Hello,

I am getting ready to change my tranny oil and was wondering if you guys would recommend the Nissan Matic S, or just go with an aftermarket synethic ATF oil?

Went to the dealer and was told $16.50 for a quart of Matic S!!!

thanks!

 

Everything I have ever read ever says don't f with that... I'm not sure if its too much money for you or something, but I pay that price gratefully for peace of mind.

 

order it online.. should be around $10 a quart..

 

Lots of controversy with this... I say just play it safe with the OEM fluid. thenismoshop.com has the most competitive rate at $8.15/qt with extremely fast shipping (surprised me how fast it was).

 

It clearly states in the manual that you void the warranty if you use anything other than Matic-S. All manufacturers prefer you use their products, but they ( and even Infiniti) give a specification for minimum standard if and where you can use an alternative product. In this case, they must have had a fair reason for not doing so; it WAS NOT just to sell more of their own product. If that was the case, they'd have done the same for engine oil, manual transmission oil, differential oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, engine coolant, etc. etc., which they obviously didn't do. If you're out of warranty, I guess you can do whatever you like, but I wouldn't just assume that it doesn't matter.

.02

 

I'm not sure I agree with Infiniti about only using Matic J/S in our cars.

Jatco Transmissions (used in our cars) are also present in other brands like Mitsubishi, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, and Daewoo. I bet they don't ask for Matic J/S for their transmission fluids. In fact, Subaru Legacy Turbo uses the exact same transmission as in our cars.

I went to the Infiniti dealer two months ago to have my transmission flushed with their machine, and on the invoice it says they used Matic J. I know Matic J isn't produced by Infiniti anymore, so I believe they used a generic brand that was "Matic J" compatible. They also added in my invoice a "BG" Transmission Service Kit, so I believe they may have used a generic fluid by them.

Also, the cost was much lower than other Infiniti dealers (the flush was less than $200.) It was practically impossible for them to use Matic S 14 quarts and use the machine to flush and charge less than $200. Other Infiniti dealers around the area cost over $300. I also got a drain and fill with Matic S from a local Infiniti dealer before for over $160.

Some people have posted about Matic J actually being made by Castrol:
http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f...matic-j-55979/

 

thanks you guys! i'll stick with the OEM then. Now how about the differential oil? Mobile 1 75W90 or Red Line 75W90 Synthetic? I did a lot of readings on this, but like the tranny oil, there are a lot of different opinion, so just wondering what most of you go with.

thanks!

 

If you're dead set on using synthetic, you certainly can, but unless you're towing or racing there's probably little advantage over regular gear oil that's changed every 30K miles (which is already overkill !!). SInce I do change every 30K, I just use StaLube 80W-90 GL5 gear oil.
And again, it's all spelled out in the owner's manual:

DIFF:

Genuine NISSAN Differential Oil Hypoid Super GL-5 80W-90 OR API GL-5 Viscosity SAE 80W-90 (*6)

note: (*6) ==> For hot climates, viscosity SAE 90 is suitable for ambient temperatures above 32°F (0°C).


BTW, Notice the "or" in the given specs?

 

vqsmile, how's that CRC diff fluid treating you? It's one of the few GL-5 rated diff fluids available here. I couldn't find any of the synthetic stuff like Redline, Valvoline, etc. Dealer wanted $95/litre for the Nissan Hypoid S stuff. I ended up buying Ford Motorcraft Premium Rear Axle Lube at $5/litre (also GL-5 rated) but the CRC stuff is even cheaper.

 

It's been absolutely fine; a complete non-event. IDK if you have any special circumstances there with extreme heat in your climate, but yeah, like I said, unless you're towing or racing, there's no need for a synthetic. A good conventional gear oil like this, with routine changes, is perfectly fine. It doesn't get subjected to all the byproducts from being near engine combustion, such as acids, hydrocarbons, condensation, etc., and it doesn't even have to deal with gears shifting and clashing, like in a transmission. It really has a fairly simple life, in a fairly well contained environment. As long as it meets the minimum specs, and you change it appropriately, you're good to go. Save your money for sticky tires.

 

Ok you guys,
Just needed a final confirmation, before I work on the car this weekend. I got the Nissan Matic S for the tranny and the Royal Purple Max Gear 70w90 for the differential. Fluid pump and 10mm hex socket are delivered.

I have the 08 Journey, Automatic transmission. Am I good to go? Anything else that I should consider?

Thank you!

 

Well I went in the opposite direction and use castrol ATF for a drain and refill, twice and that was about 20,000 miles ago and I haven't had any problems yet. Its about time that I do it again and I have 222,000 on my trans

 

I would say GTG!

 

Wouldn't hurt to get new crush washers.

 

Make sure the car is level when draining and filling the diff.
Fill in as much tranny oil as you drained. Then go through the gears and check the level with the dipstick to make sure it's good.