[mudbone9]

I am pretty embarrassed about this but I think making this my first post is worth it if it saves others from making the same mistake. Last year I drained and filled my transmission fluid and put the four quarts in a milk jug and it sat on my garage floor until the beginning of June this year when I changed my engine oil. When I was done with the oil change I decided to take the transmission fluid and the engine oil containers to the store to be recycled. I placed both containers on the front passenger side all weather floor mat and proceeded to drive to the store. When I got down to the end of my street I glanced over at the containers and the milk jug appeared to be leaning. I looked closer and it had drained nearly half its contents on my floorboard!!! I freaked out needless to say. I pulled over and threw the jug out of my car and drained as much as I could off of the floormat. I immediately went back home and used a carpet cleaner to suck up what I could of the fluid but it was too late. The fluid had soaked into the front carpet and ran down under the carpet into the back floorboard. Honda had designed the carpet with the padding glued to the bottom. The padding is a sponge like foam and it sucked up a large amount of the transmission fluid. I tried to get the fluid out of it but it was hopeless. I ended up having to buy all new carpet and replace it myself for $778.02!!! Yeah that was a really hard lesson to learn. The milk jug never leaked in my garage but I figure the transmission fluid must have slowly ate away at the seam on the jug over the year it sat on my garage floor. Had I taken it to the store last year it may not have leaked but I did not take it then because of the pandemic. I will continue doing my own fluid changes but from now on I will place the containers in five gallon buckets while transporting them. Changing that carpet was not an easy job and it required removing the seats and dismantling most of the center console. To get under the channel beams I bought a gallon of degreaser and poured it on the floor board and sucked it up with a shop vac. Thank God for the internet and all the online videos that showed me how to disassemble everything. I took lots of pictures as I did it to make sure everything went back together the way it came apart. Glad its done now!

 

[AccorDokken]

That sucks. Yeah, milk containers are really just made for milk. ATF isn't incredibly caustic like, say, brake fluid, but it can probably eat through flimsy plastic given time.

 

[Bobblehead]

I am pretty embarrassed about this but I think making this my first post is worth it if it saves others from making the same mistake. Last year I drained and filled my transmission fluid and put the four quarts in a milk jug and it sat on my garage floor until the beginning of June this year when I changed my engine oil. When I was done with the oil change I decided to take the transmission fluid and the engine oil containers to the store to be recycled. I placed both containers on the front passenger side all weather floor mat and proceeded to drive to the store. When I got down to the end of my street I glanced over at the containers and the milk jug appeared to be leaning. I looked closer and it had drained nearly half its contents on my floorboard!!! I freaked out needless to say. I pulled over and threw the jug out of my car and drained as much as I could off of the floormat. I immediately went back home and used a carpet cleaner to suck up what I could of the fluid but it was too late. The fluid had soaked into the front carpet and ran down under the carpet into the back floorboard. Honda had designed the carpet with the padding glued to the bottom. The padding is a sponge like foam and it sucked up a large amount of the transmission fluid. I tried to get the fluid out of it but it was hopeless. I ended up having to buy all new carpet and replace it myself for $778.02!!! Yeah that was a really hard lesson to learn. The milk jug never leaked in my garage but I figure the transmission fluid must have slowly ate away at the seam on the jug over the time it sat in the garage. Had I taken it to the store last year it may not have leaked but I did not take it then because of the pandemic. I will continue doing my own fluid changes but from now own I will place the containers in five gallon buckets while transporting them. Changing that carpet was not an easy job and it required removing the seats and dismantling most of the console. To get under the channel beams I bought a gallon of degreaser and poured it on the floor board and sucked it up with a shop vac. Thank God for the internet and all the online videos that showed me how to disassemble everything. I took lots of pictures as I did it to make sure everything went back together the way it came apart. Glad its done now!

Thanks for sharing and saving others from making the same mistake.In the future, you might consider re-using the GLN sized containers that originally held motor oil or ATF as used oil containers. They usually have an oversized opening and are sturdy. Use a fat magic marker and write WASTE OIL; so not to confuse the contents.

 

[easymike]

This is why I save the 5qt jugs even after empty. There's always some oil loss over time, so over the course of a few changes, eventually you'll end up with a completely empty jug on hand for this purpose. Other jugs that are tough enough (although still not technically suitable) are bleach containers and windshield washer containers

 

[mudbone9]

Thanks for sharing and saving others from making the same mistake.In the future, you might consider re-using the GLN sized containers that originally held motor oil or ATF as used oil containers. They usually have an oversized opening and are sturdy. Use a fat magic marker and write WASTE OIL; so not to confuse the contents.

I buy the 5 quart jugs of Mobil 1 Extended 0w20 and always reuse the containers for the used oil. This was my first time I ever draining the transmission fluid on any car and I could only find the ATF-DW1 in quart size. Trying to get the fluid back into those small bottles is darn near impossible so I used what I had available. I am fairly certain this would not have happened if I had not waited a year to recycle it. In the future I will always put the used fluid containers in 5 gallon buckets so this never happens again.

