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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 > Need advice on car transmission fluid



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      12-04-2020, 08:04 PM   #1
Stephenj007
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Recently came into a transmission error where my car wouldn't release the key when I placed the car into park. Took car to my dealership and they told me the problem happened to them and they reprogrammed the module and reprogrammed and it seemed work fine? I was told I need a transmission fluid flush and replace as I encountered a light on my dash and the code revealed this. I was quoted $450-500 for this. Is this a good deal, or has somebody taken it to places such as national tire and battery or similar. My dealership has turned into kind of a higher end place now, and I feel they are starting to become money hungry. I have a 2008 328i automatic, with about 127,000 miles on it.
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      12-04-2020, 08:10 PM   #2
nsjames
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this is an excellent opportunity to do your own maintenance.

You can completely service the GM trans for like $100.
and not just a "flush" and actual drop the pan, clean it up and replace the filter and sealing sleeve.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=573490
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      12-04-2020, 08:13 PM   #3
Stephenj007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nsjames View Post
this is an excellent opportunity to do your own maintenance.

You can completely service the GM trans for like $100.
and not just a "flush" and actual drop the pan, clean it up and replace the filter and sealing sleeve.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=573490
Quote:
Originally Posted by nsjames View Post
this is an excellent opportunity to do your own maintenance.

You can completely service the GM trans for like $100.
and not just a "flush" and actual drop the pan, clean it up and replace the filter and sealing sleeve.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=573490
Thank you for the tag to the page, much appreciated. Just was curious do any other members have had it done by any shops, I'm a bit inexperienced and this would be the first engine fluid i've ever changed. Being a busy college student I haven't had much time to learn about my car and I am deathly afraid of messing something up.
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      12-04-2020, 08:18 PM   #4
nsjames
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well the fluid/filter/gasket cost is about $100. It will take a competent mechanic with a lift maybe an hour.

cost just depends on your area, but yes, I feel that $500 is an absurd price.
paying a decent mechanic to do it? maybe $200-$250, depends on labor rates in your area.

don't be scared to dip your toes. The internet is here for you, we all started somewhere, and this is a good place to start.
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      12-04-2020, 10:16 PM   #5
Stephenj007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nsjames View Post
well the fluid/filter/gasket cost is about $100. It will take a competent mechanic with a lift maybe an hour.

cost just depends on your area, but yes, I feel that $500 is an absurd price.
paying a decent mechanic to do it? maybe $200-$250, depends on labor rates in your area.

don't be scared to dip your toes. The internet is here for you, we all started somewhere, and this is a good place to start.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nsjames View Post
well the fluid/filter/gasket cost is about $100. It will take a competent mechanic with a lift maybe an hour.

cost just depends on your area, but yes, I feel that $500 is an absurd price.
paying a decent mechanic to do it? maybe $200-$250, depends on labor rates in your area.

don't be scared to dip your toes. The internet is here for you, we all started somewhere, and this is a good place to start.
Im gonna embrace the community here and attempt my first diy. Where would I be able to order from for around $100? I'm finding most kits 200$
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      12-05-2020, 08:24 AM   #6
nsjames
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$36 for filter, sleeve and gasket.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...42505&jsn=1482

Then just go to your local walmart and buy about 10 quarts of dexron 6.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Valvoline...uart/153429990

You'll need a fluid tranfer pump to make it easy:
https://www.harborfreight.com/multi-...ump-63144.html

that's it. The rest is just jacking up the car safely and some basic hand tools.
a 1/4 drive torque wrench is nice for the pan bolts, but as long as you're not an idiiot tightening them you'll be fine. It's about 8 ft lbs IIRC, which is just snug.

drop the pan, clean it all up. Remove the filter. Replace the sealing sleeve, reinstall filter, reinstall pan with new gasket.
fill the pan, then start the car, fill the pan some more. Run it through the gears, drain the pan.
repeat until the fluid you drain comes out clean and red.
Fill the pan, start the car, run it through gears, wait for the pan temperature to be about 100 degrees, fill until it comes out of the fill hole, put the plug in when it reduces to a dribble.
done.

edit: in case I wasn't clear, yes, you must set the fluid level with the engine running.
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      12-05-2020, 10:06 AM   #7
mousefarmer
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Buy a one gallon garden sprayer from Home Depot for like $10. Then take off the plastic wand end at the end of the sprayer and work vinyl hose over it. I used a vinyl hose (3/8") I think and plastic end from a Harbor freight fluid transfer pump one that has a nice plastic piece at the end that fits perfectly in the transmission fill plug hole.

Then you dump about a gallon of transmission fluid in there and pump it up. You shove the end in the fill plug hole and squeeze the trigger to release the fluid.

Its way faster and less messy than hand pumps, fluid transfer pump or methods like that and very cheap.

Here is the plastic end piece I used. https://www.harborfreight.com/gear-o...ump-61746.html
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      12-05-2020, 10:26 AM   #8
Glene
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephenj007 View Post
Recently came into a transmission error where my car wouldn't release the key when I placed the car into park. Took car to my dealership and they told me the problem happened to them and they reprogrammed the module and reprogrammed and it seemed work fine? I was told I need a transmission fluid flush and replace as I encountered a light on my dash and the code revealed this. I was quoted $450-500 for this. Is this a good deal, or has somebody taken it to places such as national tire and battery or similar. My dealership has turned into kind of a higher end place now, and I feel they are starting to become money hungry. I have a 2008 328i automatic, with about 127,000 miles on it.
fluid and filter cost about $100. It takes less than an hour to get it done. This means you pay your mechanic $350 for one hr of labor. I used MaxLife fluid in my 2005X5 and two E90 vehicles and have no issue.
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      12-05-2020, 10:51 AM   #9
Stephenj007
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Thank you everybody for your posts, I ended up ordering a whole kit from ecs, will plan to do this on Thursday. Will let everybody know how it went
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