[hl0m4n]

my friend has a 335i in 6mt and recently changed to the royal purple tranny fluid and the difference is insane and im not kidding. very noticably different in the feel.

so im wondering for the autos can we change our tranny fluid as well? the royal purple tranny fluid is only available for the 6mts. so us autos got elf, amsoil, and redline i believe.

thoughts?

[TTFN]

i cannot speak for the results in a BMW's automatic transmission but in my VW the switch to Amsoil was done with absolutely wonderful results. The Amsoil product is called Synthetic Universal Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF). Best of luck.

[GMWNashville]

the BMW auto trans fluid smells like complete butt...and i do mean ass haha...i did a trans pan in a 7 and a trans service in a 5 series this week...it was horrible smelling to the point i wanted to puke! as for fluids...id recommend staying with the OEM stuff if it were me in the autos..the manuals im sure its not a huge deal to use many of the aftermarkets i used redline and GM syncromesh in my VW's before with awesome results...

[Tiago@VRSF]

Originally Posted by hl0m4n

my friend has a 335i in 6mt and recently changed to the royal purple tranny fluid and the difference is insane and im not kidding. very noticably different in the feel.

so im wondering for the autos can we change our tranny fluid as well? the royal purple tranny fluid is only available for the 6mts. so us autos got elf, amsoil, and redline i believe.

thoughts?

Don't touch your auto tranny fluid.

The trannies are designed around the fluid they use and have very specific specificaitons.

The royal purple works wonders in his manual transmission because it's slightly thinner fluid which helps with shifts but over time the thinnger fluid/oil ends up putting more wear on the gears because it's not what the transmission was designed to use.

Manufacturs would use a thinner fluid if they though it would help the consumer in terms of longevity but they sacrifice a comfort in terms of shifts for longevity which is the smarter choice.

[VDPHB]

Personally, I plan on changing my ATF with the OE BMW fluid. My prior E46 went 170K before meeting an untimely demise in an accident and would've kept on going. My local BMW specialist has always recommended changing it (well, as much as he can get out at a time) and uses the OE fluid. No problems with my old car and I plan on keeping my new one just as long....if you're leasing, don't bother.

[GMWNashville]

the fluid in the manual transmissions has nothing to do with it being thinner...the weight is the weight...the reason the synthetic fluids are better than the OEM is that they have better friction modifiers and add ins that make them "better"...

[Placey]

lifetime fluid, you touch it and something happens to the trans, they will not warranty it. Ive got a customer w/ 450,000 miles on his 2000 E46, trans is still original

[ages944]

Originally Posted by Placey

lifetime fluid, you touch it and something happens to the trans, they will not warranty it. Ive got a customer w/ 450,000 miles on his 2000 E46, trans is still original

... yeah, and another person's trans could just as easily go out at 60,000mi.


Good point about the effect on warranty though. However, what if you simply flush the old fluid with the OEM stuff? Warranty should still be good, right?

[NaTuReB0Y]

lifetime fluid......

if they do it for free.........lifetime......

you pay for it......they recommend every 30,000 miles.......

[Tuned335i]

Originally Posted by NaTuReB0Y

lifetime fluid......

if they do it for free.........lifetime......

you pay for it......they recommend every 30,000 miles.......

+1

Good point. All depends on your perspective, I guess....

[GMWNashville]

the warranty is still valid as long as you have it done at the dealeship...

[hkj]

You got your auto transmission fluid changed at dealership? How much did they charge for it?

-hkj

[tintivilus]

Originally Posted by Placey

lifetime fluid, you touch it and something happens to the trans, they will not warranty it. Ive got a customer w/ 450,000 miles on his 2000 E46, trans is still original

One of the Roundel columnists (probably Mike Miller) recently printed that he'd checked with BMW and verified that the expected "Lifetime" of "Lifetime Fill" automatic transmission is 100K miles. If you want it to last longer they recommend fluid changes at Inspection II IIRC.

You can call the oil "lifetime fill" too, if you want... just re-define "lifetime" to be "50K miles". It'll probably last that long before seizing up, right?

[tintivilus]

Originally Posted by hkj

You got your auto transmission fluid changed at dealership? How much did they charge for it?

-hkj

+1. My mechanic said BMW OE fluid is horribly expensive... apparently junk yards even sell salvaged trans fluid.

[ubern00b]

Originally Posted by volkswackin

the warranty is still valid as long as you have it done at the dealeship...

Mine quoted something like 700-800 bucks.

[GMWNashville]

that seems high...id say more around 500..

[ScheerSpeed]

DAMN, thats a lot for tranny fluid! in the formula renault (avatar) we used this industrial grade transmission fluid, while other race teams used super light, almost like alcohol fluids. we went the same tranny for almost a whole season, only changing out a few gears, and the other teams were replacing trannies every three races or so.

lighter is not always better.

[GMWNashville]

lighter fluid=less driveline HP loss...

[808AWD325xi]

Here is ZF's recommendation:

http://zfsixspeed.com/faq.html