Should I change the Transmission Fluid?

[Gurltech]

O.k. here's the deal.

I am having a hitch installed (thanks for all the great info on this topic)
Now that I have decided that, the worry begins.

Stats:
2006 BMW X5 4.4i 89k miles on it.
Bought the car used from a jeep dealer.
pretty good after market warranty from Chrysler (the warranty actually list what it does not cover, which is about 10 things)

I will be towing a trailer from Seattle to D.C, with a stopover in Dallas (trip is in October)
Lifetime trans fluid has never been changed.

Question: What are your thoughts, should I change it?
Aamco's price is 250.00 to drop the pan replace the filter and fluid including the differential .


My concern: I have never had a car not have tranny issues after the fluid was replaced. But I have had high mileage cars with no tranny issues and never replaced the fluid.


Right now I just have the usual X5 hard shift issues, but just every now and then.


So yes or no on the fluid change?


Also I want to say thanks to all the forum members, I have wanted an X5 since I first saw the SAV. It is not cheap to maintain but you all have saved me a lot of money and I appreciate all of you and this forum!

[JCL]

Get ready for opinions.

Whether you change the transmission fluid or not should be your decision, no one else can make it for you. There are pros and cons to both approaches.

That said, some comments:

1) Trailer towing has not been shown to contribute to transmission failures in the X5. If you want to change it, fine, but if I was you I wouldn't change my opinion based on towing a trailer (assuming you are keeping it under 6000 lbs trailer weight).

2) If you are going to do it, do it properly. I wouldn't necessarily use Aamco. If I did, I would make certain that they used the proper fluid, and a BMW filter. The ZF transmission in the 4.4 doesn't use Dexron.

3) Why are Aamco talking about the differential? Do they know that there are two of them, not one? Do they know that there is a transfer case that uses a specific BMW fluid, and that there is more reason to change that fluid than the differentials? Do they know how to reset the computer when they change the fluid?

4) You have an aftermarket warranty. What does your warranty say about doing procedures that are not called for in the manufacturer's maintenance plan? Is there a risk that they would not cover a transmission that had problems after a fluid change, even though they would have covered the transmission if you didn't change the fluid?

[X5 Meister]

As usually excellent advice by JCL. Personally I'd say that (I'm sure you already know this) you should take your car to the dealer or indy for a thorough look over prior to the big trip. I learned my lessons the hard way on this one. (busted coolant hose 1,500 miles from home, worn tire that had threads separate 1,000 miles from home, brake pads that should have been changed and destroyed the rotor 700 miles from home, etc). See what they say about the change since you are not that far off from the 'official' interval of changing the fluid. Personally I'd say if you have a good aftermarket warranty that will go beyond 100,000 miles (and certainly the length of your trip) then don't change it and if if craps out, get a new transmission. If you pay to change the fluids now and then it craps out (which if you do some reading on the board this issue comes up often enough) you'll probably get your new transmission, but will have effectively wasted money by doing a fluid change procedure.

If you are determined to change the fluid, I wouldn't consider anyone other than the dealer to do it personally.

[blaubenz]

I would change the oil if you want to keep you x5 for a long time. I plan to change my tranny this year and I only have 48,000 on my x5. I change the tranny oil on my mercedes ml at about the same milage. Of course if you know the story about mercedes is that at first they say you don't need a tranny oil change then they said you need one (maybe they found problems). Regardless there is metal flakes in you tranny right now (either on the magnet if there are any or in you tranny filter) unless the tranny oil had been changed already.

But JCL is right on the money. I would make sure you use the exact tranny oil. I would not use the so call "equilvent" unless it was shown to me that they are the exact oil. Otherwise I would pay the $8 or $10 per quart at the dealer.

The other things is that you want to make sure they put the right amount of tranny oil in your x5. The x5 is very hard to check the tranny oil. All tranny oil level must be check with the engin running at the right temperature. The X5 is extra hard because it does not have a dip stick. So you have to be under the x5 with the engin running at the right temperature to check the oil. Please read the articles on changing the tranny oil. Remember the oil level goes up when the engin is not running or if the engin is at a lower temperature. So if you check the oil when the engin is not running or at a lower temperature and you think it is at the right level YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGHT OIL. My theory is this is what happen when people say "I have 100,000 miles no problem with the tranny and I change the oil and the tranny fail after that" Is not that you change the oil. It is that you don't have enought oil after you change the oil. So make sure!!! I would check the oil level myself.

good luck.

