[Gecko123]

Anyone here have a high mileage and using original transmission and differential fluid? Just curious as to how long it can last with original fluids

[neilvan]

I'm sure there are many out there with the original fluid in there... but why?

Fluids degrade and get dirty over time which is a loss of performance as well as increased wear. This literally means it'll shorten the "lifetime" of those parts.

[nhhiep]

i haven't even changed my 06 150k miles yet and don't plan to.

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by nhhiep

i haven't even changed my 06 150k miles yet and don't plan to.

that's dumb, but it's your transmission.

[Gecko123]

Originally Posted by nsjames

that's dumb, but it's your transmission.

Actually, maybe he is the smart one.

Here is what I’m thinking. When I bought my 4 year old BMW with low mileage o paid about 40% of the original MSRP. Luxury German have terrible resale value. So let’s say I keep it for a few years and put on a couple hundred kilometres. The resale value by that time would be something like $3-5 k if I’m lucky. Had I maintained it an changed the fluid every 50k km or whatever, how much money would I have spent compared to leaving it alone

And if you don’t do the work yourself having it change that frequent is very expensive

I’m not saying which approach is right or wrong but something to think about.

My friend had a older 5 series. Maintained like mint but come time to sell he didn’t get that much for it.

[IllSic_Design]

I actually just changed the rear diff oil at like 205,000 miles a few weekends back. This is with some track days on the car as well, and the oil looked REALLY good and clean. Didn't hurt to spend the $30 to change it for piece of mind though

Edit: Tranny fluid and the pan/filter were done at 118,000. At 207k and no issues yet

[Nap]

2008 328i with 122k miles. Original fluids, runs great.

[Gecko123]

I’m better off leaving mine alone given that I put 10k per year. I’m at 100k km. By the time I hit 200k km, which I’m confident it will be able to hit without me touching the fluids it will be a 20 year old car and worth almost nothing.

That’s assuming I keep it that long. If I sell it before hand I might get less since trans and diff never changed but then I’m pocketing the savings throughout the years

[tlow98]

There’s one conflict with the “worthless car” argument. The car isn’t actually worth nothing. It’s worth the exact amount that you have to pay for a new car when your “worthless” one is gone.

It’s far cheaper to buy a transmission than it is a new car.

If you want to upgrade and are willing to pay that then of course there is no reason to maintain your car. But that is a luxury afforded by timing and luck. If you get stuck having to buy a new car bc your old car failed you don’t have much bargaining power on either front.

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by Gecko123

Actually, maybe he is the smart one.

Here is what I’m thinking. When I bought my 4 year old BMW with low mileage o paid about 40% of the original MSRP. Luxury German have terrible resale value. So let’s say I keep it for a few years and put on a couple hundred kilometres. The resale value by that time would be something like $3-5 k if I’m lucky. Had I maintained it an changed the fluid every 50k km or whatever, how much money would I have spent compared to leaving it alone

And if you don’t do the work yourself having it change that frequent is very expensive

I’m not saying which approach is right or wrong but something to think about.

My friend had a older 5 series. Maintained like mint but come time to sell he didn’t get that much for it.

Err... The whole idea behind preventative maintenance is to—as the name implies—prevent more expensive and urgent issues from arising.

You’re on a forum that’s full of people who generally take pride in their vehicles, so while that may be the position of many car owners, it’s a rare one to find here. Besides, a lot of us plan to keep our vehicles until the end of their useful life, so spending $100 today to potentially save myself $1000 in a few years seems like a good deal to me.

I get what you’re saying, don’t get me wrong, but I think it’s somewhat of a flawed argument. The example of your buddy and his 5 series sounds like an extreme case where he spent well beyond where diminishing returns start to take effect. I’m not suggesting it’s smart to pour cash into your car unreservedly and fix every possible thing that isn’t perfect, but changing fluids is pretty basic stuff. Assuming you DIY it’s shockingly affordable.

My 328 has a little over 300k km on it. Transmission fluid has been done a couple times and diffs have been done once.

I think people forget that dollars spent on maintenance “depreciate“ in value along with the car itself.

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by Gecko123

Actually, maybe he is the smart one.

Here is what I’m thinking. When I bought my 4 year old BMW with low mileage o paid about 40% of the original MSRP. Luxury German have terrible resale value. So let’s say I keep it for a few years and put on a couple hundred kilometres. The resale value by that time would be something like $3-5 k if I’m lucky. Had I maintained it an changed the fluid every 50k km or whatever, how much money would I have spent compared to leaving it alone

And if you don’t do the work yourself having it change that frequent is very expensive

I’m not saying which approach is right or wrong but something to think about.

My friend had a older 5 series. Maintained like mint but come time to sell he didn’t get that much for it.

the point isn't resale, it's to avoid putting a transmission in a car that's not worth much more than a replacement transmission.

the transmission manufacturers state very plainly that the recommended service intervals are 100K miles, or 50K miles for severe duty.

BMW changed it to "lifetime".

because BMW does complimentary maintenance on cars.
it costs them money.

They don't care if it fails at 150K miles becuase that's not their dime.

change the fluid if you want it to remain in good working order for many thousands of miles.

[Gamb1t]

Mine was done at 120k km. It is unlikely I will do it again at 240k km. It's just peace of mind. The ZF 6 speed fluid is easier and cheaper to obtain then the newer 8spd. ZF knows it and is charging large sums for their fluid.

[jsunma]

I don't think that something that costs around $20 or less (as well-established in the 2 or 3 other threads that you started about this topic) should be a factor in "resale value".

