GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Now I'm pissed. Bought an '09 with 74k on it and changed the trans fluid with the owners manual recommended T-IV then learn that it's supposed to use the WS. From what I've read the WS fluid is not compatible with the T-IV. The dipstick says WS so I now have approx. 8 quarts of worn out factory WS fluid mixed with over three fresh quarts of T-IV. (removed)?! I contacted GM and they put me in touch with a local service manager that tells me his info states that the T-IV is the proper fluid. I asked him about service bulletins and he said there were none. WTH am I supposed to believe?! I'm inclined to go with the dipstick. If that's the case I have incompatible fluids in my fricken tranny now and zero help from the dealership. I did a search for the service bulletin but got nothing concrete. Does anyone have access to the specific service bulletin so I can point it out to this clown and maybe get my car straightened out? Thanks.

The dipstick is CORRECT. It is WS fluid. GM is wrong on this and several other things in the owners manual like the coolant. It probably would be a good idea to go ahead and change the fluid a couple more times with the correct fluid. My Toyota dealer recommended using a full case on my 10 GT if I wanted to flush it all out as he said that is what they do on their trans flushes. Show them the dipstick, it is proof of what is in the car. Some members have the service manual, but I'm not even sure if it is correct. Who knows how many 09-10 Vibes are running around with the wrong fluid......

Good luck on it!

Have a transmission shop hook it to the machine and do a real flush and fill rather than a drain and fill.

And gm dealership put 3 litres of t-iv in my 09 when it was still my company car. I talked to Toyota about it since I've bought the car. They told me it will be fine. They said the t-iv is a semisynthetic, and the ws is full. That was over a year ago, and all has been fine. I did a 3litre dump and fill with ws, and will do it again soon. So soon the t-iv will be extremely diluted with the ws. To be honest, I've been more concerned about getting the gm orange coolant out of it, and getting it fully flushed and back to toyota pink.
Dean

Hope this helps a bit. From the Amsoil website. I take it your is an auto.

Manual Transmission,C59 (5-SPD)......GL-5
All TEMPS......75W-90 [3]
Synthetic Manual Transmission and Transaxle Gear Lube (75W-90) API GL-4 (MTGQT)
Automatic Transmission,U341(MVB)......WS [4]
Signature Series Fuel-Efficient Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATL) (ATLQT)
OE Fuel-Efficient Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (OTLQT)

[4] GM part no. U.S. 88863400, in Canada 88863401

http://www.archivedsites.com/techlink/2 ... -tips.html
Even GM said it is WS series

Engine Mechanics Bullitens
http://sandyblogs.com/techlink/wp-conte ... letins.pdf

Very much obliged for the help/info gentleman. I contacted GM and they put me in touch with a local service manager. You'd think he would have the latest updates and info but he didn't believe me until I gave him the specific TSB number and had him look it up. Unbelievable. So glad to hear from Toyota that the addition of incompatible fluid will cause no problems. I went ahead and had them power flush the tranny and replace it with the proper fluid. They are supposed to get back to me about eating part of the cost of the service since it was their blunder. We'll see how that plays out. Thanks again.

I was quoted close to 300 bucks for the power flush by the service manager. Ouch! Further inquiry revealed nearly $15 a quart if he provided the fluid! I offered to bring my own and he agreed. I bought ten quarts of Valvoline Maxlife at Advance for $6.50 a quart, which just happens to meet both the T-IV and the WS standards. The cost for the service came to $106 which I was rather shocked to learn was cheaper than the other three local places I had called about a power flush. Never would have guessed the dealership would be cheaper. I spoke with GM customer service yesterday and was again shocked when they offered a $100 credit to use at a dealership of my choice. I felt that was pretty reasonable since they screwed up the owners manual and caused the issue. I'm glad to know that GM still stands behind their products and pleased that my trans now has fresh fluid. That would not have happened had they not fouled up the owners manual. lol Again, a hearty thanks for all the help and input gentleman.

No matter what the owner's manual says, one would think that GM Service Depts. would have accurate up to date fluid specs for all GM cars as they seem to still want the service business on Pontiac vehicles including the Pontiac Vibes.

I found a fully synthetic transmission fluid that claims to be WS compliant. It's called Klondike and is available at Napa in Canada (not sure about the US, sorry). Here's a link to the product information page:

https://klondikelubricants.com/wp-conte ... -PDS-1.pdf

jake75 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 02, 2013 11:35 am No matter what the owner's manual says, one would think that GM Service Depts. would have accurate up to date fluid specs for all GM cars as they seem to still want the service business on Pontiac vehicles including the Pontiac Vibes.

Ha, ha, ha........I'm ROTFLMAO going back 7 years and reading Jake's post. Since 2011, I've had more interest in servicing my car and solving my car's problems at Toyota than at any GM dealership. I'm confident that all the incorrect information regarding Dexcool and Type IV fluid found in our Gen 2 manuals is still incorrect today's GM tech's data base.

Caretaker wrote: ↑Sat May 23, 2020 2:32 pm Ha, ha, ha........I'm ROTFLMAO going back 7 years and reading Jake's post. Since 2011, I've had more interest in servicing my car and solving my car's problems at Toyota than at any GM dealership. I'm confident that all the incorrect information regarding Dexcool and Type IV fluid found in our Gen 2 manuals is still incorrect today's GM tech's data base.

Yeah. Now that I own a used vibe that's out of warranty I have a strong interest in doing everything myself if possible. Sorry for the thread resurrection, but I thought it was relevant to add an option for a third party fully synthetic fluid here.

Yep, choosing an existing thread, no matter how old it is, is greatly appreciated. It beats searching through billions of redundant and poorly titled posts/threads when doing technical research. Thanks for adding your knowledge for someone out there who likely will need it.