Fluid Changes

[tomsawyer]

I have an 05 4.4i w/ 51k since new. I have always changed the oil, brake fluid and coolant flush at the appropriate times. I was wondering about the other fluids in the car and when/if they should be changed, such as:

- power steering fluid
- tranny fluid (I know its sealed but do we change it?)

Also, are we supposed to change any other fluids such as rear end or center diff? I plan on keeping this X5 for a while.

Thanks to all who answer.

[JCL]

Both differentials, and the power steering fluid, are considered lifetime fluids by BMW. There is no downside to changing them, and owners often use either 60,000 or 100,000 as the interval. Make sure you use the correct fluids. You can also change the transfer case fluid at the same interval. It uses a special fluid from BMW.

Automatic transmissions are a different story. Officially they are lifetime fluids. Some people believe in changing them on the chance that that will extend transmission life. Others don't believe in changing transmission fluid on this vehicle, even though they change all the other fluids on the vehicle. I am in that club. There is a potential of a fluid change precipitating a transmission failure. Not common, but frequent enough to be a risk. At the same time, there is no evidence that changing transmission fluid prolongs the life of these transmissions. Both the ZF and GM transmissions used in BMW X5 models have failed more often than we would like to see, but those failures don't appear to be related to worn fluid. They do appear to be related to various sensors, actuators, etc. So it is either change it on the hope that that helps, or save your money for when (and if) you do need a transmission overhaul on the assumption that it is just throwing money away. Your call. Do some reading on the board and you will find lots of discussion, it tends to generate strong opinions.

Jeff

[Elvis 3.0]

Jeff,

I did a search on the forum regarding this but did not come up with much (perhaps I overlooked it). Anyway a search on the NHTSA.DOT.GOV website lists the following recall for the transmission parking prawl for certain '05 & '06 X5's-

"
NHTSA Campaign ID Number: 05V504000
Summary:
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH AN INCORRECTLY MANUFACTURED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARKING PAWL GUIDE PLATE.
Consequence:
THIS COULD CAUSE THE PARKING LOCK SYSTEM NOT TO ENGAGE, AFTER THE TRANSMISSION IS PLACED IN THE PARK ("P") POSITION. IF THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON AN INCLINE, AND THE PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT ENGAGED, THIS COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE ROLLAWAY CONDITION.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPAIR AND REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GUIDE PLATE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 30, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-332-4269.
Notes:
CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.
"

My questions are-

1) Is this commonly known among members of the site?

2) Is it a big deal?

3) Not being a transmission expert, having the dealer repair it under warranty (if in fact it has not been done already, I purchased mine used and have not checked yet), would they open it up and then, replace the tranny fluid?

What are your thoughts at your convenience (would you get it fixed)?

Thanks-

[JCL]

I am not sure how many posters know about the recall.

I don't know how many vehicles it applied to, but it could be a very small number.

Because it was a safety recall, I would expect that it would have been done by the dealer around the 2005 timeframe when the recall was issued. All the vehicles covered by the recall had four years of included maintenance, and so would have been at the dealer's many times.

I don't think it is a big deal at all.

It is not clear to me that the fluid would have to be drained to replace the part, as the description of the part is very generic. I'm not sure. In any case, BMW service instructions in many cases were to drain the fluid and reuse it.

You could check at your dealer's whether your vehicle was impacted by the recall, and if it was carried out.

[Elvis 3.0]

Thanks again Jeff for the insight and the info! Much appreciated!

[Multibeemer]

Jeff,

That is one of the well-reasoned arguments I've seen regarding the question of changing the transmission fluid. Many do swear by changing it, but given the facts you site regarding the lack of clear evidence that transmission failures on these cars have been linked to issues with fluid wear, and the sheer cost of the fluid itself, I agree that it's best to take your chances and not change it. I changed the fluid on my daughter's 2004 325i at 98,000 miles, and looked, and even smelled, brand new. I figure if the transmission does break down, I'll follow the excellent instructions on this forum and rebuild it myself.