Lvangundy

I saw 'slick 50 ATF (transmission fluid) treatment' in the store the other day and was wondering if anyone ever used this or doesn't recommend it.

rd8a

I used it some time back in a 90 Toyota Cressida. It worked fine. But...I then read somewhere that the product works while it works and then it breaks down and leaves harmful deposits! So, if you're planning on keeping your vehicle 50K from now, IMHO I'd say don't use it.

fusi0n 1er

Use Z-Max. it costs around 50 but it's way better than Slick 50. Turst me, it runs your engine and transmission smoother than anyhitng on the market

jberger

do NOT use Zmax, it's nothing but mineral oil and food coloring and is under investigation by the FTC.

Miracle oils are scams. Slick 50 has also been proven as a scam.
Use only real fluids which meet the specs of your manufacturers.

Here's the info on Zmax
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/02/zmax1.htm
"claims actually demonstrated that motor oil treated with zMax produced more than twice as much bearing corrosion than motor oil alone, and that the three different products - an engine additive, a fuel line additive and a transmission additive - were all actually tinted mineral oil."

Here's the info on Slick 50
http://xcelplus.com/law_suit.htm
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2000/01/shellswindlestmt.htm
http://www.civilrights.com/prod_fuel.html

kreativ

Wow, I just watched the Zmax infomercial late last night on TV. They had guys like A.J. Foyt saying "I wouldn't put my reputation on this product if it didn't work. I put it in all my race cars." hehe.

Thanks for the links Jberger.

wwest

A SUCKER IS BORN EVERY MINUTE!

fusi0n 1er

thanks for the links..... but zMax puts a lot of trust into their product .........oh well......:eek:

theSSthatcould

DO NOT use any additives please. Its mostly mineral oil and absolutly USELESS if not harmfull.
Thanks.

fusi0n 1er

so if you can't put additives to maintain your engine what can you use other than buying a new engine?

kreativ

Quality motor oil already has additives in it. That's about the best you're going to get.

theSSthatcould

I dont quite follow your train of thought, please elaborate. Thanks.

additude

theSSthatcould,

Are you saying that all additives contain mineral oil? I know that's not 100% true.

There are some good products on the market.

jberger

I believe he was repling to the previous post regarding zMax specifically. Hence the mineral oil comment since zMax is 99% Mineral Oil and 1% Food Coloring.

Yes, there are some positive addititives out there, but you need to understand the specific problem they are intended to address and how they impact the other aspects of the fluid.
The best defense against wear is excellant filtration, high quality lubricants and a regular maintanence schedule, from the beginning.

It's virtually impossible to replace metals after they have been worn away, thus no "rebuilds in a bottle" but with a proper maintanence proceedure 200-300K is possible on a engine before you need a rebuild. Some people get higher milage under special driving conditions, most less due to poor maintanence.


Here's a list of the additives I've used with good results. YMMY
BG Products:
Quick Flush for removing varnish and sediments from the engine oil system. To be used prior to an oil change.

MOA: Designed to replace the Zinc which has been removed from most motor oils due to emissions controls. Zinc is a primary anti-wear additive. To be used after an oil change.

44K: Fuel System Treatment, has the same active ingredients as Techron, but in a much high concentration so it's a better bang for the buck. It's generaly regarded as the strongest fuel system cleaner out there for routine use. They also make an excellant throttle body/injector cleaner which requires a special applicator.

They also make a transmission cleaner which is used prior to a flush, but I can't remember the name. BG is only sold direct to auto shops, so you have to shop around for them.

AMSoil:
Oils, which are fully synthetic (no generic basestock) and contain much higher levels of anti wear additives.
Filters: Perhaps the best thing they sell, specialized filter systems for much higher levels of filtration than standard media. I especially like the bypass model which uses 2 filters, 1 for primary filtration and a second for extremely small particules.

Lubrigard: Great transmission additives.

Redline: If you have a manual transmission, you should be running redline MFT. Never tried the AFT fluids, I use Lexus fluids instead. I've also used thier diff fluids and fuel treatment with good results (but I think BG has a better fuel treatment).

Percy

***The only reason why AJ and other say that is because the camerman is flashing wads of 100 dollar bills. Plus it's probably in their contract somewhere. It's just like Smokey in his advertising of ProLong additive.

Percy

additude

If you use Z-Max your going to be looking for a new engine.....it's junk.

Stay away from it. Save yourself a headache.