Transmission fluid question

[amacman]

I checked my transmission fluid level today , it was green , the reccomended fluid is ESSO LT711 41 . part number 83 22 9 407 807 cannot be found in online parts catalogue .
has anyone used this as replacement and could you say if new fluid is green .
I spoke with bmw tech on phone , he was not 100% sure , he says they are not required to change lifetime fluids but says the various transmissions on bmw cars use various fluids.
so i am asking here for advice before ordering a litre of fluid to compare new and old .
transmission is ZF A5S 440 Z on 2002 4.4i .

[X5 Meister]

I realize that BMW only sells it as OE and in 20 liter size for MSRP $616.48 (which is $30.82 per liter!) (not sure why you are being told 60 liter?). Still you could buy a liter from another source (see below) for much less, of either the OEM Esso fluid, the OEM Pentosin fluid, or the aftermarket Febi fluid and have your answer pretty quick.

OE from BMW: (20 liter size - $638.25)
Pelican Parts - Product Information: 83-22-9-407-807-BOE

OEM from Esso: (1 liter size - $16.95)
Go to BMW Parts and BMW Accessories | Bavarian Autosport and do a search for it. Their system won't let me post the link. (see attached photo below)

OEM from Pentosin: (1 liter size - $16.75)
Pelican Parts - Product Information: 83-22-9-407-807-M210

Aftermarket from Febi: (1 liter size - $14.25)
Pelican Parts - Product Information: 83-22-9-407-807-M36

[dkl]

SO...why are these places able to source "OEM" BMW transmission fluids when their own BMW dealers can't (at least in the proper retail containers)?

[X5 Meister]

It depends on the fluid and sometimes on the dealer. For example see post #54

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ailable-6.html

Originally Posted by dkl

SO...why are these places able to source "OEM" BMW transmission fluids when their own BMW dealers can't (at least in the proper retail containers)?

[amacman]

i called 2 bmw parts deps and was told fluid is available in 60 litre drum for £300 .
i asked both guys if they would look at the fluid to see if it`s green , they said they would call me back , but , that was two days ago so i`ll just find another dealer who might be more interested in doing business .
meanwhile , could any of you bmw employees find time to look at the fluid to confirm it`s colour .
part number 83 22 9 407 807

[X5 Meister]

Unless you buy all 4 of the options and snap some photos, it's going to be hard to know for certain.

Here's the best I could do so far:

Re: And here are another couple of references for ya ...

Here's also the OE spec sheet for the Esso fluid (attached as a pdf). This container is apparently how it is sold by BMW.

[X5 Meister]

Here you go. The note is from an Audi technical source. The photo of the fluid is from a different source and it is the Esso ATF LT 71141 fluid as purchased from Bavauto in the 1 liter red bottle. See also this link for more details:

Transmission Fluid change on 5HP24 (A5S440Z) x2:

[amacman]

I thank you very much Meister , outstanding piece of work , the photo tells me that i need to change the fluid .
we are going on a 2500 mile road trip soon , so i`ll treat the X5 to some clean transmission fluid .

[X5 Meister]

Always happy to help.

(Make sure to check out the link on the last post (# 7). The guy posted some great shots of used fluid at 91,000 miles and 133,000 miles)

[amacman]

yes thanks i saw that , er , also read on the 8 series link that the fluid is blue in colour , just to confuse me more .
i said my fluid was green but could be blue with dirt in it although it smells good and sweet and does not seem excessively contaminated .