Collecting Statistics on BMW auto transmission and Lifetime ATF

[Biochemlab]

Currently 12.2% of 10 - 16 year old auto transmissions have failed (we don't know how bad they failed)... That means 87.8% are running well after 10 - 16 years... I think that's pretty great...

[DJT]

my 1999 528i w/ 99K miles has never had the ATF serviced, but has recently shown minor symptoms of slipping, "rumbling" on acceleration, etc. I should service it now, although it's probably too late to completely avoid a more expensive repair.

PS although I have always followed the service lights for oil service and routine maintenance, I believe the better route would be to change the oil every 3K-5K miles regardless of the service lights.

[Analog]

203k on mine, never changed anything.

Probably going to change the fluid in the near future.

[jbenjamin]

1998 740IL 126,000 miles and have not changed atf fluid. Car runs and shifts very smooth.

John

[abrcrombtg]

HEY EVERYONE...new to this forum! Just got off the phone yesterday with the oil technicians from shell and they told me the US oils equivalent to LA2436 are the Formula Shell and Pennzoil multivehical atf.

I have a 94' 540i with 185k and have never done a transmission service. I have been thinking about doing one and plan to in the near future.

I will probably use the Formula Shell or Pennzoil which ever is more easily accesible. If anyone has used either of these let me know what your thoughts are!

[Hathaway]

I need to change my answer...Auto trans is now dead...

[qidm67]

HEY EVERYONE...new to this forum! Just got off the phone yesterday with the oil technicians from shell and they told me the US oils equivalent to LA2436 are the Formula Shell and Pennzoil multivehical atf.

I have a 94' 540i with 185k and have never done a transmission service. I have been thinking about doing one and plan to in the near future.

I will probably use the Formula Shell or Pennzoil which ever is more easily accesible. If anyone has used either of these let me know what your thoughts are!

If there is 185K miles on the original oil, which i doubt, then it is a terrible idea to a oil drain & fill.

I BMW technician, who does transmission swaps all the time as well as dealing with the lifetime oil and oil drain & fills, stated: Change the fluid before 50K Miles and the keep oil changes between 40-50K miles. It would be a bad idea after 50K miles.

[kneedrag32]

1996 BMW 318ti -- 116k miles. Never changed ATF and it seems fine. I'm just mentally preparing for a tranny change in the next 50k, am not going to worry about the fluid and won't get pissed when the tranny fails. My driving pattern is on the agressive side.

[Sil80m3]

My 1992 325i was giving my tranny problems at about 102k.

It went on for about a month, then fixed itself miraculously..

I sold it though.

[abrcrombtg]

If there is 185K miles on the original oil, which i doubt, then it is a terrible idea to a oil drain & fill.

I BMW technician, who does transmission swaps all the time as well as dealing with the lifetime oil and oil drain & fills, stated: Change the fluid before 50K Miles and the keep oil changes between 40-50K miles. It would be a bad idea after 50K miles.

Why would it be a bad idea, even if the oil did have 185k on it? Since it probably does not have that much on it then i should go ahead with my plans on changing the fluid and filter?

Should i use the shell, pennzoil, or some other fully synthetic atf?

[BIGMIKE626]

2000 e38 740i 156k have done nothing and still running just fine!

[Ratfink77]

95 540i 185,000 miles. Changed filter and fluid with Castrol Import Synthetic.

Shifts way better.

[Mynezzz]

Excellent Topic as I am dealing with a Tranny sensor issue (P740 Torque Converter CKT Open) which is creating driveability issues. Car is 9/96 production date E38 with 134k miles. I recently aquired it from a friend who needed to sell it-I am investigating maint records to see if they (dealer) did do any tranny flush-which I doubt.

Would the Mobil ATF be an acceptible option? I want to pull the pan and replace the filter too-but IF I NEED to take it to a tranny shop for repairs-I would be duplicating efforts and material with draining the fluid as it is so pricey...

[BMW 528]

I have same code P0740 - Torque Converter Solenoid Malfunction.
I spoke to the guy at AAMCO and he told me "I would try to change oil, filter, magnet, gasket and TCC solenoid valve.
I bought all this stuff and I gonna do it next week.

But, I think it's better to disconnect cooler lines and to push old oil with new.

[Mynezzz]

I have same code P0740 - Torque Converter Solenoid Malfunction.
I spoke to the guy at AAMCO and he told me "I would try to change oil, filter, magnet, gasket and TCC solenoid valve.
I bought all this stuff and I gonna do it next week.

But, I think it's better to disconnect cooler lines and to push old oil with new.

Awesome!

What kind of oil are you going to use? How much did the TCC solenoid cost?
What does TCC stand for?

[BMW 528]

Awesome!

What kind of oil are you going to use? How much did the TCC solenoid cost?
What does TCC stand for?

Castrol Dexron III Mercon;
49 bucks, 5 for magnet, 50.00 for filter kit (filter and 2 gaskets (A4S 310R tranny));
TCC - Torque Converter Clutch;

[rallybob]

98 328i
87,000 miles
Not changed fluid.
Do think about it. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[320iGUY]

its a pot luck situation yeah BMW recommends it just in perspective (i've never seen the bill im just the tech) but if there is a place that does a $400 dollar ATF swap then yeah ride until the wheels fall off and get a new one for the cost of however many it lasts or spoil you baby and pamper it properly and you just get piece of mind plus there is the warranty thats envolved. by the way you don't have to use a special BMW ATF im sure dex III is dex III no matter where you get its just a matter of time

[jm325rules]

Changed the fluid in my 1992 325 with dexron high milaege trans fluid. currently my car has 270,000 miles on it stills runs very good! I try to change my trans fluid at least every 30 to 40,000 miles. Its worth the peace of mind. spend a little now, than a lot later.