[Gecko123]

Like I said I’m not saying what is right or wrong. One person said that “that’s just dumb”. Well I don’t think that person is dumb. If he’s hits 300k miles with original oil I’ll be happy for him.

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by Gecko123

Like I said I’m not saying what is right or wrong. One person said that “that’s just dumb”. Well I don’t think that person is dumb. If he’s hits 300k miles with original oil I’ll be happy for him.

that person was me.

and I guarantee it doesn't make it that far.

6L trans tend to die about 180K miles in if you don't change the fluid.


but what do I know, I only have replaced a couple in GM trucks.

it's literally 70 dollars worth of fluid to follow the MANUFACTURER's recommended service schedule.
I cannot be more plain that that. GM hydramatic says to change the damned fluid.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by Gecko123

Like I said I’m not saying what is right or wrong. One person said that “that’s just dumb”. Well I don’t think that person is dumb. If he’s hits 300k miles with original oil I’ll be happy for him.

It's not financially intelligent, that's for sure.

Is it possible for the vehicle to last that long on the original fluid? Of course, but the probability of it lasting that long is less vs. maintaining it.

Differentials and transmissions are often forgotten items when it comes to maintenance. Most of the failures are not due to fluid being old, but the fluid being too low, because a leak might develop and eventually the differential or transmission burns up. If you service these items, the fluid level is more likely to be adequate, or a leak caught in time.

I drained my rear diff at 40k miles, and it was dark.

[oVeRdOsE.]

Originally Posted by tlow98

There’s one conflict with the “worthless car” argument. The car isn’t actually worth nothing. It’s worth the exact amount that you have to pay for a new car when your “worthless” one is gone.

It’s far cheaper to buy a transmission than it is a new car.

If you want to upgrade and are willing to pay that then of course there is no reason to maintain your car. But that is a luxury afforded by timing and luck. If you get stuck having to buy a new car bc your old car failed you don’t have much bargaining power on either front.

Its a risk management.

I agree with you on regular maintenance.

But , I dont get why, I see many post about BMW OEM part at BMW dealer or nothing. I mean , no because you pay 5x the price that you'll get 5x a better parts...

I.e. ; Let say you car got 300k miles, I don't see the issue to use jobber cv joint at a independent shop knowing you won't keep it an other 300k miles...

You also have an excellent point about the next car. But once again, also depends on how long you'll keep the car.

My thinking is ; get a fun luxury car that you'll like to keep 'for ever', do all regular AND preventive maintenance. Mod it to like it even more., and keep it 15-20 years.
Unfortunately, I see too many people changing their base boring elantra every 3-4 years... what a money and resources waste

[TunafishE93]

That's funny I went to a 2018 Elantra to an E93. The Elantra was quite nice but I sold it with 12k miles on it and had it year and half. bought it for 15k and sold for 13k so not to bad. Only complaint being boring and they take forever to warm up, I did install a remote start that I could start with my phone, miss that.

This brings us to the bimmer, got it at 58k miles, already did engine oil, plugs, coils valve cover gasket, and transmission fluid, diff was in the works but my bit wouldn't fit and I am looking to do a LSD install anyways so it can wait. I did these so I won't have worry about that stuff for another 60k. There is a point where I believe its more risky to change trans fluid than just let it be, above 100k miles, a level check and top off wont hurt.

[oVeRdOsE.]

Originally Posted by TunafishE93

That's funny I went to a 2018 Elantra to an E93. The Elantra was quite nice but I sold it with 12k miles on it and had it year and half. bought it for 15k and sold for 13k so not to bad. Only complaint being boring and they take forever to warm up, I did install a remote start that I could start with my phone, miss that.

This brings us to the bimmer, got it at 58k miles, already did engine oil, plugs, coils valve cover gasket, and transmission fluid, diff was in the works but my bit wouldn't fit and I am looking to do a LSD install anyways so it can wait. I did these so I won't have worry about that stuff for another 60k. There is a point where I believe its more risky to change trans fluid than just let it be, above 100k miles, a level check and top off wont hurt.

The issue with my comparison, is people get cheap car, and they get bored fast, so they change it . (even it the elantra is a excellent product, it still boring).

Having a fun car people will be more into keeping and and do a proper maintenance.

When people ask me what I would get if I smash my car, I always answering 'the same'. took me 2.5 years to find one. Having 2 kids; a boosted , 6mt , awd wagon is very fun (audi Avant). not much better choice for my taste on the market these days. yes my trex was way more fun , but 2 seaters, no tks for an other 10-15 years or so.

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by Gecko123

Anyone here have a high mileage and using original transmission and differential fluid? Just curious as to how long it can last with original fluids

I changed my original transmission fluid and differential fluid around 225K miles. Differential fluid that was drained out looked and smelled fine The transmission fluid looked and smelled disgusting. After fresh fluid the shifts and the overall feel improved significantly.

[mecheng77]

If you want to cheap out, don't worry about the diff fluid, but change the trans fluid without changing the filter.

In the end, you might even save money due to extra fuel economy gained with new trans fluid. Honestly, the trans fluid change w/o filter takes 30 min.

[Schmitz]

Originally Posted by mecheng77

If you want to cheap out, don't worry about the diff fluid, but change the trans fluid without changing the filter.

In the end, you might even save money due to extra fuel economy gained with new trans fluid. Honestly, the trans fluid change w/o filter takes 30 min.

Is this with a lift?