Newbie with technical questions

[petrified.rabbit]

transmission fluids in a very very simplified explanation is this. Where the fall on the time line of being created means that are better than all previous (not 100%) fluids. Therefore if the LT71141 was created before the Pennzoil ATF, the pennsoil was able to meet those standards, and then dex6 came out, and was a standard higher than the pennsoil..

make sense? for the most part newer is better, but there are points where compatibility and transmission type matter. PLUS many companies ran different ATF in the same years, so its much much more complicated than i am saying..

[snrusnak]

Yes that makes sense....and like you said I'm sure it is even more complicated lol. I'm going to stop thinking and just buy the cheaper pennzoil multi-vehicle ATF and move on. Will change every 50k miles from here on out so no need to buy the redline(double the price). Thank you. I'll update my results with all the work after this weekend(as long as I'm better by then....I should be).

[Thymeclock]

Man now I'm confused. &nbsp;Dealer told me dexron 6. &nbsp;Manual says ESSO LT71141. &nbsp;Pennzoil's site says their multi-vehicle ATF is ok to use with LT71141, but not ok to use with dexron 6. &nbsp;Redline's website says their D4 ATF is ok to use with LT71141 but doesn't mention anything about dexron 6.<br><br>I just don't want to put in something that will hurt it... &nbsp;I'm thinking the pennzoil is the best way to go...?

Chevy didn't make the transmission used on Aveos. Daewoo didn't make the transmission, either.

The transaxle is made by Aisin, and it is the same automatic transmission that is used on all Aveos that were ever made.

The fluid is the equivalent of Dexron III, no matter what brand you buy or what it is called. Sure, you could also use any Dexron that superseded it (such as Dexron 6), but it will cost more.

Guess which one costs more? Guess which one they will recommend?

Click here for an extended previous discussion of it.

[snrusnak]

Thanks for the help/response.

So basically dexron 3, 4, 5, or 6 would be fine.

Now final question.....would using one of the dexrons be better or worse than using the pennzoil multi vehicle ATF?

[petrified.rabbit]

i still disagree about the dex 3 being perfectly ok, not that you will see problems..

[snrusnak]

Well if I did go with the dex I'd just get the dex 6 for whatever reason. Just wondering now if the dex will be better/worse than the pennzoil mv atf....

[snrusnak]

Well here WAS my conclusion: Dexron 6 supercedes the Pennzoil MV-ATF. Dexron 6 is available at autozone down the street, the Pennzoil MV-ATF is not. The Dexron 6 is about $8/qt at the store, the Pennzoil MV-ATF is about $7/qt online. I was going to be buying the Dexron 6.


Then I read this from some website:

"Dexron VI—the newest GM ATF, it was developed specifically for the new six-speed automatic and is a synthetic blend (meaning it has some conventional base stocks). That transmission has tighter internal tolerances and required a fluid that had higher shear strength that Dexron III.

It was introduced with the 2006 models. GM considers Dexron VI to be "backward compatible," meaning GM recommends it for use in any vehicle that originally used any earlier version of Dexron and that it can be mixed with them. However, GM specifically recommends against using Dexron VI in non-GM made vehicles that used Dexron III as original equipment. It is also the specified ATF in certain non-GM models that use GM transmissions, such as BMW. It is not, however, specified for GM brand vehicles that have non-GM transmissions, as mentioned above, or are imported to the United States.

NOTE: Dexron VI is not recommended for: Pontiac Vibe and Wave, Chevy Aveo, Epica, and Equinox, Saturn ION with CVT or AF23 transmission, Saturn Vue with CVT, AF33 or 5AT transmissions, or 1991–2002 Saturn S. These are vehicles with transmissions that were not manufactured by General Motors."


Final conclusion:
I'm buying the Pennzoil MV-ATF, just going to have to wait for it to be shipped in, so the trans will be next weekend...

[Thymeclock]

Well here WAS my conclusion: Dexron 6 supercedes the Pennzoil MV-ATF. Dexron 6 is available at autozone down the street, the Pennzoil MV-ATF is not. The Dexron 6 is about $8/qt at the store, the Pennzoil MV-ATF is about $7/qt online. I was going to be buying the Dexron 6.


