[TheKebabMan18]

i have been looking everywhere to see if i can use this and other peoples experiences with the fluid, i read of a guy with a 530i with a zf who had to replace his trans after using it but was wondering if anyone else has any other details on it.

it says on repco/super cheap/penrite site that it is compatable with zf 6 using lifeguard 6 fluid , it also says it is a substitute for shell M 1375.4 on the super cheap website.

any advice or info is welcomed!

[ADEe92]

Motul Multi-atf seems to be quite widely used / well liked.

You can get it locally from Clickable Automotive for $20 a litre:

https://clickableautomotive.com.au/m...e-kit-grp.html

They sell the pans and filter kits to service the transmission too.

[Ken Oath]

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1364021

[TheKebabMan18]

Originally Posted by Ken Oath

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1364021

read through that lengthy post a while back, i was more looking into peoples thoughts on the penrite oil. the general consensus that ive read is that if it hasnt been serviced before then dont touch it but if its had a prior service then it should be good

[ADEe92]

You might see more discussion on the Penrite Lifeguard fluid on a Ford Australia forum seeing as the ZF was also used in the Falcon & Falcon owners are going to be more reluctant to put the exotic oils recommended on BMW forums in their cars.

My comment on the Motul was just that it's been tried by many successfully on the forum here, where as Penrite is a bit of an unknown. The price difference is only $4 a litre.

Not that I dislike Penrite - I've had much success with Penrite oils over the years in my e30. I use both their engine oil (10W60), and Pro-Gear diff oil in my LSD and they have been fine. My M30B35 has clocked up 400,000km and still doesn't burn any oil, and the diff still locks as it should and makes no bad noises.

With my manual transmission, I've stuck with Redline oil as it's what is widely recommended for BMW gearboxes and it has worked very well. My Getrag 240 - from a 318i - has shown no ill effects after 9 years with double the factory torque rating twisting on it from the 3.5L engine. Penrite oil may well have also worked for that, but I just thought I'd stick with something that had a proven track record and good reputation.

[TheKebabMan18]

Originally Posted by ADEe92

You might see more discussion on the Penrite Lifeguard fluid on a Ford Australia forum seeing as the ZF was also used in the Falcon & Falcon owners are going to be more reluctant to put the exotic oils recommended on BMW forums in their cars.

My comment on the Motul was just that it's been tried by many successfully on the forum here, where as Penrite is a bit of an unknown. The price difference is only $4 a litre.

Not that I dislike Penrite - I've had much success with Penrite oils over the years in my e30. I use both their engine oil (10W60), and Pro-Gear diff oil in my LSD and they have been fine. My M30B35 has clocked up 400,000km and still doesn't burn any oil, and the diff still locks as it should and makes no bad noises.

With my manual transmission, I've stuck with Redline oil as it's what is widely recommended for BMW gearboxes and it has worked very well. My Getrag 240 - from a 318i - has shown no ill effects after 9 years with double the factory torque rating twisting on it from the 3.5L engine. Penrite oil may well have also worked for that, but I just thought I'd stick with something that had a proven track record and good reputation.

honestly im happy to go with the motul with its reputation, my new concern is.

i just contacted the previous owned to see if he had gotten the transmission seriviced which he replied to check the log book, but there are no check boxes for it so im not sure of it was done and not checked or not done at all. the car has 151xxx km on it aswell, is it too late to do a service as ive read alot of people say that its too late by this point and to just ride it out till the trans blows or something which i thinks kinda stupid but im just an enthusiastic teen.

sorry for changing the subject in this thread. just my new issue now

[ADEe92]

It's still under 100k miles, so I'd change it personally, but up to you. ZF recommend changing at 100k miles in applications where it's used outside BMW's "Lifetime Fill" program.

[whyzee125]

Honestly I don't see much of a reason to branch out. A lot of fluids claim to be compatible but ZF would disagree with most of them. Whether or not this one is truly similar enough, I don't know.

In the states, it makes the most sense to go with the Mercon SP as it's actually the same fluid, just labelled differently but much cheaper. I see you're in Australia though so not sure if you have the same options there.

People have used Pentosin ATF1 with good luck in these transmissions. Stay away from Redline fluids if possible, these transmissions do not like them at all.

[ADEe92]

You can probably get the Mercon SP from a Ford dealer down here given it's a Motorcraft oil (or they might sell longlife 6 fluid, but the BMW dealers are generally quite competitive on most fluids so might be best just to stick with genuine).

[StiffUpperLens]

I used the Penrite in mine and have driven 50,000 since without any issues. Trans is perfect.

[ADEe92]

Good to know