[payntrix]

Hi, just thought I'd add my recent experience for your thoughts.

Running an E39 540 sport with auto trans and 138K miles and had a minor glitch at 100mph at full throttle where the enging would hit the rev limiter before engeging 4th gear.

In an attempt to resolve this I asked my franchised BMW dealer to change the trans oil.

Immediatley the change was notchy and harsh. IOver the next 2 weeks I had 3 trans failsafe progs when pulling away from lights. THe enginge revved up and no drive then wham the gearbox dropped the clutch.

I was convinced it was low on oil and took it back. They checked the oil level (perfect) and downloaded the faultcode (49) which told them it had an internal intermittant fault. Resulting in the nice man asking for £4,500 for a replacement gearbox.

I scheduled a meeting with the aftersales manager the next day who was very sympathetic but suggested 'these things happen some times'. The best I managed was to get them to agree to calling tech support.

A callback next morning says they need it back to clear the gearbox computer memory of the 'adaptations'. The drive has been improving and I suspect that the gearbox learns out wear and oil degredation aswell as your driving style so when the oil is changed all the shift points are a long way from optimal.

This thoery stands well against the higher mileage cars suffering more frequently than the lower miles. So she's going back in on Tuesday to have the adaptations cleared and we'll see how we go.
I'll let you know how it goes

[BISMARK]

Transmission fluid, CHANGE OR NO CHANGE, THAT IS THE QUESTION ???
I know transmissions, I work on transmissions for the last 15 years.
If you like your transmission to run like new and last thru the life of the vehicle, then CHANGE THE FLUID AND THE FILTER EVERY 30,000 MILES. As an example the 3 series and 5 series with 4 speed automatic uses a GM built tranny model : 4L30E ( made in Strasbourg, France ). Every time we did a service on these trannies, we found the fluid level low, the color dark brown or black and dirty, and has a burnt odor ( this tranny uses a DEXRON III formulation and the color is red ). Newer models use 5 or 6 speed automatic trannies some still made by GM in France like the 5L40E used on X5 with 3.0 engine and some 5 Series, others made by ZF ( in Germany ). The ZF trannies use the ESSO fluid also used by VW, AUDI and others. I can tell you from first hand experience that whoever the manufacturer and whatever is the fluid, synthetic or otherwise, after 50 or 60 k miles, the fluid characteristics will change significantly, the color will darken, it will become contaminated and oxidized, and will have a burnt odor, and in some cases the level will drop due to evaporation from overheating. So don't think twice about it : CHANGE IT.

[qidm67]

Transmission fluid, CHANGE OR NO CHANGE, THAT IS THE QUESTION ???
I know transmissions, I work on transmissions for the last 15 years.
If you like your transmission to run like new and last thru the life of the vehicle, then CHANGE THE FLUID AND THE FILTER EVERY 30,000 MILES. As an example the 3 series and 5 series with 4 speed automatic uses a GM built tranny model : 4L30E ( made in Strasbourg, France ). Every time we did a service on these trannies, we found the fluid level low, the color dark brown or black and dirty, and has a burnt odor ( this tranny uses a DEXRON III formulation and the color is red ). Newer models use 5 or 6 speed automatic trannies some still made by GM in France like the 5L40E used on X5 with 3.0 engine and some 5 Series, others made by ZF ( in Germany ). The ZF trannies use the ESSO fluid also used by VW, AUDI and others. I can tell you from first hand experience that whoever the manufacturer and whatever is the fluid, synthetic or otherwise, after 50 or 60 k miles, the fluid characteristics will change significantly, the color will darken, it will become contaminated and oxidized, and will have a burnt odor, and in some cases the level will drop due to evaporation from overheating. So don't think twice about it : CHANGE IT.

Thanks for posting up. So is it safe to say if there is 40-50K miles on the oil and also 40-50K miles on the transmission, then the ATF oil should be changed before the 50K mile mark?

Also which ATF would you recommend for the E36 transmission GM 4L30E?

[2kredz3]

Linked to the Z3 guys

[mwwardy]

z3 2.8 dealer serviced so fluid not changed to my knowledge - box failed at 60,000 miles

[M51AB]

Car: 2001 325i
Transmission: Steptronic

I changed my transmission fluid 18 months ago with the OEM brand at 77K after reading in Bavarian Autosport that BMW started recommending changing the fluid. I'm in manual mode 99% of the time and engine break a lot, so I thought it would be a good idea.

Although after later finding out from my dealer BMW never made such a statement; I'm glad I changed the fluid, it was extremely dirty.

I purchased the car at 72K and have no idea if the fluid was ever changed before then. I just had it in last week at 89K to have the transmission checked for cold start shifting problems in subzero weather. The fluid is fine and the change was not the cause of my problem.

Because transmission fluid does not breakdown like engine oil, I'm ignoring Bavarian Autosport's recommendation to change the fluid at least every two years. I will however change it ever 30 to 50K and use an OEM gasket, as the one they provided leaked.