Auto Trans Fluid in NZ/Aussie

Matt NZ · 27th March 2013, 04:30

I'm thinking of doing an auto oil change in the next few weeks, the mechanics of how to go about it seem fairly straight forward, so I'll have a go myself.

Looking through (the multiple) threads on the correct ATF to use, the advice seems to be stick with the Texaco product (ATF N402 - now ATF 402, but also being discontinued). The problem is, which ever way I've looked at trying to get the right stuff in NZ, it is prohibitively expensive.

Thanks to Simon (SDItoo) who has complied a list of oils in the UK that are compatable -

"MG Rover/X Part VYK 000 040/GUL 1805

Land Rover STC 50531

Texaco Havoline multi-vehicle ATF

Valvoline MaxLife ATF

Carlube ATF-U

Fuchs Titan ATF 4400

All these are stated as direct replacements for N402."

And here's where it gets really confusing.

Prior to coming across Simons post I had already looked at the specs for Valvoline Maxlife ATF (because it's available from Supercheap) thru the .com.au site which links thru to the US site and I didn't see anything that explicitly said it was a 402 replacement (the au site does not have Maxlife as a recommendation for the trans, but does recomend it for the power steering). That appears to be because the Euro viscosity specs and the US viscosity specs for Maxlife ATF are quite different -

US -

http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/maxlife_atf.pdf

euro -

http://www.valvolineeurope.com/uploadedFiles/3850.pdf

So Euro Maxlife as a 402 replacement, US Maxlife ?? not (who'd a thought they would be different specs!). Do we assume that because the AU site does not recommend it that we get the US spec in our part of the world?

BNT sells Fuchs Titan ATF 4400 doesn't mention 402 on the web site but does say it is Jatco M315 1a compliant (apparently the standard Jatco requires).

Penrite recommends their ATF FS and MHP as suitable and mention Jatco trans in the blurb (but again no specific mention of N402) -

http://www.penriteoil.com.au/pis_pdf...une%202012.pdf

Nulon does specifically mention that their synth ATF is suitable where N402 is required

http://www.nulon.com.au/products/Aut...mission_Fluid/

Seems like Nulon is the go. Is it likely they will all be fine?
Now my head hurts - I need a beer.

capese21 · 27th March 2013, 11:05

The Land Rover fluid shouild be available in Australia. How much would it cost you?

The Nulon spec covers N402 so imho would be ok to use.

Ed

egremont · 27th March 2013, 12:19

When I enquired about the Texaco product (ATF N402 - now ATF 402) oil company told me that it was no longer a commercial proposition to import it into Australia. Importation into OZ ceased some time ago. I guess the same answer applies in N.Z.

I had my auto transmission serviced by a specialist transmission company.
They refilled the auto box with a Penrite product.
Incidentally, they drained all the oil out of the box. That was three plus years ago and I haven't experienced any problems.

The Penrite brand has a very good reputation here in Oz.

Cheers
egremont

capese21 · 27th March 2013, 13:57

Quote:

When I enquired about the Texaco product (ATF N402 - now ATF 402) oil company told me that it was no longer a commercial proposition

Texaco do not manufacture ATF N402 or ATF 402 anymore. I wrote to them and they told me to use Multi Vehicle ATF Fluid as that has replaced N402 ATF402.

Matt NZ · 27th March 2013, 17:08

According to their web site Caltex (NZ Texaco) import Havoline ATF J and Texamatic 1888 and that seems to be it.

I'll contact the local Landrover dealer (who are also Jaguar and the MGR parts people in Auckland), but this is the same crew who quoted $1600 for a new ZT/75 fan (885 quid

at todays exchange) -They charge like a wounded bull. Our other car is a Freelander2 so there are times I have to deal with them, but I try to keep it to a minimum.

I have already checked out the price of Penrite @$140NZ which seems ok for the 8 litres needed for a full change. Haven't priced the Nulon yet, but think I might lean towards that purely because it specifically says it's suitable where 402 is needed. If the Landrover product is no more than twice the price I might consider it - but I'm not holding my breath!

