Santa Fe Tranny Fluid

Hi everybody!! I own a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe, and it's been a good,
reliable vehicle for me. I need to change the transmission fluid and the
owner's manual states that I should use HYUNDAI GENUINE ATF or DIAMOND ATF
SP-III or SK ATF SP-III. I called the Hyundai dealer I bought the vehicle
from and asked if a "Dextron-III" type transmission fluid would be
equivalent to those listed in the manual, and the man working in the parts
department tersely informed me - "No, you have to use (the above mentioned
brands) or Mitsubishi brand." I asked the price per quart and he said
"$4.42". I think that's pretty steep for one quart of tranny fluid, and
my gut feeling is that he was B.S.ing about there being no suitable
equivalent. I didn't know Hyundai made their own transmission fluid. So
I ask you out there, does anyone know if there is a less expensive, good
quality, equivalent, tranny fluid for a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe, or will the
dealership be my only option?? Thanks for any help.

 

Use the manuf. recommended fluid. There are many horror stories of
people that have used other fluids and had problems. This is true for
all Hyundai models.

The first thing they do if you have a transmission claim under waranty
is test the fluid to see if it is the 'right' kind.

Make a search at www.santafeforum.net to see what others have
experienced.

 

Like AFOB3 said, Don't try to save a $20.00 bill on the fluid swap. It WILL
cost you in problems. MANY horror stories from folks who used DEXlll or
other types that quick lube shops thought would work.

 

no hes not shitting you, spend the 4.00 a quart, or 2500.00 $ on a new
tranny...
up to you.. =)

 

Definitely use only SPIII fluid. It's available at Hyundai, Kia,
Mitsubishi and Dodge dealers. They all charge too much for it but you
gotta use it- don't void your warranty (or worse) by using any other fluid.

 

I won't bother repeating what everybody else has said. They're right,
you need the REAL STUFF.

Also beware of products that claims to "have all the properties of
SP-III" when mixed at a specific ratio with Dextron. Its better than
straight dextron, but generally the car starts shifting *badly* after
10k miles (of strictly highway driving in my case, torque converter
lock-up was shuddering badly and it'd flare on light-throttle 2-3 upshifts).

When I noticed this I sucked it up and paid $6/qt at the local Dodge
counter (wasn't worth driving 80 miles farther to pay $1.50/qt less).
Since then I've changed it every 30k miles. It never feels *bad*, but
shift quality noticably improves after the change.

JS

 

Sorry, but he is not BSing you... You must use the somewhat expensive
Hyundai fluid (or Mitsubishi fluid) which is marked with the correct
spec on the containers.. Hyundai automatic transmissions are
Mitsubishi designs, built under license, and the fluid is in fact
proprietary and very specific to these transmissions... Use dextron
and watch your transmission self-destruct... The fluid is actually
made by Chevron, but the license they produce it under specifically
forbids them from marketing it generically.

JM

 

It seems to me that I've seen SPIII type tranny fluid at Wal-Mart,
labeled for use in Hyundai and Mitsubishi vehicles. I don't recall the
brand, but it may have even been Wal-Mart's own "Super Tech." I didn't
pay a lot of attention to it at the time, will have to check next time
I'm in one of those stores -- anyone know if this is the genuine item?
(Though I would agree that $4/quart or so at the dealer is cheap
insurance to know for certain that it's the correct fluid. It's not
like it needs to be changed or even topped up all that frequently.)

 

$4.42 a quart appears to be a total rip-off. I would check around for
reasonably price fluid.

 

Are you the same breed of idiot that pours in non-detergent 30W oil into
their car because "ITS ALL THE SAME STUFF!!?!?!"

The same people that buy whatever antifreeze was on sale this week, no
matter what formula, then bitch about their cars (usually GM, Dexcool is
almost never cheaper than the green stuff) being unreliable piles of crap.

JS