S60 G/box: 2WD: ATF Fluid - which one?

[stef1957]

I'll agree with that

stef

[Northernbloke]

Originally Posted by R2BOS

$5 a litre thats about £2.50 uk i wish we could get it for that

Probably can get products with Levis and Nike badges cheap too

[amsoil]

The eternal search for the very cheapest nastiest fluid that meets the 3309 spec does worry me. This is after all not a particularly high spec and fluids are only required to meet it when new. Yes the box will be fine initially but as a cheap fluid wears and breaks inside things will slip and you can quickly be back to where you were and worse. There is a difference! At least Volvos own had some pedegree. Buying something for a smaller car be it 3309 or whatever may leave you with a more stressed fluid that wont do the job over time.
Your money , your choice, your car (and I hope not your autobox rebuild bill)

[R2BOS]

Originally Posted by amsoil

The eternal search for the very cheapest nastiest fluid that meets the 3309 spec does worry me. This is after all not a particularly high spec and fluids are only required to meet it when new. Yes the box will be fine initially but as a cheap fluid wears and breaks inside things will slip and you can quickly be back to where you were and worse. There is a difference! At least Volvos own had some pedegree. Buying something for a smaller car be it 3309 or whatever may leave you with a more stressed fluid that wont do the job over time.
Your money , your choice, your car (and I hope not your autobox rebuild bill)

Thats just not true though is it the fluid is made by mobil it is the same fluid, the exact same fluid it is just volvo choose to charge for it. 3309 spec isnt just a what it must do as a new fluid either it has many different requirments one of which is length of use. You must know that and to talk like you have above is just plain misleading. If you do represent amsoil you should know better than to make comments like that.

10w 40 oil is the viscocity of an oil when new and it does break down. The important bit is to ensure it meets the required API standard which includes longevity and performance parameters not just when new but within service. The 3309 spec says the same thing and if an oil is manufactured to 3309 spec it performs the same as the others. 3309 spec was designed by mobil and aisin warner transmisions who make these gearboxesto perform over the lifespan of the gearbox.

The guy here has bought saab gearbox oil are you suggesting that saab chooses to use cheapest nastiest oil in there service centres or that they use the same oil as volvo (and it is) but choose not to make £15 profit on every litre they sell.

I hope you do reply because having the username amsoil may lead users here to think your opinion is of more weight than perhaps the average bystander in this matter. It is my experience from many years of car forums that so called experts that claim to represent either manufacturers or oil providers do not do so for no reason and in actual fact are not technicians but sales people looking to increase turnover and meet targets. If you have an oil that meets the 3309 spec, and i mean meets not "exceeds" the 3309 spec then please provide the evidence of this. I have seen a thread by you elsewhere here that recomends one of your fluids for this gearbox and i suggest you do not know this gearbox at all and like many automatic gearbox service specialists that just flush and fill with the best fluid they can get you think it will work.

Another member on another forum i am a user of took the advice of his local autogearbox service centre and he used the product they recomended and despite many flushes since still has problems. Using a none 3309 spec fluid can severly damage these gearboxes.

I and people here have spent alot of time scouring toyota saab volvo and other forums looking at the resonses of people with regard to this issue and the vast majority of people who use none 3309 spec oil have lumpy shifts and some have dead gearboxes.

[s60ben]

Originally Posted by amsoil

The eternal search for the very cheapest nastiest fluid that meets the 3309 spec does worry me. This is after all not a particularly high spec and fluids are only required to meet it when new. Yes the box will be fine initially but as a cheap fluid wears and breaks inside things will slip and you can quickly be back to where you were and worse. There is a difference! At least Volvos own had some pedegree. Buying something for a smaller car be it 3309 or whatever may leave you with a more stressed fluid that wont do the job over time.
Your money , your choice, your car (and I hope not your autobox rebuild bill)

I'd hardly say that renault, saab and toyota are "cheap and nasty" as certainly saab boxes have a reputation of lasting much longer than the volvo boxes..... something to do with the mandated oil changes?....

However, I'd still rather chuck "cheap and nasty" Renault, Saab or Toyota oil in my car than the Amsoil (meets all specs honest boss) ATF.......

[JohnDale]

Hi Guys, How about the TF-80SC box-same spec or not. I had the AW55-50 oil changed in my last car & it cost me £155. Cheery,JD.

[amsoil]

It appears I'm already getting quoted out of context here.
To the best of my knowledge JWS 3309 is Mobil and licensed. This is what Volvo sell in a packaged form. I am aware that there are other manufacturers who produce ATF fluid badged as JWS 3309. I was not aware that Mobil had issued any licences (or ever intended to do so?) This leads to a problem does it not.
With these gearboxes being used by various car manufacturers (Audi, Lexus, Saab, Toyota, VW Volvo and even some Fords, Porsches Mitzi's etc) each of which has its own links with other oil companies (which may not be Mobil) for not only developement but also supply we have seen other 'official' forms of ATF for the self same (or what we must assume to be the self same) box appear. Toyota T IV being an example. No one has ever given me a straight answer as to whether 3309 is T IV. What concerns me is that some cheap ATF's being sold as 3309 may not be licenced and then who knows what you have!
This is a hot and heated subject and not only on forums but also in the industry. The 'exclusive licencing' is IMHO on the very boarder of the legality of trading practices.

[R2BOS]

Originally Posted by JohnDale

Hi Guys, How about the TF-80SC box-same spec or not. I had the AW55-50 oil changed in my last car & it cost me £155. Cheery,JD.

I am not sure for that specific box but if it requires the 3309 spec fluid volvo will be able to tell you for free

[s60ben]

Fair enough Amsoil.

But are you seriously suggesting that the ATF fluid used by Saab for example in exactly the same gearbox, which have a reputation for less autobox problems than the volvo's is of an inferior quality to volvo's own brand?

I'll tell you what though, if Amsoil has the balls, confidence in their product as suitable at meeting the 3309 specs, and the cash to place in mutually agreed escrow and hence guarantee their product won't stuff their box (without lots of get out clauses) .....then someone may consider using it.

http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothr...&postid=662322

http://www.zf-group.com/pdf/OilReferenceGuide.pdf

[JohnDale]

Hi, Just answered my own question-If all else fails read the instructions,or in this case the handbook. See http://www.mobil.com/UK-English/Lube...l_ATF_3309.asp