Hey everyone,

Been reading around the boards and there seems to be a lot of emphasis on getting only Toyota ATF transmission, differential, etc. oil/fluids ONLY. Cousin just became a head tech at a Lexus dealership here in NYC. Told me that toyota does not make any oils, fluids, etc at all. They buy everything in bulk, whatever is the cheapest they can get. Ex...the transmission or differential fluid is made by Quaker State or valvolne etc, depending who comes in with the cheapest bid.

The only reason why they say toyota on it is for packaging for individual sales and paying a couple of bucks more for nice packaging.

Basically, you can use any brand you want...Mobil, etc., as long the type of oil/fluids used is correct.

Not sure if everyone knew this already, but I just wanted to share something new I learned today.

 

That's the key - the type of fluid. The only fluid that's really "special" is the trans fluid. It seems many auto manufacturers like to make their own type of trans fluid, and they don't always license aftermarket sales of it. It wasn't until the last couple of years that any ATF Type T-IV, Toyota's flavor, was available anywhere other trhan through Toyota. Dealers must have a way to buy T-IV in bulk, and there has to be more than one source for it.
As delicate as the Lexus transmissions seem to be be, it's not worth going with a different type or even a synthetic substitute. If the trans breaks down and they test the fluid, and it's not T-IV, you'll have a very expensive repair bill.
All of the other fluids are pretty generic. Even the Toyota red coolant isn't that special. It's designed to flow smoother through tiny passages in the radiator. Aftermarket coolants have gotten better about that over the years. You just don't want to mix Toyota coolant with aftermarket in large quantities.

 

Yup, as long as it is Type T-IV, it doesn't matter what brand it is. Lexus buys it in bulk from the cheapest bidder. At the dealership right now, there are 3 different Type T-IV barrells of fluid all from different companies.