I'm currently 800 miles into Auto-RX in 99 Passat 1.8T ZF 71141 automatic transmission, with Valvoline MaxLife ATF. The factory fill was in there for 80K, and it was pitch black when I drained it out. It's already much smoother now with the new ATF. I'll drain and replace the ATF when it gets to 1000 miles.
I was wondering why there is no rinse cycle with the transmission treatment. I have read postings on various boards in which users observed the motor oil would stay relatively clear during the clean cycle, and it's during the rinse cycle is where they would notice the gunk coming off the metals and the oil turning black the most.
In fact, the comparison pictures on http://www.auto-rx.com/rms13/ showed more significant differences after the rinse cycle.
So, wouldn't a rinse cycle be good for auto transmission too, especially considering it's a closed system with much less effective filtering? Wouldn't the gunks continue to come off from the metals after the clean cycle drain, and stay inside if they don't get rinsed out?
PS: I am aware that some OE ATF's are very expensive, but alternatives like Valvoline MaxLife for the ZF 71141 are much cheaper at $15/gallon as opposed to OE's $20/quart, and have been used by BMW, Audi and VW ZF owners with no problems, and Valvoline stands behind MaxLife usage on ZF 71141.
Transmission deposits are much easier dissolved by Auto-Rx when compared to engine deposits. This is because the transmission is basically a sealed unit. The deposit formations are not complex, as are in a motor. Motor deposits gain complexity due to combustion gases, from blow by, and airborne contaminants ingested into the oil, such as literal dirt and moisture.
I dropped the pan, cleaned out the magnets, and replaced the filter around 30,000 in my 2000 1.8T Passat. The fluid didn't look all that bad (although it sure didn't look new) but what alarmed me was all the grey matter collected on the magnets. Yuck!
I'm planning on repeating the complete process every 30,000 miles from here on out. I did a quick drain and refill here a couple of weeks ago. The fluid that came out looked much better than before.
Although you personally seem to be satisfied with Valvoline MaxLife ATF I likewise am happy with my decision to use Redline D4. I found it much preferably to the OEM fluid.
