, double check the requirement on the dipstick to see which fluid it uses. My manual incorrectly specifies T-IV, but the dipstick says "WS" - so that's what it will get. This probably only applies to '09-'10 - but I'm not 100% sure on that one. Worth taking a look first if there's any question.John

[jake75]

I'll make a note of that - though given the number of miles I drive it may be my heirs that will have to worry about what transmission to use when that time comes.

[Water boy]

Visithttp://www.bobistheoilguy.com/...s.phpfor more info

[djkeev]

Oil is a funny thing, full of superstitions, feelings, opinions, experiences and fact.I'm a "use the factory oil" guy. I've had problems with automatics and this is the first one I've purchased new since 1987. I wanted a stick, my wife didn't and it is mainly her car so......YOU need to read and educate yourself on oils, engine and transmission, and then based upon the knowledge you've digested make the decision that is best for YOU.The exception to this would be for cars still under warranty. Use the factory oil and keep the receipts to ward off rejection of warranty claims.Dave