222k Mile Transmission advice
 

I have a 2001 X5 3.0 with 220k miles on the odometer. I was talking to the parts guy at the dealership and saying I was thinking of doing a fluid/filter change and he said I would be nuts to mess with the fluid with that many miles. He said I should top it off (some times when it is cold it is slow to engage reverse). I rescued the car with 200k miles on it and I do not know if the fluid has ever been changed. My understanding is originally the GM transmission in the 3.0 used Dexron III and then changed to Dexron VI. My question is, if I was going to top off the fluid and do not know what is in there, which new fluid should I use??

Any advice is appreciated.

I wouldn't do the whole service. Top it off with the dextron III and see if it helps the reverse thing.. also see what temperatures the truck operates at, see if the transmission is running too hot, that will cause funny tranny issues short term, and tranny death long term.

Mine ran a bit hot.. so i cleaned up the tranny cooler, changed the oil and filter (engine), topped off tranny fluid, new engine coolant and the whole system works a bit better and no more funny 2-1 shift for me.

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DEXRON VI is the current BMW spec for these AT's, so I used that.

I did 3x drain + fills over a few-thousand miles soon after getting my '01 3.0i with 169k miles and the original ATF still in there. I was very careful in doing those D+F's, and all went well.

Even at 222k, I'd do the same, but maybe more carefully. Other than screwing something up, like not filling it to the proper level, or using the wrong ATF, I think the biggest concern should be: fresh additives in the new ATF shocking the system by dissolving and releasing previously caked-up gunk, clogging passages and causing implosion of your AT.

If you can't do it yourself carefully, I would not pay someone else to do it unless they would guarantee the AT, and any smart shop would not do that.

The debate about X5 Transmissions around these parts is long over.
You can search the site till the cows come home and what you'll find
is opinion after opinion. Just top it off with the MFG's suggested fluid.
Then if you gonna keep the X start saving your money. You're gonna need it.

Sound advice . I agree if you are going to keep it you might as well begin the penny savings for a new Tranny. You have gotten more out of it then most have.

Dexron VI maybe the current spec for these trans, but when the X was first manufactured they were filled with Dexron III. I bought oem Dexron III when I got my X. OEM Dexron III may be still available from website such as eBay. OEM Dexron III was manufactured by GM since they have the license for Dexron fluid.

Yes, no dispute with that. But do you have any reason to think that III would actually be better than VI in this situation? BMW says VI, but at least part of that is because you can't buy DEX III other than eBay-type places. I'm now about 13k+ miles on DEX VI with great results.

BTW, when I first got my truck, I started with the blue sticker on the AT, and went from there. Here are my notes on that:
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

ATF level is set with car on level ground, and ATF temp from 30-50C. 30C = 86F. BMW says closer to 30 is better if possible.

And 30C (86F) is pretty cold. Definitely not waiting until things are warmed up at steady state.

Unless the transmission is leaking there is nothing to top off. I think the majority of the horror stories about changing fluid causing transmission failure are from those that tried to solve an already existing problem with new fluid.

I spent quite some time with the techs and owner that work at a transmission shop that has done nothing other than European cars, primarily BMWs for twenty plus years. His input was to change fluid and filter every 50,000 miles and use only the brand fluid and type fluid that is specified by the manufacturer. I didn't ask if he would recommend changing the fluid after two hundred plus miles. If in your place I would have a well recommend transmission shop that works on BMWs diagnosis the problem. Parts guys or BMW dealers are not transmission experts.

I have 325,800 miles on the original fluid with no shifting problems. I average 4000 miles per year of towing a 1300 pound PWC trailer with a Thule rooftop carrier.

The only thing I would consider doing is draining the fluid into a clean container, changing the filter, clean the pan, refilling with the old fluid after running it through a strainer, and topping off with the appropriate fluid.

Then, save up $3500 for a re-manufactured transmission.

2002 3.0 325,800 miles
2014 428i 29,000 miles

2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles

1970 Firebird - under restoration

Wow, lots of miles on that tranny.