Transmission Fluid

[Sumzy]

I have a Mazda 323 (BJ 1.6cc) and it's nearing a ATF change. I am not sure what was the ATF used by the previous owners as there are no records of it. Last ATF change has been done over 25000 KM's ago.

I inquired few people about this and they don't exactly know what's the best ATF to put in. Car Mart is saying use Mazda oil which will cost me about 15,000 bucks just for the oil. Mazna Motors is using Shell. Some people uses Mobil.

Can someone tell me what can I use ? There are few variants of Mobil out there in the market as well.

[Mars Volta]

I got mine changed at Mazna, cost me around 13K(Oil+Filter+Labour)

They use "M-V" or something,

[jdnet]

Mercon V.

The price mars volta mentioned is pretty reasonable since the filter is included. If you haven't had the transmission flushed yet you should probably do that too. DO NOT get it machine flushed though.

[Mars Volta]

  On 5/21/2011 at 12:57 PM, jdnet said:

Mercon V.

The price mars volta mentioned is pretty reasonable since the filter is included. If you haven't had the transmission flushed yet you should probably do that too. DO NOT get it machine flushed though.

Hi JD, according to this thread it's two different ATF's,

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123721674-Atf-M-v-Wtf

Thought you might be interested

[jdnet]

  On 5/21/2011 at 1:41 PM, Mars Volta said:

Hi JD, according to this thread it's two different ATF's,

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123721674-Atf-M-v-Wtf

Thought you might be interested

wait, that just confused the heck outta me. I guess I need to research this a bit.

[Mars Volta]

  On 5/21/2011 at 3:26 PM, jdnet said:

wait, that just confused the heck outta me. I guess I need to research this a bit.

Check this out

http://www.finishlineperformance.com/pdf/tribute/05-005-08-1928.pdf

[jdnet]

  On 5/21/2011 at 3:36 PM, Mars Volta said:

Check this out

http://www.finishlineperformance.com/pdf/tribute/05-005-08-1928.pdf

oh wow thanks for that info. Upto this point I thought M-V was the same thing as Mercon-V. Well atleast I have the right fluid in my tranny.

[Sumzy]

What about the Mobil Multipurpose ATF ? It's Dexron III compatible.

The service manual for Mazda BJ5P and 323 BJ series mentions that the ATF should be Mercon V compliance, and their example is Dexron III. I am attaching the specific page in the service manual.

The Service Bulletin Mars Vota is showing for Mazda vehicles from 2003 and above. This is where Dexron III stopped (from iiih) and then moved to Dexton IV

http://www.mediafire.com/?wa6qrmyf5mpez54

] Edited May 21, 2011 by Sumzy

[vishkid]

Whoa .. I'm planning on buying a Mazda Auto - should I be worried abt this confusion? OR Trust car mart for the change and pay through the nose?

[Sumzy]

Did some research on this and noticed that ATF M-V stands for ATF Multi Vehicle not Mercon-V

Mercon V is a standard like Dexron III (V is for 5 and not the letter V)

There is one oil by mobil in the same standard but I don't think it's available in SL. This link is from Mobil Canada.

http://www.mobil.com/Canada-English-LCW/automatic-transmission-fluid_mobil-super-multi-vehicle-atf.aspx#

This is Mobil Super Multi-Vehicle ATF and it supports follwing ATF requirements

Mobil Super Multi Vehicle ATF is recommended for the following applications:

Allison C-4

Caterpillar TO-2

Mobil Super Multi-Vehicle ATF is also suitable for use in automatic transmissions that specify the following requirements:

Audi G 052 025-A2, G 052 162-A1

BMW LA2634

LT 71141

ETL-7045E, ETL-8072B, N402

Ford MERCON*, MERCON LV

All 2005 and earlier GM vehicles (Mobil Super DEXRON-VI ATF is recommended for 2006 and newer GM vehicles)

Honda ATF-Z1*

Hyundai SP-II, SP-III

Idemitsu K17

JWS 3309

Kia SP-II, SP-III

MAN 339F, V1, V2, Z1, Z2, Z3

Mazda ATF-III, ATF-MV

Mercedes-Benz 236.1, 236.2, 236.5, 236.6, 236.7, 236.9

Mitsubishi Diamond SP-II, SP-III

Nissan Matic-D, Matic-J, Matic-K

Subaru ATF

Toyota T-III, T-IV

Voith 55.6335.XX (G607, G1363)

Volvo 97340

ZF TE-ML 03D, 04D, 09, 14A, 14B, 16L, 17C

Now I am more confused on what to do ? Pay 17K and go with Car Mart?

Coz Mazna uses Mercon-V, which is not the correct type according to the latest service bulletin. Yesterday when I called them they said they are using Shell.

[jdnet]

why don't you just call up asiri or rainbow and check if they carry the mazda branded fluid.

[Bugatti]

I used Mobil Synthetic ATF on my ZF tranny cos I couldn't get the specified oil, n it got messed up...! Be very cautious when selecting your ATF. Always go with what the manufacturer specified, and do not cut corners to save a couple of bucks.

