Transmission fluid and filter change

I was shocked to see minimal metal filings. The fluid looked SEVERELY burned.
I am the original owner and this car is 95% highway driven.

The condition of the transmission was "flawlwss functionally" before I dropped the pan.
My limited experience with this made me think the condition was quite good.
I wish I did the change 50,000 miles earlier.

Originally Posted by tempestv8

That price for the Dexron VI doesn't sound right - it sounds too cheap. Are you sure you didn't get the roman numerals switched around? VI = 6, and IV = 4.

The price was one I saw on a post of someone who just did the change. I have not checked yet so it could very well be too low. I will be getting some tomorrow.

Bavarian Auto in Portsmouth NH does sell a synthetic fluid for the GM6 transmission that is 5 liters for $50, which may be more in line with correct pricing.

So as stated, under $250 for me to change.

If I find the same condition as others have stated, I will merely change the fluid in the X3 in the future and do the same for my wife's 530xi.

I believe HOW the car is driven may make a difference as well.

Originally Posted by dalekressin

I believe HOW the car is driven may make a difference as well.

Definitely. I do mostly highway driving, and put close to 30k miles per year on my X3. I will be curious how everything looks when I pull it apart next weekend!

The functional condition of my transmission was NORMAL.
The fluid was severely burned. There were metal shavings, but not extremely so.
The car is very smothe with gear shifts and i'm very pleased.
My bet you will find the same; minimal evidence of wear. It just cannot be optimal to run with burned fluids in the tranny.

Originally Posted by dalekressin

The functional condition of my transmission was NORMAL.
The fluid was severely burned. There were metal shavings, but not extremely so.
The car is very smothe with gear shifts and i'm very pleased.
My bet you will find the same; minimal evidence of wear. It just cannot be optimal to run with burned fluids in the tranny.

I wish I changed it last year, but I will see how it looks.

What torque value did you use for the pan bolts, drain plug and fill plug?

I do not have a torque wrench but I've been servicing my own transmission for a number of years now. I just tighten by hand to the point where I know the plug will not work itself loose.

I am always wary of over tightening on alloy components. It's the crush washer's job to stop leaks...

Its interesting to note that most folks have seen very burnt looking fluid from their gearboxes. I'd imagine most owners do not thrash their vehicles, so it's a bit disappointing that BMW say "lifetime" fluid when this is clearly not the case.

But this concept of "lifetime" is from the gearbox manufacturers like ZF, GM, Aisin, etc.

My other vehicle, a Toyota, also specifies "lifetime" fill but I'll be doing auto trans fluid changes regularly, seeing the condition of the fluid in the BMW.

I will give the service department at my dealer a call then and ask what the torque spec is. I like to use the wrench to ensure consistency.

I loosened fill plug and then removed drain plug. Letting fluid drain overnight.

Fluid was dark but still had dark red color. No burnt smell. Perhaps my 102000 highway miles made a difference? Still planning to drop pan and replace filter though.

If the trans fluid is still dark red, then it's in very very good condition for the number of miles!

I wish mine was like that - I can say without any exaggeration that it was just black with a dark brown tinge. Really shocking condition.

Is the new fluid Dexron VI?

I would say the fluid is more reddish brown, but definitely

I decided to go with Lubri Moly Top Tec 1200. Not approved for Dexron VI but "recommended". Reason: I wanted a true synthetic, not the Dexron with additives blend.

Keeping my fingers crossed that I made the right choice!

Well, I am finished.

Transmission fluid and filter changed, pan and magnets cleaned (magnet had a lot of fine metal attached to it). New gasket installed, used new pan bolts and drain plug, but could have reused. Used old fill plug. Torqued all pan bolts to 10 n-m per my dealership service dept. Did not torque fill and drain (could not get wrench in there) but knew how tight it was coming off and replicated.

6 quarts of fluid out (total fill is 8 quarts, so 75% replaced), 6 quarts in (Liqui Moly Top TEC 1200 ATF) which is a good thing! Test drove, nice and smooth shifting as before (maybe a little smoother, but probably just my imagination). No leaks!

Also changed engine oil and filter. Trying Liqui Moly Long Time High Tech 5W30 full synthetic oil. I will see how it goes this interval.

Also rotated tires and topped off spare.

Next couple of weeks, will change spark plugs and replaced some power steering fluid with new.

Busy, busy, busy!

