A few decades back domestic vehicles used 90W gear oil in manual transmissions, differentials, and transfer cases. Automatic transmission fluid was Dextron (red) for GM or Type F (amber) for Ford. I don’t recall which one Chrysler used as my two Chrysler vehicles had manual transmissions. Brake fluid was DOT 3. Engine coolant was whatever brand of green stuff. Today we have a confusing array of vehicle fluids. I just have the dealership install the correct ones.
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DOT3 compliant just means at a MINIMUM, it meets that spec. It does not mean it cannot have other superior qualities over and above DOT3…
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When I worked for GM’s brake division years ago, they used to sell their own formulation of Dot 3 fluid to GM and AC Delco service. It was decidedly not “generic” Dot 3 fluid sold by everyone else.
I was told by a brake engineer to use Ford Dot 3 fluid in my race car though. He said its dry boiling point was quite a bit higher than the Delco Dot 3 fluid, met Dot 4 requirements and was sold in metal cans - better to keep out moisture than the plastic bottles. Ford’s wet boiling point was what kept it selling it as Dot 3.
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I bet I don’t work for Honda, and as @TwinTurbo said, not all DOT3 fluids are the same. I saw the warnings from Honda not to use anything but Honda DOT3 brake fluid, and I was skeptical. Rather than buying just any DOT3 fluid, I read up on it on Honda forums. I learned that the Honda fluid had a higher boiling point than most OTC DOT3 brake fluids. I then went to my local auto parts store and found a Valvoline DOT3/DOT4 compliant hydrocarbon fluid with a boiling point as high as Honda’s. I decided at that point, I would switch.
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Never had problem using generic DOT 3 brake fluid in all the Hondas I owned. They are just daily drivers…not race cars.
Ah! The Brickskeller!
I went there with a former boss and all he ever ordered was Newcastle Brown.
Yeah I’ve been there. Don’t drink beer but the wife does. Something there for everyone.
Maybe I’m stupid but I just picked up a bottle of Acura coolant and brake fluid to have on the shelf. Wasn’t anymore expensive than anywhere else. I really haven’t used either though.
That’s where we spent many nights drinking strange beers and eating bufffalo burgers with buffalo chips. Fond memories.
Back to cars-- My decision when I did my own work depended on how much labor was involved, how my finances were at the time and how long I expected to keep the car as to whether to use OEM parts or aftermarket. For example, on my 1954 Buick, the OEM fuel pump was $15.75. The Western Auto store pump was $8.75. It took less than half an hour to change the mechanical pump,so I took the aftermarket route. I was earning about $200 a month back then, so the aftermarket pump made sense. On today’s cars, with an electric pump in the gas tank I would go with OEM because changing out this type of pump takes much more time. The last time I put spark plugs in the 1978 Oldsmobile I owned, Autolite spark plugs were on sale. I substituted the Autolite equivalent for the OEM AC plugs because changing plugs on that car was a 20 minute job. If I were changing plugs on my 2011 Sienna where the rear plugs are against the firewall, I would cerrtainly use the recommended plugs. The Western Auto pump on the Buick and the Autolite plugs on the Olds functioned well in the time I kept the cars.
With many repairs on today’s cars requiring a lot of labor, I would stick with OEM parts.
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