No snark intended, but none of us here, myself included, has the necessary lab equipment to answer the question, "Which (of those two) Valvoline transmission fluids is most like T-IV?"

I know that MaxLife meets the spec that Toyota T-IV did. I presume that Import Multi-Vehicle may, too, but I'm not going to research it. If it does, then it's six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Given how popular MaxLife has been, and for many years, in these parts that's what I'd use.

 

I use maxlife in all of my non WS equipped Toyotas


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It's also fully compatible with WS, too.

 

Valvoline claims it's compatible with both Type IV and WS. Those fluids have different specs and are NOT compatible with each other. Why risk it for saving a few dollars over the Toyota fluid?

 

Upon reading the back of each bottle, it seems the big difference advertised between the two is that the max life has additives to maintain elasticity of various rubber seals throughout the engine. It's an added feature they're advertising for the bits with higher mileage and it makes perfect sense. It's amazing how stiff and brittle seals can get with the years & heat. I mean the internal ones especially.

If I have to choose between Valvoline ATF or Valvoline ATF, I'd probably go with the max life for the seal elasticity. No matter which fluid you decide to run with, and assuming the car already has good fluid maintenance history, make sure you're changing the fluid at regular intervals from here on in. People can and will argue all day about which is the best fluid. Any known good fluid with regular maintenance is always key.

 

Mobil 3309 ATF is the same fluid as Toyota T-IV.

 

No surprise there as Toyota T-IV is compliant with specification JWS 3309 (also NWS 6500, take your pick).

I've said, repeatedly, when looking for replacement fluids the safest thing to do is find out what lubricant specification the original conformed to and select the replacement based on it meeting (or exceeding) the original spec.

 

Thanks for the insights everyone. Max life seems to be the best choice and yes I agree with the maintenance comment as well; the fluid in his transmission has been changed every 30 K.

 

And if you don’t want to do all of that work, just get Type T-IV from your local dealer and change every 30k miles

 

And if you don’t want to do all of that work

All of what work? Here's the page from the 2002 Camry Owner's Manual:

So far, all the other Owner's Manuals I've looked at contain exactly the same sort of information in them.

It takes all of a few minutes of checking. It results in a more educated owner. That's a very good thing indeed, particularly if you find yourself in a situation where it's not easy to get Toyota Type T-IV when you really need to finish off a transmission fluid change.

 

I know exactly what it says.

If you don't think those provisos shown in parentheses are important, then that's fine.

Every manufacturer is going to hawk its own wares, including Toyota. The membership on this forum at large has been using Valvoline MaxLife on myriad occasions for years with zero issues.

I care about letting people know how to make an informed alternate choice if that's what they care to do. If they wish to use Toyota Type T-IV, that's fine too, but that was not what the most recent question was about, and I addressed what that question was about.

Saying, "Just use T-IV," is really not telling anyone anything that they don't already know or educating them in any way.

 

Honestly, I've seen this -which lubricant is best- debate too many times... period.
IMNSHO, this debate belongs on the "Bob the Oil Guy" forum.

 

Honestly, I've seen this -which lubricant is best- debate too many times... period.

I couldn't agree with you more. They're never settled and appeals to suppositions based on zero evidence are all too common.

I avoid the site you mention, too, because these days there's way more heat than light. There was a time when that site was a wonderful resource as its original owner tried to stick to information that can be verified.

 

The most important thing to remember about alternative transmission fluids is that synthetic fluids can have much greater thermal stability.
So, since the viscosity changes less with temperature change, a synthetic fluid can "cover the bases" of the required viscosity specification for different conventional fluids.

When I read: "Valvoline claims it's compatible with both Type IV and WS. Those fluids have different specs and are NOT compatible with each other. Why risk it for saving a few dollars over the Toyota fluid?", I suspect that the quotation comes from someone who may not understand how synthetic fluids can substitute for a range of conventional fluids.

The synthetic fluids also tend to resist oxidation and breakdown better than conventional fluids, so they last longer before failing to meet the operating requirements of the transmission.

The popular fluids like "Valvolene MaxLife Multi-Veicle" and "Castrol TransMax ATF/CVT Universal" are inexpensive off-the-shelf at many box stores. These fluids are also 100% compatible/mixable (in any proportions) with any other fluids having specifications listed on the jug.

All of these fluids have published specifications that should be easy to find online. One can compare their viscosities at both low and high temperatures, and then decide which fluid is best for one's car and conditions.
The Castrol ATF/CVT Universal does have a higher viscosity than the Valvolene MaxLife Multi-Vehicle, while both of these fluids have greater viscosity at operating temperature (80C) than does Toyota's WS fluid. Yet both are T-IV- and WS-compatible. A thinner fluid tends to improve fuel mileage (however slightly), and is usually specified by the car manufacturer since they chose the thinner fluid or engine oil to EPA-certify their car with (and thus must specify the same thin fluid in the owner's manual and on the filler cap).

 

Buy it from the dealer!

 

This right here. Each dealer is different, but my local Toyota dealer regularly discounts ALL MERCHANDISE, including fluids, from 28% up to 48% off regular price. It makes no sense for me to buy my parts and fluids elsewhere.