Transmission service at 5k.

I've been afraid to use the generic/universal fluids that claim to be WS compatible. I've seen skepticism that it is possible to have a legit universal that does WS because of incompatabilities in the specs. So my first drain/refil on WS Aisin I bought genuine Toyota WS.

But for my last Aisin drain/refill, I bought a case of Aisin WS from rockauto. Its $5.99 plus shipping. And its probably the factory fill.

 

Here's what Aisin says about it:

 

Personally, I see no reason not to stick to the Toyota service interval, and will go with severe driving interval (60k) on my truck since I know I will have driven "severely" for some portion of those miles. I am no believer in 'lifetime' ATFs either. No fluid lasts a lifetime, since all fluids have protective additives that degrade over time and miles. The question is how many miles and how much time? For that I generally take the most conservative interval recommended by the manufacturer... in this case 60k.

Also, Aisin vs. Toyota intervals... aren't the Aisin ones assuming the transmission is operated at its maximum designed torque application? If I remember correctly, the 3.5 engine puts out significantly less torque than what these AC60s are designed for.

 

Sounds good to me...

I have no idea the criteria Aisin uses for intervals; that was just a point of contention.
The contention being, we have anywhere between 2yr/12K to 'never' being tossed up as intervals.
The transmission is rated to 332 ft/lbs; 3.5 is 265 ft/lbs.

 

Isn't it funny how when you're paying the maintenance schedule is rigorous according to the MFG, when they're paying, it's like "WTF are you doing here?" They looked at me like I was insane when I showed up for a oil change at 5,000 miles. I said I'm doing them every 5k. I showed up at 10k and they were shocked again.

What drives me the most insane about dealer service appoints is, you put in all the details on their website, what you need, etc. You show up in the drive up area, and they ask you what you're there for, it's like "bro, I put all that in in my appointment, I have to get the shuttle and get to work" I don't have an extra 10 minutes to discuss the appointment. I run a tight schedule in the morning when dropping off my vehicles and traffic is a nightmare.

 

Asin wants to sell the fluid to you. That's all..
I

 

If it has WS on the label it meets the spec gauranteed.

 

5k , I thought I was nuts. Bet a transmission that is never touched will now out outlast yours

 

Craziness. I have the two year maintenance on mine as well. When I asked about oil changes I was told they will not change unless you pay if you want done before 10k I'm good. Don't trust the high school drop out to drop my skid plate anyway. Oil is too cheap to push 10k. If you save a few pennies in the short run it only sets you up for leaks and failure down the road.

 

I doubt it...
You have to be looking really hard to find that graphic.

 

Last week.
22,000 miles on this Toyota WS fluid. Looked decent. Not too dirty. No burnt smell.
I’ve seen a lot worse on other cars I’ve owned with higher mileage on the fluid many years ago.

A few years ago, on wife’s Nissan Rogue with 34,000 miles, CVT fluid looked like chocolate milk with yellow streaks. Oops. I used OEM fluid for the change on it then.
Mostly short trips around town. Now has 58,000 miles. Time to change it again.
I just purchased new Valvoline CVT fluid for it. I’ll post the results.


Used Toyota WS New Valvoline MaxLife:

 

Appreciate your feedback. I’ve had them check the fluid levels and they stated it was 1/2 quart low, topped it of, and my shudder is still there. If it weren’t for the smell of transmission fluid inside my truck when I picked it up, I’d have a hard time believing they did anything. I’ve had a Honda in the past that shuddered in a similar fashion a bit when the transmission fluid got old, after a fluid change it all went away. That’s kinda the reason I asked if you had any shudders prior to the change. I don’t really have the confidence to tackle the drain and fill myself, otherwise I would. Now I’ve gotta try and talk the dealership into it....lol

 

No, I don’t really. They just mean, I think, for as long as most owners keep the truck or something like that. BTW, I’m a former K9 officer myself.

 

I doubt it, this is on a website that few people go to and Aisin doesn't really seem to be pushing the advertising at all. Some people seem to trust every fluid but engine oil to last indefinitely but I'm not one of them.

 

No disrespect intended, but I do not believe that is correct.
Aisin/Toyota do not publish the spec for WS. I think the generics say they are "recommended for" WS, I don't know that they state a spec.

Here's a college professor who has a number of in depth videos, giving a 60 year history of Toyota fluids.
At 29:35 he says "Toyota does not license their fluids to be sold under other names"
He goes on to point out that those universal fluids also claim to be T-IV compatible, and Toyota says T-IV and WS are not compatible.
He basically states he doesn't see how the generics can be legit, but he does suspect Aisin WS is fine.

I've gotten bad advice on transmission fluid compatability from a dealer, so I'm not interested in risking it with any universal fluid.

 

This makes sense. Somewhere I saw a Blackstone Lab report for the transfer case fluid, someone also sent a sample of a fluid that said it was compatible. The Toyota fluid additive levels were much different and over all higher than the allegedly compatible one.

 

I'm just going off the info I got at Bob Is The Oil Guy, probably the most informative oil site on the internet.

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forums/16/1/atf-differential-trans-brakes-p-s

 

Every 20,000km is bonkers.

I have tons of spare WS and I would never flush mine or my wifes Rav4 that often.

 

Yup, as I recall, BITOG is what initially made me nervous about generic WS.

Here's a lab test on 3 fluids (but unfortunately not WS).

His conclusion:

When the universal fluids explicitly state a spec, I assume they meet it. But when they claim "suitability" I am skeptical.

 

You bet. Hope they can find the problem. I know they had an update for software but I think that was for shifting schedules. I'm assuming mine was done before I bought the truck in October of 2018. Of course I'm scared to mess with it when I have no issues as of yet. If you can get a good tech it's great but they are hard to find.

Last time I had transmission trouble was on a Jeep. Went in for a front pump seal and went back several times because the tech decided the bands needed adjustment when it was shifting fine before lol.