I have a 2018 Clarity PHEV with about ~130k miles. I took the car for transmission fluid change. The quote named DW-1 as fluid to be used. After I picked the car up I looked at the invoice. It names 5 qt. of HCF2 for ~$90. Also charged $181 for labor. Car drives fine. Should I be concerned about the fluid discrepancy? Do the costs seem fair?
Don't know if there is difference between the 2 fluids or if they can be mixed. I know DW-1 is for regular tran and CHF2 is for CVT. But the fluid change only changed about half the fluids inside the tran. 2.2qt for fluid change vs 3.3qt for overhaul. 5 qt is alot. so either they overcharged you or they overfilled the tran.
I think in this instance (because the Clarity 'transmission' is so unique), I feel it is important to use the fluid that is called out in the manual (it is the DW-1). Perhaps the dealer used DW-1, but just had copy / paste error when creating the invoice, but I don't know how you could be sure. The manual does specifically warn about not mixing other fluids with DW-1, and if they put the 'wrong' fluid in, then that is what happened as pointed out by @megreyhair since a fluid change does not replace all of the fluid. I would at least have this conversation with the dealer to see if you can clearly ascertain what happened.
Was the work performed at a Honda dealership? The vehicle is out of warranty so there is no concern over using the recommended fluid as pertains to a warranty claim. Ask the service department that performed the work if HCF2 is an equivalent to DW-1. Ask them why 5 quarts were used/billed. Call another dealer or two and ask what they charge for the same service. Then you’ll have your answers.
I doubt anyone will be able to tell you if HCF-2 is compatible with DW-1. I saw random mentions online that HCF-2 is incompatible with the older CVT fluid. DW-1 is a magenta color, while HCF-2 is a golden color. It should be easy to take a sample of the gearbox fluid to check its color, by opening the gearbox's rubber plug and sticking in a clean plastic rod to sample the fluid. If it were my car, I'd demand them to flush the fluid and replace with the correct fluid, and perhaps give an extended warranty on the transmission. If it's been a while, maybe even go overboard and have them check the change ATF strainer.
You may have gone overboard with the initial demands. Since you’re in the water, why not ask for a free 1-year charging voucher or maybe see if they’ll pay your kids college tuition?
A quick check on the intergalactic web shows DW-1 and HCF2 available for $8-12/qt. $90 for 5qts seem a bit high for either. If anything, DW-1 is less costly, and it is the recommended fluid.
