Has anyone done a Transmission filter and fluid change and caused more issues?

[ants_oz]

While not disputing some of the claims made here, I do find it interesting (some might say amusing) that other complex hydraulic mechanisms (in such things as excavators, hydrostatic drive units) have no such claims to "lifetime fluid". Our excavators - we would NEVER dream of running the hydraulic drive oil for more than a few hundred hours at most. Our large mowers - same thing. The hydraulic fluid is lifeblood to these machines, and we're not talking a few grand worth of transmission - we're talking tens of thousands of dollars worth of repairs if you have a hydraulic issue that contaminates the system.

I suppose though, since the X5 really is aimed at the general consumer market, they (BMW) can make the assumption that for the vast majority of purchasers there will never be an issue in the "lifetime" (ie economical repair life) of the vehicle, so the claim can be argued as valid.