Matt NZ · 27th March 2013, 21:49

Just got hold of Roverland / Archibald and Shorter (local Landy / Jag / Rover dealership) and they only have one 5L in stock at $213NZ. Assuming they can get another in, that will be $426 to do a full change - 235GBP.

For some reason Supercheap here only sells the Nulon Synth in 1L containers which is a lot more expensive way of doing it.

I have e-mailed Penrite and asked re their ATF FS suitabilty specifically with texaco N402 spec'd Jatco trans.

Indiana_Jones · 27th March 2013, 22:01

Let us know how you get on Matt, as I've been thinking of doing the same for my 75. Also nice to see another local _b

-Andrew

Rovering · 28th March 2013, 03:20

Hiya Matt, ditto for me. Would be interested in some as well.
Graeme

Matt NZ · 28th March 2013, 08:43

Got a very quick reply from Penrite, saying "Special ATF, N402 is based on the JASO 1A and the Ford Mercon V specification...which ATF FS meets and exceeds" so they "recommend the ATFFS for the 5 speed Jatco automatic transmission". They do specifically mention it's suitabilty for the Jatco on their web site, and their customer service seems excellent, so I feel confident using it.

I've seen several Aussies on here and .org, including egremont, who have used Penrite with no issues.

I've ordered some ATF FS from Supercheap for $130 for 8L (+-$300 less than the Roverland option). Thanks to this fantastic site and it's 'how to' Threads I feel confident doing the 'as full as possible' flush, I'll let you all know how it goes when I tackle it.

egremont · 28th March 2013, 11:11

Matt, You may be interested in Penrite's engine oils. They recommend four of their oils as being suitable for our KV6 engines, the top two being:.

or RACING 10W-40
Pack Sizes: 1 Litre, 5 Litre, 20 Litre, 205 Litre
Fully synthetic, full zinc, shear free high performance grade, for use where SAE 10W-30 oils are specified. Suitable for many older European petrol and light duty diesel engines and in a wide variety of petrol engines. Also ideal for four stroke motorcycles with wet clutches. Can be used in many applications formerly handled by Everyday Full Synthetic 10W-40.
Key Specifications: API SN/CF,ACEA A3/B3, BMW LL-98, MB 229.1/229.3, JASO MA, VW 502.00/505.00, Porsche GL

or 10 TENTHS PREMIUM FULL SYNTHETIC 0W-50
Pack Sizes: 1 Litre, 5 Litre, 20 Litre, 205 Litre
Fully synthetic, full zinc, high performance grade, for use where SAE 0W-40 oils are specified. Suitable for many European petrol and light duty diesel engines as well as many other petrol engines. Suitable for use with E85 fuel. Also ideal for four stroke motorcycles with wet clutches. Replaces SIN 0.
Key Specifications: API SN/CF, ACEA A3/B3, BMW LL-98, MB 229.1/229.3, JASO MA, VW 502.00/505.00 , Porsche GL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFlOS9QlPkw

John Dymond, was the Australian National Sales Manager for Lubrizol , before he purchased Penrite in 1979. He was a mechanical engineer by trade and a car enthusiast at heart. His technical background and commitment to quality ensured that Penrite continued to produce the highest quality product for every application.

John Dymond worked for Vauxhall in the U.K. before coming to OZ. Lubrizol sells lubricant additives to the oil industry. Incidentally, it was mentioned to me (long after John had left Lubrizol) that he incorporates more lubrication “ingredients” to his base stock than his competitors.

