The OEM manual says the Transmission...

[Ghost-Flame]

... Fluid MUST BE CHANGED EVERY 100K...


I was reading my OEM BMW X5 manual last night. There is an owners manual that talks about owner operation, it said the trans fluid is lifetime fluid (Marketing Statement to make you feel good).

It also has a maintenance BMW OEM manual,...

...that describes the maintenance items, It says that the ATF MUST BE changed every 100,000 miles. Yes it does. Pg 3 of the Service and Warranty Information book for 2002 X5 3.0i, 4.4i, 4.6is So for the folks that say you are doing possible damage when you change fluid, what do you say to the BMW engineers that say IT MUST BE changed every 100K.

Direct quote from the maintenance manual.

"The following maintenance elements must be performed at the mileage/time stated(time intervals start from the production date).

-Brake Fluid... 2 years
-Engine Coolant... 4 years
-Oxygen sensor... 100K
-Spark Plugs... 100K
-Automatic TransmissionService: Change ATF every 100,000 miles"

BOOM

[civdiv99]

Or you could interpret page 3 of the attached ZF document to indicate any severe use could put you in the +/- 50K mile trans fluid changes category.

Be kinda cool if they defined "offensive" driving style; guess that definition depends on how cutthroat it is in a particular area.

[Ghost-Flame]

Originally Posted by civdiv99

Or you could interpret page 3 of the attached ZF document to indicate any severe use could put you in the +/- 50K mile trans fluid changes category.

Be kinda cool if they defined "offensive" driving style; guess that definition depends on how cutthroat it is in a particular area.

Offensive may mean Racing use, off road, pulling tree trunks out of the ground or or cursing while in traffic

I change mine every 50K just for the heck of it. Cheap insurance. And I have been scolded many times here for that. The manual says it must be changed.

My girlfriends grandfather had lifetime engine oil in his GMC pick up. He knew when to get a new one when the old one quit every 5 yrs or so (in case you are wondering 1970ish factory fill lasted about 70,000 miles before it siezed up), True story. Kinda the same logic with lifetime ATF that some of these guys use. better to wait til it fails than change it as regular maintenance(as per the manual)

[TiAgX5]

I pointed this out to a service advisor last summer and was told the lifetime fluid info was added to the owners manual a few years before the service manuals were revised to define lifetime fluid. It's total marketing BS, ALL lubes degrade when used. Funny how the trans fluid became lifetime at the exact time BMW decided to increase new car sale by covering all scheduled maint!

[ECS Tuning]

This is exactly why we have Transmission service kits (found HERE) . I've always relied on manufactures suggestions, as in the company that makes the transmission for BMW etc, instead of the "lifetime fluids" concept.

ECS Tuning

[Ghost-Flame]

Originally Posted by ECS Tuning

This is exactly why we have Transmission service kits (found HERE) . I've always relied on manufactures suggestions, as in the company that makes the transmission for BMW etc, instead of the "lifetime fluids" concept.

ECS Tuning

Where are all the died in the wool defenders of the sealed transmission? Too much egg nog? Can't deal with the simple facts without an extremely complicated explanation and 15 different data sheets? Just Kidding.

I thought this would bring you all out.

Anyways I agree with ECS, actually I don't pay attention to any specs that call for extended anything when it comes to maintenance. They won't be around in the 6th or 7th year when you want to go 4 or 5 more years and your lifetime fluid bit the dust. When the intervals seem extreme cut them in half or 2/3rds

[SlickGT1]

Ha nice find Ghost. I knew this lifetime bullshit was well, bullshit.

[Icer006]

Changed our X5's @ 50k. Changed our CTT's also. For both SUV's, I also changed the diff and transfer case fluids.

Changed our E430's every 50k with the rear diff fluid. Now, original tranny, motor, and rear diff at 189k for the E430.

I'm not believing this "lifetime" fluid BS.

[JCL]

Ghost, you are trying to make it a black and white issue when it simply isn't one.

Yes, you can change the transmission fluid. That action may precipitate a transmission problem, even if you didn't have any symptoms or problems before changing the fluid. That isn't BS, it is just fact. And it isn't limited to BMW in any way.

At the samed time, changing the fluid doesn't guarantee you will have a problem afterwards. So posting that you changed it and didn't have a problem isn't at all a surprise. Statistically, a sample of one is meaningless.

What is important to judge is the benefit of changing it vs the risk and cost of doing so. Some believe that that equation comes out positive, others believe it comes out negative. BMW has changed their recommendation in both directions at times, but for new transmissions. They didn't go back and change their previous recommendations for transmission that were already out there.

I could post a long complicated answer with data sheets if you like, but I just did a search and I see that I have personally posted 126 times on the subject of transmission fluid on this board, dating back to 2006. Not sure why I didn't post on it in 2005, but the search doesn't lie. So have a look at those posts if you like.

Just a side note, but that manual also says you must use only BMW OE parts. Ever used aftermarket sparkplugs, brake pads, and so on? Don't trust everything you read. Boom.

[Ghost-Flame]

Originally Posted by JCL

Ghost, you are trying to make it a black and white issue when it simply isn't one.

Yes, you can change the transmission fluid. That action may precipitate a transmission problem, even if you didn't have any symptoms or problems before changing the fluid. That isn't BS, it is just fact. And it isn't limited to BMW in any way.

At the samed time, changing the fluid doesn't guarantee you will have a problem afterwards. So posting that you changed it and didn't have a problem isn't at all a surprise. Statistically, a sample of one is meaningless.

What is important to judge is the benefit of changing it vs the risk and cost of doing so. Some believe that that equation comes out positive, others believe it comes out negative. BMW has changed their recommendation in both directions at times, but for new transmissions. They didn't go back and change their previous recommendations for transmission that were already out there.

I could post a long complicated answer with data sheets if you like, but I just did a search and I see that I have personally posted 126 times on the subject of transmission fluid on this board, dating back to 2006. Not sure why I didn't post on it in 2005, but the search doesn't lie. So have a look at those posts if you like.

Just a side note, but that manual also says you must use only BMW OE parts. Ever used aftermarket sparkplugs, brake pads, and so on? Don't trust everything you read. Boom.

just havin some fun. I know that there may be a slight risk of stirring up the sludge and causing a problem when you drain the fluid. I would never power flush a transmission with high miles that was never before flushed.