ComputerDude

Hello, I recently bought a used 2011 Scion xD with about 144,000 miles on the odometer. The car has an automatic transmission. The tranny fluid on the dipstick looks and smells very burnt. I've decieded that I definitely want to have the pan dropped, filter and gasket replaced, and new fluid put in. The owner's manual calls for Toyota WS ATF. I went to Auto-zone to look for the parts that I need, and unsurprisingly they don't carry the Toyota brand WS ATF. One of the workers recommended that I use STP Automatic Transmission Fluid Multi-Vehicle. The label on the back of the bottle does say that it is 'Suitable for use in transmissions calling for: Toyota WS, along with several other Japanese and German vehicles ATF types.


I went ahead and purchased 7 quarts of the stuff. Since it says explicitly on the bottle that its good to go for Toyota WS ATF, does that mean it should be safe to use, or is this just marketing nonsense on the bottle? Has anyone here had any experience with this particular ATF? Should I go to the dealer and buy the genuine stuff, or is this stuff okay? Also, does anyone here know of any other aftermarket ATF, possible synthetic, that offers a better alternative?


I just want to make sure that I'm not doing more harm than good by changing out the current ATF for this stuff that I bought. I'm hoping someone can shed some light on the subject for me. Thank you!

DAlex

It shouldn't be a problem. Why are you so worried? The tranny has 144k on it already!

ComputerDude

I'm not really worried, I'm just hoping to be able to get 200k + miles on the car before anything on it goes kaput. I'm a broke college student, who has to commute 80 miles round trip mon-fri, and I'm really hoping that this car will carry me through the next couple of years. I actually took this stuff back and got my money back. I ended up ordering the Toyota WS stuff online.