After writing about the popularity of Honda cars in general, and the civic specifically, I wanted to discuss something very important to both Honda’s and Acura’s in terms of what automatic transmission fluid to use or request during your normal maintenance.
This will not take long. Without question, the replacement fluid to use in a Honda or Acura (Acura uses Honda drive lines) only comes from the dealer…No company makes an additive that turns conventional AFT or synthetic AFT into Honda ATF...
Honda fluid is very specific to the vehicle. You can put any fluid you want to in your Honda and it will work. The main problem being that the transmission will shift like a dragster without Honda ATF. Why? Because the fluid is specifically blended to work with the clutch plates (soft parts) in a Honda transmission.
The composition of the clutch plates inside the clutch pack drum is such that without the exact additives put in OEM (original equipment manufacturer) Honda fluid, the transmission will not shift properly and more important it kills the transmission life.
BTW, The Honda transmission has an internal automatic transmission filter. It can not be changed unless you pull the transmission out of the car and take it apart. Typically a Honda transmission filter only gets changed during a rebuild. Don’t forget to dispose of your waste transmission fluid legally.
When you get your Honda fluid changed, my advise is to bring your own fluid, right from the dealer. Pay the fair price on labor. Need more info on transmissions? Read more of our GotTransmissions.com Blog. It is free and full of money saving tips.