I paid AUD 62.10 for a five litre container.

egremont

27th March 2013, 04:30	#1
Matt NZ Newbie MG ZT 180 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Auckland Posts: 24 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Auto Trans Fluid in NZ/Aussie I'm thinking of doing an auto oil change in the next few weeks, the mechanics of how to go about it seem fairly straight forward, so I'll have a go myself. Looking through (the multiple) threads on the correct ATF to use, the advice seems to be stick with the Texaco product (ATF N402 - now ATF 402, but also being discontinued). The problem is, which ever way I've looked at trying to get the right stuff in NZ, it is prohibitively expensive. Thanks to Simon (SDItoo) who has complied a list of oils in the UK that are compatable - "MG Rover/X Part VYK 000 040/GUL 1805 Land Rover STC 50531 Texaco Havoline multi-vehicle ATF Valvoline MaxLife ATF Carlube ATF-U Fuchs Titan ATF 4400 All these are stated as direct replacements for N402." And here's where it gets really confusing. Prior to coming across Simons post I had already looked at the specs for Valvoline Maxlife ATF (because it's available from Supercheap) thru the .com.au site which links thru to the US site and I didn't see anything that explicitly said it was a 402 replacement (the au site does not have Maxlife as a recommendation for the trans, but does recomend it for the power steering). That appears to be because the Euro viscosity specs and the US viscosity specs for Maxlife ATF are quite different - US - http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/maxlife_atf.pdf euro - http://www.valvolineeurope.com/uploadedFiles/3850.pdf So Euro Maxlife as a 402 replacement, US Maxlife ?? not (who'd a thought they would be different specs!). Do we assume that because the AU site does not recommend it that we get the US spec in our part of the world? BNT sells Fuchs Titan ATF 4400 doesn't mention 402 on the web site but does say it is Jatco M315 1a compliant (apparently the standard Jatco requires). Penrite recommends their ATF FS and MHP as suitable and mention Jatco trans in the blurb (but again no specific mention of N402) - http://www.penriteoil.com.au/pis_pdf...une%202012.pdf Nulon does specifically mention that their synth ATF is suitable where N402 is required http://www.nulon.com.au/products/Aut...mission_Fluid/ Seems like Nulon is the go. Is it likely they will all be fine? Now my head hurts - I need a beer. Last edited by Matt NZ; 27th March 2013 at 04:32..

27th March 2013, 12:19	#3
egremont Loves to post Rover 75 Connoisseur SE. Auto. Saloon. SE Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne Posts: 458 Thanks: 163 Thanked 198 Times in 70 Posts	Auto transmission fluid. When I enquired about the Texaco product (ATF N402 - now ATF 402) oil company told me that it was no longer a commercial proposition to import it into Australia. Importation into OZ ceased some time ago. I guess the same answer applies in N.Z. I had my auto transmission serviced by a specialist transmission company. They refilled the auto box with a Penrite product. Incidentally, they drained all the oil out of the box. That was three plus years ago and I haven't experienced any problems. The Penrite brand has a very good reputation here in Oz. Cheers egremont

28th March 2013, 03:20	#8
Rovering Gets stuck in Rover 75 Tourer 2.5 Connoissuer, #2 of 16 exported for NZ market. Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Hamilton Posts: 623 Thanks: 107 Thanked 93 Times in 64 Posts	Hiya Matt, ditto for me. Would be interested in some as well. Graeme __________________ 2005 Mercedes E55 AMG 2005 Mercedes E350 2004 Mercedes E500 2004 BMW 530d 2002 MG ZT 190 manual Anthracite (NZ new) built 18-07-2002