I thought everyone might also be interested in what was under their carpet. This is a 2016 Accord Touring Coupe. The photo shows the back carpet turned upside down. The left and right side of the front carpet is also connected under the console hence why the console had to be taken apart. I also think this carpet can be easily ruined with any major spill of fluids. I think even water would be a problem if it was allowed to mildew. It took me two evenings after work to disassemble everything and one long Friday night after work to put everything back together. I love this car and I would not have been happy until it was fixed. I just had to get it done without stressing any more over the damage.

 

[qman]

I've been using a 5 gallon bucket since the 1990s for all automotive fluids (oil, ATF, etc.) It has about an inch of sludge on the bottom..

 

[emeron]

Good time to lay down some kilmat while you already have the seats and the carpet out of the way.

 

[easymike]

I've been using a 5 gallon bucket since the 1990s for all automotive fluids (oil, ATF, etc.) It has about an inch of sludge on the bottom..

[furiously calculates possible age based on smart decisions]

 

[Cruizahkimo]

I don't know where You live, but if i was behind You and saw You throw that poison out of Your car, well.. It wouldn't be nice.. ANYWAY.. Yeah, I'm pissed off in the morning because of My chronic pain.. And I'm sorry that happened to You, but, really? A MILK Container?! Damn Cuz.. I used to work at a gas station/plate lunch/pizza place, and yelled at too many people pumping GAS into milk gallons. So dumb. Don't know something? It's called the Interweb. You're on it. The site rhymes with smoogle.. And one last thing. A FUNNEL. Mahalo for helping any brain dead mofos out there. Please don't litter. Take care.
Aloha

 

[mudbone9]

Good time to lay down some kilmat while you already have the seats and the carpet out of the way.

I know right? I wanted to do just that but I didn't think about it until I had everything torn down. I couldn't find any locally and did not want to wait two days for it to ship.

I don't know where You live, but if i was behind You and saw You throw that poison out of Your car, well.. It wouldn't be nice.. ANYWAY.. Yeah, I'm pissed off in the morning because of My chronic pain.. And I'm sorry that happened to You, but, really? A MILK Container?! Damn Cuz.. I used to work at a gas station/plate lunch/pizza place, and yelled at too many people pumping GAS into milk gallons. So dumb. Don't know something? It's called the Interweb. You're on it. The site rhymes with smoogle.. And one last thing. A FUNNEL. Mahalo for helping any brain dead mofos out there. Please don't litter. Take care.
Aloha

Trust me I did not want to pollute but the whole disaster made that inevitable. I filled our garbage can with transmission soaked carpet so it was an environmental disaster. The gallon jug was nearly empty within a minute of setting it on the ground. The container did not leak a single drop on my garage floor for a full year. I assume it busted a seam when I sat it down on the floor mat. But not sure why I am telling you this because I bet you have never made a mistake in your entire life. Am I right?

 

[Ash051]

I also don't like the imagery of throwing that jug out the window, but I also get it. I don't keep anything leak-proof in my car (besides maybe my rubber floor mats), so in OP's shoes, I might have done the same. States of panic like that can make you lose your senses of reason and logic. While it's certainly not ideal for the environment, people do way worse, and OP can learn and prepare to prevent this from happening again.

On that note, OP, you might want to invest in some good, spill-holding/leakproof rubber floor mats... just in case!

That being said... milk jugs were meant to hold one thing: milk. The same jugs can also hold water, but that's beside the point. Milk is much less corrosive than really any car fluid, so rather than busting a seam, I'd think that the transmission fluid might've eaten away at the milk jug's plastic and made it so weak that eventually it just burst. Main point of the story: either use a proper container from now on, and/or dispose of it quickly.

 

[Cruizahkimo]

Yeah.. I apologize. Im Not in a good mood in the morning. lol We all make mistakes. I hope people read Your post and learn from it. Good on ya for spreading the word. And yes. I've made terrible mistakes in My life. I'm the guy You see at the beach picking up cigarette butts. And then what do I do? In a feminine fueled rage, I drive like a dummy and lose control of My car, fishtail, and fly off a 112 ft cliff. 87 ft sheer vertical. Had to drag my broken body up the rocks after the crash landing or else I would have drown. I was apologizing to people from the hospital bed because my car sat there for 3 months. They were telling Me "It's Ok. You're Alive!" Eh. The irony is Sickening. So anyway, I just woke up and feel like crap as usual, but, sorry about that. $#!+ happens to good people. That's just the way it is. All we can do is give up, or keep trying. NEVER GIVE UP. Take Care.
Aloha

 

[mudbone9]

Yeah.. I apologize. Im Not in a good mood in the morning. lol We all make mistakes. I hope people read Your post and learn from it. Good on ya for spreading the word. And yes. I've made terrible mistakes in My life. I'm the guy You see at the beach picking up cigarette butts. And then what do I do? In a feminine fueled rage, I drive like a dummy and lose control of My car, fishtail, and fly off a 112 ft cliff. 87 ft sheer vertical. Had to drag my broken body up the rocks after the crash landing or else I would have drown. I was apologizing to people from the hospital bed because my car sat there for 3 months. They were telling Me "It's Ok. You're Alive!" Eh. The irony is Sickening. So anyway, I just woke up and feel like crap as usual, but, sorry about that. $#!+ happens to good people. That's just the way it is. All we can do is give up, or keep trying. NEVER GIVE UP. Take Care.
Aloha