Then I read this from some website:

"Dexron VI—the newest GM ATF, it was developed specifically for the new six-speed automatic and is a synthetic blend (meaning it has some conventional base stocks). That transmission has tighter internal tolerances and required a fluid that had higher shear strength that Dexron III.

It was introduced with the 2006 models. GM considers Dexron VI to be "backward compatible," meaning GM recommends it for use in any vehicle that originally used any earlier version of Dexron and that it can be mixed with them. However, GM specifically recommends against using Dexron VI in non-GM made vehicles that used Dexron III as original equipment. It is also the specified ATF in certain non-GM models that use GM transmissions, such as BMW. It is not, however, specified for GM brand vehicles that have non-GM transmissions, as mentioned above, or are imported to the United States.

NOTE: Dexron VI is not recommended for: Pontiac Vibe and Wave, Chevy Aveo, Epica, and Equinox, Saturn ION with CVT or AF23 transmission, Saturn Vue with CVT, AF33 or 5AT transmissions, or 1991–2002 Saturn S. These are vehicles with transmissions that were not manufactured by General Motors."


Final conclusion:
I'm buying the Pennzoil MV-ATF, just going to have to wait for it to be shipped in, so the trans will be next weekend...

What you quoted is true. First, there is no such thing as Dexron IV or Dexron V. Neither of those exist (except maybe in some people's imaginations). The transmission was designed to use Dexron III. When it was designed (by Aisin), Dexron 6 had not yet been invented.

Using Dexron 6 probably won't harm anything, because the more recent formulation is designed to be compatible with earlier Dexron. But why pay more than you need to, for a product that didn't exist when the transmission was designed?

[snrusnak]

Ok didn't realize about no dex IV and V...

I wanted to post this to hopefully help future readers. I found this info from this forum and some others(sorry if you guys were trying to explain this to me but not getting through my thick skull lol)

The proper fluid for the aveo transmission is ESSO LT 71141. This is I believe made by Exxon(Esso)/Mobil. You can buy it at BMW Parts and BMW Accessories | Bavarian Autosport and I believe now it is marketed as MOBIL LT 71141, not ESSO LT 71141 but the part number is still ESSO LT 71141. Basically, they changed the label on the bottle to say "mobil" instead of "esso". It is pretty expensive. I believe this fluid is commonly used in some BMW's, Audi's, and VW's...and maybe other foreign cars. You may be able to get it at these dealerships.

There are alternatives fluids:

Dexron III or any dexron that is newer(dexron VI for example) - Some say it is ok to use, some say it is not. There is nothing I've found that says it's ok to use, but some people say they use it without issues. Just for reference, the chevy dealer told me the computer he was looking at said to use dexron VI, but he seemed very unsure about this...

ATF 1 - I'm not really sure what this is, but I think it is a foreign fluid for the BMW's, VW's, Audi's, etc... that is clear, and is close to the ESSO fluid. I also couldn't find anything on this that said it was ok to use, but people have been using it without issue.

There are many others that people say they use without issue(valvoline maxlife, redline d4, mag1, etc....), but THE ONLY ALTERNATIVES THAT I'VE FOUND THAT SPECIFICALLY SAY IT'S OK TO USE WITH THAT ESSO NUMBER are the following:

Pennzoil Multi-Vehicle ATF
Quakerstate Multi-Vehicle ATF
Castrol Import Multi-Vehicl ATF

These are all much cheaper alternatives and they specifically say they are ok to use, although they are probably not as good as they are not fully synthetic. They are also typically locally available.

I'll be using the castrol import mv atf as its cheaper, and locally available. I'll just change it every 50k miles since it's not fully synthetic.

[rodo]

There are many others that people say they use without issue(valvoline maxlife, redline d4, mag1, etc....), but THE ONLY ALTERNATIVES THAT I'VE FOUND THAT SPECIFICALLY SAY IT'S OK TO USE WITH THAT ESSO NUMBER are the following:

Pennzoil Multi-Vehicle ATF
Quakerstate Multi-Vehicle ATF
Castrol Import Multi-Vehicl ATF

Valvoline also backs their Mercon V as an alternative for LT 71141. It is (or at least was) listed on the back label.