BMW could learn from Honda & Toyota and put the magnets on the end of the drain plug.
They should also go back to a dip stick for the Tranny

Originally Posted by ncord

BMW could learn from Honda & Toyota and put the magnets on the end of the drain plug.
They should also go back to a dip stick for the Tranny

I am sure you could still use a magnetic drain plug too. The internal magnet is a flat washer type, and can catch and hold a lot due to its size.

Drove quite a bit today. Everything works great!

Castrol has a tranny fluid called TRANSMAX.It says it is approved for BMW#71141LT.
Advance Auto sells it for $9.00 /ltr. Just wondered if anybody has tried it.
Since BMW suggests the use of Castrol oil for the engines,it makes sense that the tranny fluid would be ok.

My local non-bmw shop guy was worried he would have to use a bmw scan/reset tool for my 08 x3 3.0si auto tranny fluid/filter change.
I'm sorta sure it is not needed, is anyone positive?
please and thanks.

Hey, I think my personal thread a few threads on the main page down will answer some of your questions. I've got an 06 and just got trans, front/rear diff, and transfer case fluids flushed and filled today. I didnt think my tranny had any problems and I THOUGHT it was butter smooth before. WOW does it make a difference. My oil wasnt even that dirty, it was actually looking like new but damn can I feel the difference. The gears roll through like a warm knife slicing through butter!

sorry to bump this thread, but I had a question.

I have a 2004 x3 2.5i, I tried changing my transmission fluid on it a couple weeks ago but I couldn't find the fill plug. I posted a thread on the forum about it but I think I might have more luck asking about it in here. Looking at the transmission diagram on RealOEM LINK I can see that number 8 which is the fill plug is not installed on these transmissions since it is not listed in the table. So I'm wondering how you guys changed your transmission? It sounds like everyone had a fill plug to use so I am confused lol.

edit: here's the thread I made LINK

I have an 05 3.0i and just changed the fluid and filter in mine last week. The fill plug on my tranny (I have the GM tranny) was on the same side just above the drain plug. It was a hex nut. I think it was 17mm but I might be wrong on the size.

Originally Posted by Frenchx3

I have an 05 3.0i and just changed the fluid and filter in mine last week. The fill plug on my tranny (I have the GM tranny) was on the same side just above the drain plug. It was a hex nut. I think it was 17mm but I might be wrong on the size.

thanks for the reply, yeah I believe based on some more info I found it is the 17 mm one. It should be number 10 on the transmission diagram. I'll look for it at the same spot as yours.

Madurodave,

How's that fluid working out for you? I saw that fluid for sale on BAVAUTO but I would much rather stick to OEM. Just wondering how it has worked out for you so far.

Originally Posted by awdrev

Madurodave,

How's that fluid working out for you? I saw that fluid for sale on BAVAUTO but I would much rather stick to OEM. Just wondering how it has worked out for you so far.

It has worked great for me. Smoother shifts, no issues, no slippage. At 131000 miles now. Will change again late summer.

Originally Posted by awdrev

..... but I would much rather stick to OEM.

I gather the Dexron VI specification is more rigid than earlier ones, so I wonder if BMW's version of it really can be different or better than others?

But for a pre-'07 X3 I still lean toward using something as close as possible to the factory fill, such as the Havoline/Chevron multi-vehicle ATF.

Superseding the part no. (83-22-0-403-249 ?) to the Dexron VI part no. is one thing,
but does that make it perfectly suitable for a drain and fill, or only for a flush and fill?

https://cglapps.chevron.com/msdspds/...&docFormat=PDF

It's been near 15 months since I drained and refilled the E83 GM transmission with this fluid:

http://lubricants.petro-canada.ca/en/products/618.aspx

The transmission is still shifting normally. So I guess it must be OK for it. But I would expect so because this fluid was sold to me by the BMW dealer - it was not rebadged BMW fluid, but simply had a BMW label careless stuck onto the bottle with a BMW part number.

Originally Posted by Supercourse

I gather the Dexron VI specification is more rigid than earlier ones, so I wonder if BMW's version of it really can be different or better than others?

But for a pre-'07 X3 I still lean toward using something as close as possible to the factory fill, such as the Havoline/Chevron multi-vehicle ATF.

Superseding the part no. (83-22-0-403-249 ?) to the Dexron VI part no. is one thing,
but does that make it perfectly suitable for a drain and fill, or only for a flush and fill?

https://cglapps.chevron.com/msdspds/...&docFormat=PDF

Right, so that was my issue. I really want to stay as OEM as possible even though some other fluids work out just fine.

So Supercourse, is that PN superseeded 100%? I'll have to call my dealer, but I'm wondering what is the current one and its cost.