Thank you for the apology. I am like you with respect to trash and I also have picked trash up in parks that was not mine and properly disposed of it. I really hated what I did but I only had two choices at that time. That was leave the jug in the car and let it completely drain out on the carpet or do what I did to try to save the carpet. Had I known it was going to ruin the carpet anyway I would have left it in the car. The place I threw it out was a construction site for new homes and it was in the middle of a gravel road. Eventually it will get paved over with asphalt. That does not make it any better but at least it was not in someone's yard or in front of their house.

I still find it interesting that nobody else on here has admitted to using a milk jug to transport used automotive fluids. I am 62 and have always transported it that way unless I had an empty 5 quart jug that was already designed to hold oil. Does Honda sell ATF-DW1 in 5 quart jugs? If they did I would rather buy it that way than by the quart. Also why is it so expensive? I have 60k on my 2016 Accord Touring Coupe and its time for another 4 quart change😰

 

[Aviography]

We don't have milk jugs here in Canada, our milk comes in bags!

I usually buy oil in 5 liter plastic jugs, and keep them for old motor oil or gear box fluid, I've used windshield washer fluid jugs too, however I don't think I would keep them for long before taking them to the city recycling center now after reading your story and expensive lesson, thanks for sharing!

 

[Cruizahkimo]

I've never seen a gallon container of Honda ATF.. IDK why.. At the only Honda dealership on My island, called king Auto, look then up on Yelp, 15 one stars.. lol! Their mechanics are shady a-holes.. Anyway! Honda ATF is $7.25 a quart.. I used to use gallons of Castrol transmax import ATF when I first got this car because I was draining and filling like a desperate frickah (which I was).. They're pretty close in price here.. Anyway. I gotta get back to My car.. gotta get it running. It has issues. Transmission's still good though Take care. Aloha

 

[Ziyang]

Thats embarrassing but thanks for sharing it.

I agree with the comment that brake fluid is more corrosive. I used a regular water bottle to catch the old fluid. I recall within minutes that bottle shrunk quite a lot! That’s really terrifying.

 

[emeron]

At least with the 'cord you dump all of the 4 bottles in, then let a little bit drain out from the check hole. Smaller bottles are easier to handle too. No complaints.

With the crv the rear differential takes 1.1 quart of gear oil that comes in 1 quart bottles.

 

[m002d2]

I am pretty embarrassed about this but I think making this my first post is worth it if it saves others from making the same mistake. Last year I drained and filled my transmission fluid and put the four quarts in a milk jug and it sat on my garage floor until the beginning of June this year when I changed my engine oil. When I was done with the oil change I decided to take the transmission fluid and the engine oil containers to the store to be recycled. I placed both containers on the front passenger side all weather floor mat and proceeded to drive to the store. When I got down to the end of my street I glanced over at the containers and the milk jug appeared to be leaning. I looked closer and it had drained nearly half its contents on my floorboard!!! I freaked out needless to say. I pulled over and threw the jug out of my car and drained as much as I could off of the floormat. I immediately went back home and used a carpet cleaner to suck up what I could of the fluid but it was too late. The fluid had soaked into the front carpet and ran down under the carpet into the back floorboard. Honda had designed the carpet with the padding glued to the bottom. The padding is a sponge like foam and it sucked up a large amount of the transmission fluid. I tried to get the fluid out of it but it was hopeless. I ended up having to buy all new carpet and replace it myself for $778.02!!! Yeah that was a really hard lesson to learn. The milk jug never leaked in my garage but I figure the transmission fluid must have slowly ate away at the seam on the jug over the year it sat on my garage floor. Had I taken it to the store last year it may not have leaked but I did not take it then because of the pandemic. I will continue doing my own fluid changes but from now on I will place the containers in five gallon buckets while transporting them. Changing that carpet was not an easy job and it required removing the seats and dismantling most of the center console. To get under the channel beams I bought a gallon of degreaser and poured it on the floor board and sucked it up with a shop vac. Thank God for the internet and all the online videos that showed me how to disassemble everything. I took lots of pictures as I did it to make sure everything went back together the way it came apart. Glad its done now!

Go to any restaurant that has deep fryers and ask for/snag a 30 lb fryer oil container. They'll hold up and won't cost you a penny. They hold ~5 gallons. Thanks for the heads up and sorry for your headaches.

 

[Calamity Coyote]

I've got three of these recycle oil jugs from Walmart. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hopkins-FloTool-11849-Dispos-Oil-Recycle-Oil-Jug/20440560 A little pricey at $30 but they hold 12 quarts. Has a large opening for easy pouring of oil from drain pan in to it. I also have a plastic tote bin that I lay down and put the jugs and filters in when transporting in my vehicle in case of any spills. So that's double the protection.