28th March 2013, 11:11	#10
egremont Loves to post Rover 75 Connoisseur SE. Auto. Saloon. SE Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne Posts: 458 Thanks: 163 Thanked 198 Times in 70 Posts	Penrite Engine Oils. Matt, You may be interested in Penrite's engine oils. They recommend four of their oils as being suitable for our KV6 engines, the top two being:. or RACING 10W-40 Pack Sizes: 1 Litre, 5 Litre, 20 Litre, 205 Litre Fully synthetic, full zinc, shear free high performance grade, for use where SAE 10W-30 oils are specified. Suitable for many older European petrol and light duty diesel engines and in a wide variety of petrol engines. Also ideal for four stroke motorcycles with wet clutches. Can be used in many applications formerly handled by Everyday Full Synthetic 10W-40. Key Specifications: API SN/CF,ACEA A3/B3, BMW LL-98, MB 229.1/229.3, JASO MA, VW 502.00/505.00, Porsche GL or 10 TENTHS PREMIUM FULL SYNTHETIC 0W-50 Pack Sizes: 1 Litre, 5 Litre, 20 Litre, 205 Litre Fully synthetic, full zinc, high performance grade, for use where SAE 0W-40 oils are specified. Suitable for many European petrol and light duty diesel engines as well as many other petrol engines. Suitable for use with E85 fuel. Also ideal for four stroke motorcycles with wet clutches. Replaces SIN 0. Key Specifications: API SN/CF, ACEA A3/B3, BMW LL-98, MB 229.1/229.3, JASO MA, VW 502.00/505.00 , Porsche GL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFlOS9QlPkw John Dymond, was the Australian National Sales Manager for Lubrizol , before he purchased Penrite in 1979. He was a mechanical engineer by trade and a car enthusiast at heart. His technical background and commitment to quality ensured that Penrite continued to produce the highest quality product for every application. John Dymond worked for Vauxhall in the U.K. before coming to OZ. Lubrizol sells lubricant additives to the oil industry. Incidentally, it was mentioned to me (long after John had left Lubrizol) that he incorporates more lubrication “ingredients” to his base stock than his competitors. I paid AUD 62.10 for a five litre container. egremont

27th March 2013, 11:05	#2
capese21 This is my second home MG ZTT 180 Sports Auto. Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: London Posts: 3,930 Thanks: 18 Thanked 180 Times in 143 Posts	The Land Rover fluid shouild be available in Australia. How much would it cost you? The Nulon spec covers N402 so imho would be ok to use. Ed

27th March 2013, 17:08	#5
Matt NZ Newbie MG ZT 180 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Auckland Posts: 24 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	According to their web site Caltex (NZ Texaco) import Havoline ATF J and Texamatic 1888 and that seems to be it. I'll contact the local Landrover dealer (who are also Jaguar and the MGR parts people in Auckland), but this is the same crew who quoted $1600 for a new ZT/75 fan (885 quid at todays exchange) -They charge like a wounded bull. Our other car is a Freelander2 so there are times I have to deal with them, but I try to keep it to a minimum. I have already checked out the price of Penrite @$140NZ which seems ok for the 8 litres needed for a full change. Haven't priced the Nulon yet, but think I might lean towards that purely because it specifically says it's suitable where 402 is needed. If the Landrover product is no more than twice the price I might consider it - but I'm not holding my breath!

27th March 2013, 21:49	#6
Matt NZ Newbie MG ZT 180 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Auckland Posts: 24 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Just got hold of Roverland / Archibald and Shorter (local Landy / Jag / Rover dealership) and they only have one 5L in stock at $213NZ. Assuming they can get another in, that will be $426 to do a full change - 235GBP. For some reason Supercheap here only sells the Nulon Synth in 1L containers which is a lot more expensive way of doing it. I have e-mailed Penrite and asked re their ATF FS suitabilty specifically with texaco N402 spec'd Jatco trans.

27th March 2013, 22:01	#7
Indiana_Jones Avid contributor Rover 600 SLDi Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 120 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Let us know how you get on Matt, as I've been thinking of doing the same for my 75. Also nice to see another local _b -Andrew

28th March 2013, 08:43	#9
Matt NZ Newbie MG ZT 180 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Auckland Posts: 24 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Got a very quick reply from Penrite, saying "Special ATF, N402 is based on the JASO 1A and the Ford Mercon V specification...which ATF FS meets and exceeds" so they "recommend the ATFFS for the 5 speed Jatco automatic transmission". They do specifically mention it's suitabilty for the Jatco on their web site, and their customer service seems excellent, so I feel confident using it. I've seen several Aussies on here and .org, including egremont, who have used Penrite with no issues. I've ordered some ATF FS from Supercheap for $130 for 8L (+-$300 less than the Roverland option). Thanks to this fantastic site and it's 'how to' Threads I feel confident doing the 'as full as possible' flush, I'll let you all know how it goes when I tackle it.