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I'd like to do a "drain and refill"  on this car.  The Owner's Manual says (besides Gen Subaru) "Castrol Transmax J".  I can't seem to find it in the stores, and I've seen all kinds of differing substitutions.  

Any opinions or recommendations?

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I ended up buying 4qts of the Subaru ATF-HP as I figured the cost difference between that and a generic fluid was way cheaper than a new transmission.  I've heard some people use an Amsoil or Valvoline product but I don't have any good references to say they are compatible.

I believe the Subaru ATF-HP is made by Idemitsu Type HP Automatic Transmission Fluid that is available at some Auto Parts stores but is same price as Subaru ($8 a quart)

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Interesting, didn't know the Dex III was a no-no on these.  I thought the 4EAT used the same as the earlier models. From the OM (w/my formatting):

Quote

Recommended fluid:

Use one of the following types of automatic transmission fluid:

  1. Genuine Subaru Automatic Transmission Fluid Type-HP
  2. IDEMITSU ATF HP
  3. Castrol Transmax J

NOTE: For optimum transmission performance, only use the automatic transmission fluid that is recommended and provided by Subaru. If the recommended automatic transmission fluid is unavailable, Dexron III may be temporarily used. If the Dexron III is used continuously there will be a noticeable increase in the vibration and noise from the automatic transmission

 

Edited by wtdash
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On 5/31/2019 at 9:33 AM, somick said:

I am planning to drain/refill my 2010 Forester this weekend with the Valvoline Max Life.

 

I will report back if I get any problems.

 

Sam

I drained my ATF over this weekend and refilled it with the 3.7quarts of Valvoline MaxLife.  Yesterday (Monday) I took it to work. Forty miles let me warm up the car pretty well and let me make sure the fluid level is correct.  I did not experience any problems whatsoever.  I do realize that I still have ruffly two thirds of the old fluid in it.  

 

I am very happy!  This is another nail in the coffin of the SPECIAL Subaru fluid.  This is the second car with automatic transmission I experiment with using Valvoline MaxLife.

One drain/refill saves me about ten dollars, which is not a big deal,  but the main thin is there is no such thing as "pay extra" for the special Subaru stuff.

 

Sam

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10 hours ago, somick said:

I drained my ATF over this weekend and refilled it with the 3.7quarts of Valvoline MaxLife.  Yesterday (Monday) I took it to work. Forty miles let me warm up the car pretty well and let me make sure the fluid level is correct.  I did not experience any problems whatsoever.  I do realize that I still have ruffly two thirds of the old fluid in it.  

 

I am very happy!  This is another nail in the coffin of the SPECIAL Subaru fluid.  This is the second car with automatic transmission I experiment with using Valvoline MaxLife.

One drain/refill saves me about ten dollars, which is not a big deal,  but the main thin is there is no such thing as "pay extra" for the special Subaru stuff.

 

Sam

 

you wouldn't really notice a problem from 40 miles.  

What you could experience, is a shorter trans life.  Or maybe not.

But honestly.  Is 10 bucks worth gambling?  If you order Idemitsu-HP or Genuine subaru HP in larger amounts you can get it pretty cheap.  like 6~7 dollars a quart.  Cheapo Autozone garbage is $5 or $6 already, so getting the good stuff is totally worth it when your 4EAT is still rocking at 300k miles.  (my current 98 fozzy has 260k on a great running and shifting trans.  Subaru fluid only.

And if you aren't putting agenuine subaru spin on filter on it, don't bother with any others.  Subaru say's theirs is lifetime anyhow.  I think it's worth teh $30 for the genuine filter every 50-100k miles.

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Even the OE grade Amsoil is only $9.75 a quart. This is nothing compared to the price of the trans. 

You really have NO IDEA what the long term consequences may be. You could fill it with tractor fluid or even motor oil and it would work.... for a while. But what of the long term chemical reactions to the seals and frictions? It might swell the frictions or it might eat the piston seals. The consequences might be VERY bad. 

Heck - try out filling up my Ligenfelter 700R4 with Amsoil Supershift (Type F basically, but synthetic) @ $15 a quart. Full fill was an entire case of the stuff..... $180....You won't complain about the ATF-HP anymore. Trust me. 

Oh and the Amsoil engine oil filter (EA15K12) are rated for use on the trans. They will handle the higher fluid pressure of the transmission due to being built with a much stronger canister. And they are $15 retail. We use them for every trans service where a spin on is used. 

GD

Edited by GeneralDisorder
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12 hours ago, GeneralDisorder said:

Even the OE grade Amsoil is only $9.75 a quart. This is nothing compared to the price of the trans. 

You really have NO IDEA what the long term consequences may be. You could fill it with tractor fluid or even motor oil and it would work.... for a while. But what of the long term chemical reactions to the seals and frictions? It might swell the frictions or it might eat the piston seals. The consequences might be VERY bad. 

Heck - try out filling up my Ligenfelter 700R4 with Amsoil Supershift (Type F basically, but synthetic) @ $15 a quart. Full fill was an entire case of the stuff..... $180....You won't complain about the ATF-HP anymore. Trust me. 

Oh and the Amsoil engine oil filter (EA15K12) are rated for use on the trans. They will handle the higher fluid pressure of the transmission due to being built with a much stronger canister. And they are $15 retail. We use them for every trans service where a spin on is used. 

GD

I do agree with everything said above but my main point is to prove that labelling ATF with Subaru, Honda, Toyota, etc, is a marketing trick.

 

Well, twenty miles down the road I will add another 3.7 quarts.  We well see...

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