Multi vehicle automatic transmission fluid (ATF) companies claim that their ATF is suitable for 90% of vehicles yet claim that their fluid should not be used during the vehicles warranty period.
Either their fluid meets the requirements of the vehicle, or it does not, suitable for or recommended is not the same as meets the requirements.
No single fluid can meet the requirements of all vehicles. I believe this is miss leading advertising.
One of the problems we now face with automatic transmissions is that there are now 3 types available . The torque convertor transmission , the CVT transmission ( constant variable transmission ) and the dual clutch automatic .
They all require different transmission fluid . In the old days all autos were usually Torque convertor . Things were simpler then .
My advice , I spent a number of years in the industry , is to use the fluid your manufacturer recommends . You may run into warranty problems if you don’t .
It is also because many manufacturers have warranty conditions where a vehicle can only use fluids which OEM manufacturers recommend. These are their own genuine or approved fluids.
This means if you use a oil which isn’t genuine or approved by the manufacturer, they can void the warranty even if the non-genuine/approved has the same specification. It would be interesting if they did this as it condition could be seen as being anti-competitive. No differently to stipulating a vehicle must be serviced by an OEM approved service centre to maintain a standard vehicle warranty.
Yes, warranty is one issue. However, the question is how can a multi vehicle ATF comply with the many ATF vehicle standards and still comply with adverting standards as being suitable for use.
This is like an oil company stating that one engine oil viscosity meets the requirement of all vehicles and of course that is not possible, that being a fact how then can one ATF meet the requirements of 90% of vehicles.
I firmly believe that multi vehicle ATF need to provide evidence of meeting the OEM requirements or cease misleading advertising.
Perhaps Choice could approach the aftermarket ATF companies to justify their marketing of their products.
It is possibly more like radiator coolant rather than an engine oil. Each OEM manufacturer has it’s own specific requirements for its vehicles. When servicing, a manufacturer will recommend genuine/approved coolant and not others. There are many non-genuine/approved radiator coolants which are marketed as being suitable for multi vehicle use. While they could be used, a OEM may void a warranty if say corrosion within the cooling system occurred. The OEM will argue it is the non-genuine coolant which caused the corrosion, even if the corrosion was a manufacturing fault or quality issue. It then becomes an argument of what caused the problem and who is ultimately responsible.
I believe the issue lies with the OEM warranty conditions, not the quality of the coolant (or transmission fluid) per say. OEMs want car owners to use their consumables during servicing as it is in the OEM’s financial interest to do so. Some vehicles might also have specific/unique requirements.
In relation to transmission fluids, it appears that many OEMs have their own product classification. These are unlikely to be unique which you appear might be the case, but the same product sold by other OEMs or manufacturers with their own product classification/labelling. The challenge is knowing what is the same product with different classifications. This advantages car manufacturers.
An old topic some newer members may find interesting and related to this topic is the apparently non-conforming product the dealer used as well as the manufacturer’s response.
On the first point there is no argument - one fluid cannot.
On the second one might need to look to each fluid brands marketing to make an informed decision.
The following link is to a Penrite Oils ATF product listing with cross referenced Automotive Manufacturers specifications.
‘https://penriteoil.com.au/assets/POS/ATF_POS.pdf
Multi vehicle in its simplest meaning is a product that suits more than one model and series or year of vehicle.
The more reputable brands of motor oils provide lookup lists or other guides to identify which of their products are equivalents.
Shared concerns for the consumer is while an oil brand may provide a recommendation of a product for a particular vehicle model, the automotive manufacturers see little benefit in recommending different brands and designated products/oils/fluids as meeting their specifications.
One wisdom if looking for options other than the Vehicle Manufacturers Branded fluids (more likely post warranty) would be to go to the multinational lubricant brands for their equivalent. They likely make or have reliable access to the Vehicle Manufacturers fluid specifications. They also have the expertise to understand the purpose of any special additives, their relative importance and ensure equivalent performance.
Spare a thought for:
The Truth About Genuine Parts & Authorised Dealers: They're Fake News — Auto Expert John Cadogan.
P.S.
One would normally expect to not need to self service an automatic, DSG or CVT transmissions. It’s a task we pass to a transmission specialist (not a dealership). The question of which fluid to use - another possible source that should know.
