[pierop]

I have a 2006 325i E90 at 137k miles. The fluid has never been changed according to BMW, as they claim it is a lifetime fluid, however I've read about other people changing the AT fluid and not having any problems, as well as some people having the car run well for 6 months and then having their tranny slip.

Would like to hear some advice from you guys.

Thanks

[Wilt]

'Lifetime' really ought to be interpreted as 'every 100k', in the case of the non-ZF trannies.

Keep in mind that what you want is a 'fluid CHANGE' (and filter change) and NOT a 'FLUSH'!!!

[TrAcK TRaP]

Just leave it alone if you never change it before. It can get worse..

[blindrooster]

Change it.

The head of my local BMW dealership service department gets his AT fluid and filter changed on his E90 every 40k.

[pierop]

I'm getting yes and nos...

[TrAcK TRaP]

Originally Posted by blindrooster

Change it.

The head of my local BMW dealership service department gets his AT fluid and filter changed on his E90 every 40k.

Don't say change it to OP and take the risk. When you say every 40K its a different thing and I would do that but he never did it and he is at 137K. Its nothing to these cars but if I were him I would just leave it alone. Its just me. Do everything on your own risk OP. Ask others and learn more before you pull the trigger.

[pierop]

Originally Posted by Wilt

'Lifetime' really ought to be interpreted as 'every 100k', in the case of the non-ZF trannies.

Keep in mind that what you want is a 'fluid CHANGE' (and filter change) and NOT a 'FLUSH'!!!

I believe I have a ZF transmission according to my VIN, its GA6HP-19Z

[Gohan335i7]

Lifetime = 100k miles. Do it because it is long overdue. Maybe diff fluid also!! And I agree that it is not a flush that you want, just a change as preventative maintenance every 30-50k. Doing mine every 30k,& my shifting is as smooth as silk. Fresh fluids is better for a car than old, used ,gunked up fluids. Others will chime in so you will get many responses don't you worry!

[Wilt]

Originally Posted by pierop

I believe I have a ZF transmission according to my VIN, its GA6HP-19Z

ZF says to change fluid (and get new pan with built-in filter) every 60K, but the BMW Service Checklist does NOT differentiate GM 328i vs. ZF 335i for tranny fluid change...100K recommended. Not listed on this BMW document a 'lifetime'.
Same checklist also assumes your water pump and thermostat have failed before 100K, as it does not even list coolant change interval!

[TrAcK TRaP]

My brother has 2003 bmw 325ci his car just hit 153K when he changed transmission fluid couple months ago it was fine but now tranny hits and slips from gear to gear..

[Underground6t9]

I do mine every 30k, and alternate the filter change every 60k. Now if you have never done AT change and are well over 100k then just leave it alone.

[tadaska]

Originally Posted by N54CherryHill

Don't say change it to OP and take the risk. When you say every 40K its a different thing and I would do that but he never did it and he is at 137K. Its nothing to these cars but if I were him I would just leave it alone. Its just me. Do everything on your own risk OP. Ask others and learn more before you pull the trigger.

If you say something like this then say why, otherwise it's just scaremongering...

[pierop]

I contacted ZF and they told me to go ahead and change the fluid and filter, their reasoning is that if the fluids never been changed then it is bound to fail soon.

I wasn't really sure when I said that my transmission was never serviced as I was told this by a relative of the previous owner back when I bought the car in 2013.

Is there any way of getting a service history report for my car without going to the dealer and paying $200 for a service inspection?

edit:

Here is ZF message for anyone whos insterested:

It is recommended that you replace the fluid every 60k miles or 8 years. There are times when you replace the fluid after high mileage that the transmission will shift funny or sometimes throw a code. The transmission software adapts to the fluid as it breaks down. When you add new fluid the shift characteristics change and the software has to adapt. This is where some problems occur.

On the flip side, if you don’t refresh the fluid it will eventually break down to the point it can’t protect the components. IMO, you should freshen up the transmission fluid and filter.

and the follow up:

I would recommend checking the fluid level first. If the fluid level is low, you need to find out how low. You can do this by adding fluid until it comes out of the fill plug as it should. Typically, transmissions that are less than a liter low are okay. Once the transmission is more than a liter low there is a chance components have started to prematurely wear.

After you’ve established the fluid level is good, you can proceed. I suggest a drain and fill with a pan/filter replacement. You won’t need to recalibrate the transmission unless the shifts are really bad. In most cases, you will be able to drive the car a couple hundred miles and it will adapt to the new fluid. The dealer can recalibrate by clearing the adaptions and relearning them through an adaption drive.