[Mars Volta]

  On 5/22/2011 at 5:26 AM, Sumzy said:

Now I am more confused on what to do ? Pay 17K and go with Car Mart?

Coz Mazna uses Mercon-V, which is not the correct type according to the latest service bulletin. Yesterday when I called them they said they are using Shell.

Hey I paid a visit to Mzna and checked on that M-V atf. It is Mazda branded oil

produced in Singa by a company name starts with letter D which I can't recall now.

and Yes they use Sell HX-5 engine oil for engines but ATF oil clearly indicates it is

Mazda branded "M-V"

They use it on all the cars come to 'em.

[ashan82]

Dear Experts

what is benefit we gets using manufacture specified ATF (M-V) coz i checked yesterday it cost 15K for 4L oil. Before go for that, just thought of get some ideas from you guys.

Also does any one here using other brands and your opinion about them

Thanks in advance and happy Vessak!!

[vishkid]

If you drive a nw

  On 5/5/2012 at 11:46 AM, ashan82 said:

Dear Experts

what is benefit we gets using manufacture specified ATF (M-V) coz i checked yesterday it cost 15K for 4L oil. Before go for that, just thought of get some ideas from you guys.

Also does any one here using other brands and your opinion about them

Thanks in advance and happy Vessak!!

If you drive a new mazda and needs to replace ATF - M-V is the only safe choice, I'm afraid. There is one guy using a 3rd party brand in his axela, and there are no issues so far, but even he says that shifting does not feel right after the change (could be psychological though!)

[nuwang]

Dear Freinds

I know this is a very old post but I'd like to share what I found about the ATF, my car gets closer for a change in auto transmission oil therefore I was quite intersted to know what is the oil that should be used. All my Mazda's were maintained by Mazna motors but I wanted to check with few other places as well just to check what they say

I have a Maxda Axela 1.5cc (JDM) 2010 model that typically has the CVT gear box unlike Mazda 3 that has something not CVT (Guys I dont know what it's called)

So what I've found from Colonial Motors is that they do not have the oil that suits CVT gear box, they only have the oil that suits Mazda 3, that is ATF-M-V (V is for roman number five not the letter "V"). I checked with the engineer at Baththaramulla Colonial Motors workshop

I checked with Asiri Motors and they also have ATF-M-V, but the guy I spoke with have no clue/knowledge at all that there are 2 types of gear boxes and the same oil cannot be used, they say ATF-M-V can be used in my car but I highly doubt it

Finally I checked with Lalith (Mazna motors) and he mentioned that for CVT gear box there is a specific Mazda genuine CVT oil that should be used and he has it

So I think ATF-M-V will not always suit your gear box, you need to check the type of gear box whether it's CVT or other and based on that select the gear oil, and I feel Mazna motors is the safest choice since the guy knows about it

Let me know your view/opinion guys

cheers

nuwan

  On 5/6/2012 at 2:35 AM, vishkid said:

If you drive a nw

If you drive a new mazda and needs to replace ATF - M-V is the only safe choice, I'm afraid. There is one guy using a 3rd party brand in his axela, and there are no issues so far, but even he says that shifting does not feel right after the change (could be psychological though!)

[Niranjan de Silva]

I would like to know where can one buy Matic-J ATF fluid for nissan vehicles (older) other than from A*W?

I checked out at A*W and the price is a bit high as I guess they are keeping a higher margin as a result of the difficulty in finding the relevant fluid. Matic-J is the ATF Fluid manufactured (apparently) and distributed by Nissan itself and it is the ATF Fluid which comes originally in the vehicle.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Niranjan de Silva

[aamarakoon]

valvoline max life conforms to matic j. 1500 rs per 1l

[Niranjan de Silva]

Thanks for the pointer. I am actually looking for Matic-J ATF. Havoline also has a Matic-J compatible ATF namely Havoline ATF-J. Personally I do not like the performance of the compatible fluids.The only place that I have found Matic-J available in Colombo is A*W and 4ltrs cost about 14k.I would like to know whether it is available anywhere else? At a lesser price.

Edited December 15, 2013 by Niranjan de Silva

[The Don]

Why do you say you don't like the performance of compatible fluids? Nissan don't make motor oil. Neither does any of the manufacturers. They all buy it from a major producer of fluids. Some car manufacturers brand and sell these oils under their name while others simply reccomend one manufacturer.

If you want to buy most manufacturer branded oils they hover around the 14K mark. I have seen Toyota and Honda branded oils for less, but they are grey imports and not through official distributors. So in a certain way I think transmission fluid from a major manufacturer imported through official channels and officially compatoble should do as good a job as grey imports. International standards are there for a reason and it enables different manufacturers to produce oils compatible with various vehicles.