[Gurltech]

Talked to my Indy guy last night.
Here are his recommendations.

He will change all the fluids using BMW spec fluids.

He and his friend who has a BMW only shop told me not to change the tranny fluid. He looked at my warranty and said if the tranny fails, have it replaced.
He did say he would replace the transfer case fluid but leave the differentials alone as well.

Along with that he would also do the wiring for my trailer hitch (I am going with the mod lite as suggested by several members on the forum)

I feel better now

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Gurltech

Along with that he would also do the wiring for my trailer hitch (I am going with the mod lite as suggested by several members on the forum)

I feel better now

So you are going with original fluids from the dealer, but going cheap on the trailer hitch?

What type of aftermarket hitch are you installing? How heavy is the trailer? You were worried about transmission loads from towing, so I presumed the trailer had some weight to it, not just a few hundred pounds. If it is substantial, recommend you consider the BMW hitch. It includes reinforcements where the hitch attaches to the unibody, while the aftermarket hitches don't. It isn't the hitch that is the weak point, it is the unibody.

Yes, the mod light has been shown to work. It became popular when the BMW lighting connector which was included with the BMW hitch was unavailable for a period of time, and so it was the next best thing.

Search on hitch and see the pictures of the differences between the BMW one and the non-BMW one.

[Gurltech]

Originally Posted by JCL

So you are going with original fluids from the dealer, but going cheap on the trailer hitch?

What type of aftermarket hitch are you installing? How heavy is the trailer? You were worried about transmission loads from towing, so I presumed the trailer had some weight to it, not just a few hundred pounds. If it is substantial, recommend you consider the BMW hitch. It includes reinforcements where the hitch attaches to the unibody, while the aftermarket hitches don't. It isn't the hitch that is the weak point, it is the unibody.

Yes, the mod light has been shown to work. It became popular when the BMW lighting connector which was included with the BMW hitch was unavailable for a period of time, and so it was the next best thing.

Search on hitch and see the pictures of the differences between the BMW one and the non-BMW one.

I looked at the hitch u-haul has 6000 pounds (Heavy duty)
I am not a rich person, just some one who drives an X5.

So as for the hitch 300.00 out the door...the price is right.
I need the hitch to tow a small trailer full of boxes across country.
1500 dealer install of a hitch does not cut the mustard with me..and I know it is a nice hitch.
I am going with the same brand of hitch I used and abused on my old Xterra.

As for the fluids, my indy guy is charging me 350 for the fluid change including the labor....so yes I am going with the fluids he likes to use which is all BMW spec fluids which he is supplying. He did name another fluid maker (I think penesens,I might have the spelling wrong)

But as far as I can tell from reading this forum like it is a suspense novel.
Everybody has different opinions on what should be left to the dealer and what can be done at home.
I just kind of take all that into consideration when doing mods or service to the car.

[kablammo]

Originally Posted by Gurltech

. . .
He did say he would replace the transfer case fluid but leave the differentials alone as well. . . .

The front and rear differential oil change is a very simple job and should not be overlooked. I'd further ask your mechanic for his reasononing on not changing these.

Only .5 liters for the front diff and ~1.4L for the rear.

k

[sunny5280]

Originally Posted by Gurltech

O.k. here's the deal.

I am having a hitch installed (thanks for all the great info on this topic)
Now that I have decided that, the worry begins.

Stats:
2006 BMW X5 4.4i 89k miles on it.
Bought the car used from a jeep dealer.
pretty good after market warranty from Chrysler (the warranty actually list what it does not cover, which is about 10 things)

I will be towing a trailer from Seattle to D.C, with a stopover in Dallas (trip is in October)
Lifetime trans fluid has never been changed.

Question: What are your thoughts, should I change it?
Aamco's price is 250.00 to drop the pan replace the filter and fluid including the differential .


My concern: I have never had a car not have tranny issues after the fluid was replaced. But I have had high mileage cars with no tranny issues and never replaced the fluid.


Right now I just have the usual X5 hard shift issues, but just every now and then.


So yes or no on the fluid change?


Also I want to say thanks to all the forum members, I have wanted an X5 since I first saw the SAV. It is not cheap to maintain but you all have saved me a lot of money and I appreciate all of you and this forum!

Normally I would recommend you change the fluid. However if you're experiencing hard shift issues then you've got another issue for which a fluid change is not going to help. Have the transmission checked immediately.

[X5 Meister]

So basically you took my advice!

What's the mod light btw?