3.0d auto gearbox fluid

[b3oty]

I want to change the oil/filter on my 2001 3.0d auto gearbox, but i want to avoid paying BMW dealer inflated prices for the parts if possible.

Does anyone know of a source of the filter/gasket kit in the UK other than main dealers?

The green sticker on the bottom of the pan says use BMW oil part number 83220026922 and I am looking for an alternative oil to use. I know BMW say only use that part number, but I've been looking around on the web and a lot of people seem to think that this is just an excuse for BMW dealers to over charge for the oil and it is in fact Texaco ETL 7045E which is the same stuff as ESSO 7114 or any Dexron iii transmission oil.

Can anyone confirm this please?

Also, does anyone know how many litres of oil I will need?

[powers1]

Originally Posted by b3oty

I want to change the oil/filter on my 2001 3.0d auto gearbox, but i want to avoid paying BMW dealer inflated prices for the parts if possible.

Does anyone know of a source of the filter/gasket kit in the UK other than main dealers?

The green sticker on the bottom of the pan says use BMW oil part number 83220026922 and I am looking for an alternative oil to use. I know BMW say only use that part number, but I've been looking around on the web and a lot of people seem to think that this is just an excuse for BMW dealers to over charge for the oil and it is in fact Texaco ETL 7045E which is the same stuff as ESSO 7114 or any Dexron iii transmission oil.

Can anyone confirm this please?

Also, does anyone know how many litres of oil I will need?

Save on the oil but do get the BMW OE filter kit.(dont risk it with cheap alternatives,or it could turn out to be a very expensive gearbox replacement!!)
The green sticker with that BMW part # means it will allow you to fill with these oils:-
* Esso Lifetime LT71141
* Texaco ETL 7045E

You will need 3.0 ltrs for your 3.0D (3.0i-4.6..take 4.0 ltrs)

[b3oty]

Thanks for the reply.

I dropped the oil and nearly 5 litres came out (brown and burnt smelling) and it took around 5 litres of the dexron 3 oil I bought today.

I gather that only around half of the overall amount of transmission oil will drain out as the rest is in the torque converter, so I plan to change the oil again and change the filter also this time (filter ordered today from main dealer for £75!).

Has anyone done this? How many miles did you do before changing the oil for the second time?