[Mike79]

if you are doing the service regularly, you just need drain and fill.

Yes drain and fill always the best option fo transmissions. Flushe are generally risky and some shops won’t do them as they can introduce problems with pressure and contamination via dislodging debris. There is a lot in forums against flushes.

 

[Mike79]

I've been following the thread called Transmission Fluid change (poll). In that thread there are a couple recommendations. Mainly dealer service with Acura fluids or Amsoil. It seems most recommendations for the transmission and transfer case seem to be Amsoil.

My local shop gave me a quote for BG transmission fluid and transfer case gear oil. What are your thoughts about BG fluids?

(from the quote)
for the transmission
BG ATF
BG Quick Clean
BG ATC Plus

for the transfer case
BG Gear Oil
BG MGC

I know BG has a good reputation for BG 44K and I know a lot of VW techs recommend adding BG MOA to help reduce oil consumption.

Thanks for your thought's

Just my two cents — but this comes from personal experience and advice straight from a trusted mechanic:

Shops like to push BG fluids because they make more profit on them. BG is a "universal" fluid, meaning shops can stock fewer variants and apply it across multiple vehicles. That saves them money and boosts margins. But OEM fluids are often the same price or even cheaper for you as the customer — and they’re specifically engineered for your vehicle.

OEM fluids are the safer bet, especially on something like the MDX. There are plenty of examples of MDXs going over 250k miles on the original powertrain using nothing but OEM fluids. BG isn’t necessarily “bad,” but it’s designed to cover a broad range of vehicles. That means the additive packages and chemical properties aren’t necessarily tuned to the exact needs of your Acura’s transmission, differential, or SH-AWD system — and this came directly from an engineer involved in OEM fluid development.

If your MDX is still under warranty, I would absolutely stick with OEM fluids only. BG may offer their own protection plan, but there are real-world cases where they’ve denied claims or made the process difficult. Acura, on the other hand, could deny warranty coverage if a failure is linked to a non-OEM fluid. Not worth the risk.

Even after warranty, I personally use only OEM fluids in the transmission, rear diff, transfer case, and cooling system across all my vehicles. It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind and long-term reliability.