Someone was sloppy when putting that chart together. The second area you highlighted in yellow should read Shell M1375.4, not Shell 1374.5. Let's hope it is just a typo....

 

It most likely is. A quick google search for Shell 1374.5 yielded results for Shell M-1375.4

 

Lots of third-party fluid makers claim one of their fluids meets Shell M1375.4, along with sometimes dozens of other standards. Our members have conducted countless hours of research on this topic, and we have found that third-party fluid makers' claims cannot be trusted. They are happy to sell you a fluid that will "work" in place of Lifeguard 6, and also "work" in place of Lifeguard 8 and 9.

The highest authority on this topic is ZF, the manufacturer of the transmission, and if they state that their 6-, 8- and 9- speed transmissions require different fluids, why would you trust a third-party fluid maker to tell you the same fluid can work in all three gearboxes? Liqui-Moly must have built some compromises into the fluid in order to claim it can do what ZF says it cannot.

You can learn a lot about these issues by studying the ZF literature and the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) or Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for the various fluids. Frequently third-party fluid makers claim their fluid meets the Shell M1375.4 standard, yet the viscosity of their fluid is 50% higher than that of Lifeguard 6 / Mercon SP. You can also get an idea of how similar the friction modifiers and other additives are by studying the Data Sheets. Often you'll find that the base oils of the third-party fluids are entirely different than that of LG6/MSP, which should be your first clue that some compromises have been made.

The Mechatronic in your ZF 6HP26 is programmed to adapt to your driving style and the specific slippage characteristics and other properties of Lifeguard 6. A ZF engineer I contacted said that it is possible that the Mechatronic could adapt to other fluids, but since ZF has not confirmed any other fluids, it is also possible that the use of any other fluid could lead to internal issues such as improper pressures, elevated temperatures, etc. So why take the risk?

Cheers,

Don

 

As I stated before, I am taking the risk because of supply issues, and the cost of Lifeguard 6. I already had an appointment with my mechanic for yesterday. Due to the time constraints of dental school, rescheduling was not an option. I could not source any Mercon SP locally and having it shipped would've taken too long. Other reasons I decided to take the risk include: local BMW owners with the same transmission wax poetic about the Liqui-Moly with zero issues, and my mechanic stated he has had good experience using this ATF with other ZF 6HP transmissions, including Land Rovers, Maserati's, and BMWs. Let my car be a test-bed for the performance of this fluid. If I ever feel my transmission begin to act weird I will replace the fluid with Mercon SP. If After 20 or 30,000 miles the Liqui-moly stands the test of time, then that means we have one more option for ATF.

Liqui-moly is a German company that has a great reputation as a brand of vehicle fluids in Europe. Yes they are relatively unknown in the US market, but they are making inroads, specially with the euro parts shops.

 

Liqui-Moly is very well-known in the U.S. among German car owners, as are Pentosin, Febi, Fuchs, Ravenol, etc. The company's reputation doesn't seem to matter much when it comes to offering one transmission fluid it says will work in multiple applications while ZF says those different applications require different fluids.

Some of the BMWs and Audis that use certain 6HP transmissions call for Lifeguard 8, which might make Liqui Moly Top Tec 1800 a suitable choice, but without more research you're just going to have to take the risk. I wish you could have sourced enough Mercon SP.

Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Cheers,

Don

 

In Bahrain, I too couldn’t source the recommended ZF Lifeguard5, Mercon SP, Shell ATFs, etc. so went with LiquiMoly1200 ATF.

When I did the ATF change, I also installed the Transgo PR valve as I was in the area of the tranny’s valve body. The latter was a purely preventative measure.

After about a month of running, my issue of harsh uphill freeway downshifting 5-4, and 2-1-stop has been resolved. No problems to report on LiquiMoly 1200 ATF on my ZF5HP24 tranny.

I do think my issue was old and low level of ATF. When drained the old ATF was dark brown/black but luckily no metal on the pan’s magnets.

 

That’s good to know. I hope I can report similar success with the Liqui-Moly 1800 and my Zf 6HP26. About the only issue I have had with mine has been an annoying 2-1 bump when braking to a stop. I suspect that problem developed due to the low fluid? After the fluid change I didn’t notice the 2-1 bump, but I wasn’t paying that much attention. I’ll report back on this later.

The mechanic showed me the old pan with the fluid and he said “this transmission is in great shape.” There were no metal shavings in the pan and the old fluid was still very clean and had a light color to it.

I’m sure that had I allowed the leak at the mechatronic connector to progress, the findings would have been very different.

 

Just ordered the kit from CTSC.com.....