Transmission Fluid Change DIY

[oldskewel]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

No reason to use anything other than fluid recommended on the transmission pan. Don't guess at amount of refill. Use proper refill process.

Agreed. An X3 is like an X5. But an X5 3.0i is like an X5 4.4i, and I know those AT's are completely different. Look it up exactly. Don't make a mistake on something as simple as this. I would start by getting under there and looking at the label on the AT.

That's what I did for my 2001 X5 3.0i. And ...
Blue sticker on bottom of AT pan says use only BMW 83220024359
which appears to be Texaco ETL 8072B, which was Dexron III
superseded by BMW 83220397114, which is Dexron VI
So as of Dec 2014, the correct replacement fluid is Certified Dexron VI

So in MY case, for my 5L40-E/GM5 (A5S 390R) 5-speed auto transmission made by GM, I just need real, certified Dexron VI. And the "certified" is to clarify against using things that have less formal promises that it's good enough to work in cars that call for Dex VI (which is exactly the sort of thing they'll say).

So if you get under your X3 and the sticker says to use BMW 83220024359, then that translates to Dexron VI. But check the sticker, or the spec, but careful about advice from ZF (unless of course your X3 has a ZF AT).