[AviatorBimmerFL]

My 2007 E92 with ZF 6AT transmission also has 140K and has never been changed. I have noticed that at times the shifting is a bit "off" or "odd". For instance, if rolling slowly at around 15-20 mph, when it does change it does it very abruptly or when you give it gas, it will sort of stall (for lack of a better term) before finally changing gear.

I am wondering if I should definitely do a fluid refresh (NOT flush) and see what happens, but I am just petrified of screwing up my transmission and then come to find out the "odd shifting" was something else and not the transmission. :

[pierop]

Originally Posted by AviatorBimmerFL

My 2007 E92 with ZF 6AT transmission also has 140K and has never been changed. I have noticed that at times the shifting is a bit "off" or "odd". For instance, if rolling slowly at around 15-20 mph, when it does change it does it very abruptly or when you give it gas, it will sort of stall (for lack of a better term) before finally changing gear.

I am wondering if I should definitely do a fluid refresh (NOT flush) and see what happens, but I am just petrified of screwing up my transmission and then come to find out the "odd shifting" was something else and not the transmission. :

yeah guess were on the same boat.

I emailed fcpeuro as well(I really trust those guys)

and here is what they say:

Thank you for the inquiry. It's possible that some of the performance issues you are having with your transmission could be related to old fluid. There is also the possibility that the transmission itself due to the old fluid is wearing out than it should be. More than likely, the transmission has not been serviced since BMW rated the fill as "lifetime". It can't hurt to change the fluid and filter out. One thing I do recommend doing during the service is making sure that the valve body is torqued correctly to the transmission body since they have been known for getting loose over time. Also check the mechatronic sealing sleeve on the side of the transmission housing for leaks as that is another culprit that can cause transmission shifting/performance issues.

Additionally we have access to almost every OEM, Genuine, and aftermarket replacement part. If there's something you're looking for and don't see it on our website just let me know and I’ll try to find it for you. We also offer a lifetime warranty and an unlimited returns policy. If you have any questions or need help now or in the future my name is Gareth Foley.

Thanks again for reaching out to FCP.

[natedog7700]

with 140k I would say yeah. Do it. Fluid + filter is about 250$ online.... Easy to do yourself

[natedog7700]

Originally Posted by Underground6t9

I do mine every 30k, and alternate the filter change every 60k. Now if you have never done AT change and are well over 100k then just leave it alone.

Disagree. A fluid flush is known for being bad on high mileage transmissions that have no previous record of being changed. Fluid Change is known for helping regardless of previous history.

[Underground6t9]

Originally Posted by natedog7700

Disagree. A fluid flush is known for being bad on high mileage transmissions that have no previous record of being changed. Fluid Change is known for helping regardless of previous history.

Sure...

[The HACK]

There are some REALLY bad and uninformed, wild @ss opinions being passed around like fact in here. Like OMG bad.

The whole "change" vs "flush" business is idiotic. The amount of ATF held in comparison to a full flush through the torque converter is insignificant. The torque converter is going to cycle all that old fluid back into the transmission the second you drive it again, negating whatever fluid change you just did, because the new fluid will now be mixed with 10X more of the old, 140,000 mile old fluid. Doing so is basically paying just to say you've changed your transmission oil, when in all reality it's still mostly 1xx,xxx mile old gunk you've got in there.

At 1xx,xxx miles it's irrelevant whether you change it or not. If you do a regular change at, say, 30,000 miles like it used to be recommended LONG time ago? You're probably in pretty good shape, because the frequency of the "change" would mean the majority of your ATF would be relatively fresh. At 1xx,xxx miles you're going to need a full flush, by hooking up the car to a GT1 Diagnostic machine to cycle all the ATF out of the torque converter too. The problem is, at 1xx,xxx miles, since you haven't done regular maintenance since the start of ownership, you're possibly subjected to a heavily gunked transmission with some badly aged fluid. By flushing the fluid you run a HIGH risk of some of that gunk moving around and blocking the passages of your automatic transmission valve body. IF you've ever seen the inner workings of the valve body of an automatic transmission, you'll understand. It's a freakin' labyrinth. It's a network of small passages and tubes that would put the Minotaur's home to shame. It's the combination of closing a certain valve in this labyrinth that creates pressure and causes the automatic transmission to "shift" it's planetary gears.

By flushing at 1xx,xxx miles for the first time, you introduce a high probability of some of that old, gunked up oil to shift and thus blocking a passage in the intricate, complex valve body of the automatic transmission. Once that happens, you're going to get a slew of problems in the transmission that's going to require a full tear-down to fix, which, at that point, it's cheaper to just drop in a re-maned auto tranny. Symptoms can range from can't get from park to reverse, can't get from reverse to drive, car won't shift while in drive, weird drivability problems such as slipping in gear (despite the fact that it's an auto), harsh, violent shifts, etc. You'll know your automatic tranny is toast when you see it.

