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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > ATF Fluid poll



View Poll Results: Which ATF fluid is the best?
OEM (ZF Lifeguard) 40 57.97%
Redline D4 7 10.14%
Redline D6 5 7.25%
Other (specify in comments) 17 24.64%
Voters: 69. You may not vote on this poll

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      08-10-2018, 08:18 AM   #23
FCobra94
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D4 for sure...D6 is too thin IMO; especially with a modified turbo motor.
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      03-24-2019, 08:48 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BimmerNugget View Post
If you have the GM transmission, just use the cheapest Dexron 6 fluid you can find..

If you have the ZF 6 speed that requires Life Guard 6 or Shell M-1375.4 fluid

Valvoline MaxLife ATF meets Life Guard 6, Life Guard 8, and Shell M-1375.4 I currently have Supertech's Dexron 6 in my 2011 328i with the GM transmission. Works terrific.
So I have a 2011 328I , how do I find out if I have the GM transmission or which fluid I need to run
thanks
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      03-24-2019, 08:50 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BimmerNugget View Post
Or you could've just used Valvoline MaxLife ATF as I mentioned above. Meets Shell M1375.4, Lifeguard 6, and Lifeguard 8. At $17 a gallon and nation wide distribution in all Walmart stores there is no reason to use anything else.
will this work in all the automatic transmissions ? ( the max life )
funny enough I need to do my 2006 range rover and on rockauto it calls for the same fluid as my 2011 328I , So might as well buy enough for both. I just want to make sure the maxlife will work in the GM trans as well , all though I am not sure which trans I have in my 328I All I know is its a 6 speed automatic

Last edited by chadjones99; 03-24-2019 at 09:20 PM..
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      03-25-2019, 04:27 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by parksjm7 View Post
Anyone have experience with Liqui Moly Trans fluid? Debating going that route from FCPeuro
Same question, following
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      04-23-2019, 07:08 PM   #27
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Mercon SP for the past 5k miles. No issues.
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      04-23-2019, 07:27 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pladi View Post
I did my oil flush on the ZF19 of the 335 2011 XI. I used this oil : Febi : https://partsfinder.bilsteingroup.co...cle/febi/29934.

It had a clear color look almost exactly like ZF life guard.. No problems.
Also on Febi for the last 60k miles, no issues here, FBO 430+whp.
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      04-24-2019, 01:01 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vbp6us View Post
Mercon SP for the past 5k miles. No issues.
Same here, Mercon SP. I don't know the service history of my transmission but when I bought my car it had 218K miles. Around 220K I did a drain and fill, and the fluid that came out was pretty nasty and black. I didn't really have any issues with the shifting before, but after the fluid the shifts were much smoother and it resolved a screeching sound when I tried downshifting.

I'm coming up on 230K miles now, and I plan to replace the transmission pan with integrated filter and refill with Mercon SP again.
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      04-29-2019, 12:10 AM   #30
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I replaced my transmission fluid at 85k and plan on doing it every 35k from now on. I used Liqui-Molly ATF.
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      04-29-2019, 12:32 AM   #31
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I used Redline D4. I did a thorough flush though, used ~14 or so quarts, and it shifts really well for 180K. Put 15K on it already and not a single issue. The shifting is buttery smooth when driven leisurely, yet crisp when in sport mode and asking for power. It has the ZF transmission, not GM.
I don’t have an issue with the ZF fluid, but I have been using Redline, Liqui-Moly and Pentosin fluids in my BMW’s for years and you can not go wrong with them.
A big point is to clean the crud out of the heat exchanger when doing this service.
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      01-14-2021, 08:37 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stephanporsche View Post
I replaced my transmission fluid at 85k and plan on doing it every 35k from now on. I used Liqui-Molly ATF.
How is the transmission holding up with the liqui moly? Debating on going the FCP Euro route
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      01-14-2021, 08:44 PM   #33
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With something specific like transmission oil, I always go OEM, or whatever equivalent LiquiMoly produces that is compatible - because I trust their products quite a bit.

Best source to find what is best is not the vehicle manufacturer, but the actual manufacturer of the transmission itself. ZF, GM, etc. They know best than anyone.

All this considering the transmission are 100% the OEM the car was manufactured with. With specific or modified transmissions, it's all up in the air.
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      01-14-2021, 09:03 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by natedog7700 View Post
My main seal is leaking after 134,000 miles and ill be dropping the trans (50k on it) so im debating on using the OEM fluid or going with Redline D6 or D4

The new XHP flash might work better/worse with different fluids as well so i think thats worth noting.
This master tech used Febi Bilstein 38935. BMW Automatic Transmission Fluid - Part Number: 559517080
https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...5-9517-080-M36
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      01-14-2021, 10:40 PM   #35
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Max life.
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      01-14-2021, 10:44 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmrb6391 View Post
This master tech used Febi Bilstein 38935. BMW Automatic Transmission Fluid - Part Number: 559517080
Yup, it's what I used when I changed my fluid 100k mile ago. Now at 220k miles, 450+hp. Need to change it again really soon actually, but got other maintenance to take care of first.
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      01-15-2021, 02:31 PM   #37
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Have to use whatever meets BMW specs exactly. There are very specific friction modifiers depending on the transmission type.

There are excellent articles and videos on line from the actual manufacturers. Search posts in forum for some of them.

I think I posted some videos when I changed mine (GM).

Can't go wrong with OEM, but as long as the specs are right non OEM should be just fine.

I would plan on doing it a few times. I did it 2x and may do one more. Torque converter shudder almost gone. Was AWFUL before draining.
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      01-15-2021, 04:12 PM   #38
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As I recall this is excellent.

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      01-16-2021, 07:51 PM   #39
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Put MaxLife in my ZF when I changed the pan last year. No issues at 226,000. Only other change was a ZF fluid/filter change at 116k
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      01-19-2021, 09:39 PM   #40
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Used MaxLife in all three vehicles. They all shift better than original fluid.
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      01-22-2021, 04:32 PM   #41
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For 6L45 Valvoline Maxlife.
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      01-23-2021, 06:55 PM   #42
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Maxlife for the win on my 145,000mi E91,
had the original fluid and the Maxlife has been a huge improvement!
smooth and crisp shifts now
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      01-24-2021, 03:35 PM   #43
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When you post a fluid preference or experience, it is only helpful if you indicate what transmission you have. GM or ZF. Useless info otherwise.
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      01-24-2021, 03:54 PM   #44
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Max life works for either transmission, I am running it in ZF. And as you can see no problem in GM.
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