I was just looking at shipping options for this lump of coal...i'll save it for someone else

I agree that its not always for everyone, but more for preventative maintenance as opposed to those w/ hard shifting issues looking for a fix, because by then it probably is too late. When I had my supercharged 01 Tacoma V6 (traded for the 7), there were many discussions then about flushing fluid if the trans was shifting hard. There was a general consensus then also that basically it was a lack of maintenance and it was too late, and that changing the fluid would somehow speed up the failure. I'm sure BMW's, or any tranny for that matter, is no different. Change the fluid before it becomes a problem, don't wait till you've got issues then expect an $80 fluid change to make miracles happen...the damage has already been done at that point.

I'd imagine all those little pieces of metal wash all around the transmission, slowly polishing away the checkballs and oil passages just like Extrude honing does to heads and intake manifolds. The passages get gouges, check balls allow too much fluid past, the fluid loses it flow characteristics since it's essentially contaminated = hardshifting. Hell, engines get the same damage due to lack of oil changes...scoring of the cylinder walls, clogged passages, etc. Changing the fluid to remove those metal particles before they do their damage prevents (or at least slows) that damaging process. The magnets holding those particles can only do so much, and they lose their efficieny to continue holding more and more particles as they get more and more built up. I've got pics on my website of a few tranny pans I've dropped, and those magnets were CAKED w/ fine grit and 1 w/ a sizeable chunk that shouldn't have been there

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