But. The problem is, if you don't flush your fluid, you've got 1xx,xxx mile's worth on these really old, gunked up fluid. It is only a matter of time WHEN the transmission will fail. Not if. The choice to flush out all the old fluid, to me, at this juncture, is simply rolling the dice. You either get lucky, the fresh flush gets all the junk out and you don't have anything blocking the valve bodies, and you get a functioning automatic transmission for the next 100,000 miles (but don't forget to change the fluid ever 30,000 miles!), or your transmission nukes itself in 2,000 miles due to something blocking one of the passages in the valve body requiring a new transmission...Or you sit tight, do nothing, set aside $4,000 and prepare for a new transmission when it does break down and blow up.

You have a personal, emotional attachment to this transmission? Flush it and take your chances. Otherwise, just keep driving it until symptoms show up and get progressively worse, and pony up to get a new tranny. But changing what's in the transmission's oil pan won't do you any good.

[pierop]

Thanks, you just destroyed all my hope.


So, I'm pretty much screwed whatever I do. Is there a way to get the gunk out? like using additives or flushing fluids?

Also, im not absolutely sure if the previous owner had the transmission serviced. Is there a way to check the vehicles service history online for free ? I dont want to pay the dealer $200 for it.

[ferocity02]

I would change the fluid. As mentioned, if you change the pan also, you will be able to change roughly 5 qts, which is a little less than half of the total fluid. Drive around for awhile then change it again.

[AviatorBimmerFL]

Originally Posted by The HACK

There are some REALLY bad and uninformed, wild @ss opinions being passed around like fact in here. Like OMG bad.

The whole "change" vs "flush" business is idiotic. The amount of ATF held in comparison to a full flush through the torque converter is insignificant. The torque converter is going to cycle all that old fluid back into the transmission the second you drive it again, negating whatever fluid change you just did, because the new fluid will now be mixed with 10X more of the old, 140,000 mile old fluid. Doing so is basically paying just to say you've changed your transmission oil, when in all reality it's still mostly 1xx,xxx mile old gunk you've got in there.

At 1xx,xxx miles it's irrelevant whether you change it or not. If you do a regular change at, say, 30,000 miles like it used to be recommended LONG time ago? You're probably in pretty good shape, because the frequency of the "change" would mean the majority of your ATF would be relatively fresh. At 1xx,xxx miles you're going to need a full flush, by hooking up the car to a GT1 Diagnostic machine to cycle all the ATF out of the torque converter too. The problem is, at 1xx,xxx miles, since you haven't done regular maintenance since the start of ownership, you're possibly subjected to a heavily gunked transmission with some badly aged fluid. By flushing the fluid you run a HIGH risk of some of that gunk moving around and blocking the passages of your automatic transmission valve body. IF you've ever seen the inner workings of the valve body of an automatic transmission, you'll understand. It's a freakin' labyrinth. It's a network of small passages and tubes that would put the Minotaur's home to shame. It's the combination of closing a certain valve in this labyrinth that creates pressure and causes the automatic transmission to "shift" it's planetary gears.

By flushing at 1xx,xxx miles for the first time, you introduce a high probability of some of that old, gunked up oil to shift and thus blocking a passage in the intricate, complex valve body of the automatic transmission. Once that happens, you're going to get a slew of problems in the transmission that's going to require a full tear-down to fix, which, at that point, it's cheaper to just drop in a re-maned auto tranny. Symptoms can range from can't get from park to reverse, can't get from reverse to drive, car won't shift while in drive, weird drivability problems such as slipping in gear (despite the fact that it's an auto), harsh, violent shifts, etc. You'll know your automatic tranny is toast when you see it.

But. The problem is, if you don't flush your fluid, you've got 1xx,xxx mile's worth on these really old, gunked up fluid. It is only a matter of time WHEN the transmission will fail. Not if. The choice to flush out all the old fluid, to me, at this juncture, is simply rolling the dice. You either get lucky, the fresh flush gets all the junk out and you don't have anything blocking the valve bodies, and you get a functioning automatic transmission for the next 100,000 miles (but don't forget to change the fluid ever 30,000 miles!), or your transmission nukes itself in 2,000 miles due to something blocking one of the passages in the valve body requiring a new transmission...Or you sit tight, do nothing, set aside $4,000 and prepare for a new transmission when it does break down and blow up.

You have a personal, emotional attachment to this transmission? Flush it and take your chances. Otherwise, just keep driving it until symptoms show up and get progressively worse, and pony up to get a new tranny. But changing what's in the transmission's oil pan won't do you any good.

Best post yet... I will do exactly just that. Leave it alone and start a rainy day fund for whenever my transmission blows up. At this point, why tease a hungry lion with a t-bone steak. I will just leave it alone and deal with it once it starts to break down on me.