For the Suzuki we have at home the story was similar. The Suzuki brander oil was 14K for a 4 liter can. BP branded oil sold by A*W themselves (who are agents for Suzuki) was arround 4K for 4ltr can. While I would have preferred to buy the Suzuki branded oil but at over 3 times the price, I would argue it better to change fluid more regularly rather than have a potentially higher quality fluid (not that BP should be considered lower quality)

[Niranjan de Silva]

The reason is personal experience. The passo that my father is using had Toyota branded ATF. When the recent ATF change became due I could not put a lot of attention to the service (due to a personal difficulty) and put Mobil as the ATF (this was the ATF available at Automira*). The drop in performance was instantly felt by me and drastically declined from there on in. In particular gear shifting, the gear lever getting stuck between two gears and the general performance. As for the notion that nissan does not manufacture ATF in house and has the production of ATF outsourced to one of the major producers of ATF is not supported by any independent evidence. Please submit to me any information you have as if that is the case I would like to revisit my conclusion.

[The Don]

  On 12/16/2013 at 2:14 PM, Niranjan de Silva said:

The reason is personal experience. The passo that my father is using had Toyota branded ATF. When the recent ATF change became due I could not put a lot of attention to the service (due to a personal difficulty) and put Mobil as the ATF (this was the ATF available at Automira*). The drop in performance was instantly felt by me and drastically declined from there on in. In particular gear shifting, the gear lever getting stuck between two gears and the general performance. As for the notion that nissan does not manufacture ATF in house and has the production of ATF outsourced to one of the major producers of ATF is not supported by any independent evidence. Please submit to me any information you have as if that is the case I would like to revisit my conclusion.

Niranjan, I wonder if you had ever taken apart a car. If you do, you will find out about the facinating world of original equipment manufacturers or OEMs. Nearly every single component is manufactured by a various companies. I have a Mitsubishi which is a bit funny because Mitsubishi does have it's own electronics division but even then certain electronic parts are manufactured by Omron amongst others.

This is how modern auto mobiles are manufactured. Once a manufacturer designs a motor vehicle, it will contract a large number of sub contractors to make the components, and put everything together in an assembly line. The parts they make themselves are mostly body pannels and obviously put the bits together.

Also Toyota ATF fluid is widely considered to be rabadged Mobil ATF. And remember 1000s of cars in Sri Lanka use Mobil ATF for their vehicles. The BP I got was sold to me by the Suzuki agents who also use it for their purposes (they give customers the option of either BP or Suzuki genuine). There also many reasons why ATF performance will suffer after a fluid change particularly if an automatic exchanger was used and the filter was not cleaned out. Remember the transmission in your car isn't brand new so issues with it particularly so soon after an ATF exchange is rarely down to the quality of fluid, as long as the correct grade was used.

As for my references, I'll leave the research up to you. It is not my job to convince you.

This is a public forum not a court of law or an examination center.

Advice is given free of charge without any implied gurantees, and its up to you to do your research make your own mind up.

If you want the particular oil you are after, just take a stroll down Panchikawatte, and buy from a reputed store like pioneer for Nissan.

[Niranjan de Silva]

First of all let me clarify.

My original question was "I would like to know where can one buy Matic-J ATF fluid for nissan vehicles (older) other than from A*W?"

I do not want a compatible ATF which is inferior even minutely to the original Nissan Matic-J ATF. This is implied in your own words stated below.

"So in a certain way I think transmission fluid from a major manufacturer imported through official channels and officially compatoble should do as good a job as grey imports".

The following is what Nissan says.

"Use only the Genuine NISSAN Matic ATF specified here. Do not mix with other fluids. Using transmission fluid other than the Genuine NISSAN Matic ATF specified here or its equivalent may cause deterioration in drivability and automatic transmission durability, and may damage the automatic transmission, which is not covered by the NISSAN new vehicle limited warranty."

When Nissan puts their trademark on a particular ATF, I and a reasonable person would expect quality and the exact ATF to be used in older Nissan vehicles. The presumption is that they have done their research and development and the performance of their particular ATF in Nissan vehicles before branding it Nissan. Hence I have made a decision that Nissan Matic-J ATF should go into my vehicle. There are no qualms about it. The issue that I have is whether there is any other place I could buy Matic-J outside A*W and the particular price? If a forum user could give me an answer to that specific question I would be grateful.

[Sylvi]

Niranjan de Silva,

Friend of mine got this oil from Singapore, shipped through air cargo. I checked from him he informd the cost only today.

According to him it cost him under Rs. 8000.00. For 3 cans.

Air freight cost was high more than the oil. Delivery to home duty paid by UPS.

He emailed this link to me to try.

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Nissan-999MP-MTJ00P-Automatic-Transmission/dp/B00AKYOTQC

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

[Komisiripala]

Lol you have heard of something called " marketing" haven't you niranjan?

Plus as a rule, don't go to Miraj. They will rob you blind. Probably using a fake Mobil for all we know.

If you really want your precious fluid, try Nissan parts agents like pioneer motors. There's really no other option except the agent.

So there. Answered your question