Ghost, this is even easier to do with two sets of ramps. By the way, don't run the engine for a long time when filling. I noticed yesterday, once you pass the 50 deg C on the trans temp, the fluid starts coming out quick. You really have to be done, and the fill hole closed within 5 mins.

1. So drain.
2. Fill with car off till it starts leaking out.
3. Start car with hole open still.
4. Go through the gears, pause in each gear for 5 sec.
5. Jump out of the car and start filling.
6. Withing 5 min, the temp is in the fill window.
7. Wait for some to leak out. Don't wait too long, it will start coming out quick once past 50 degrees.

Thanks I'll let you know how I make out:thumbup:

Thank you, and yes it did. As I mentioned this all started with the E320. After I took it to the indy shop, I went to MB Santa Monica, where I got the lifetime ATF song & dance. Then I drove over to MB of Beverly Hills where I was told by a service adviser that their policy is to pump out a little bit with every service and if it isn't pink, to recommend to customer to flush the ATF. I later found on an MB forum, that MB Germany issued a service update recommending ATF changes every 60K miles (or something close to that).

The idea that an SA can look a customer in the eye and say any fluid is "lifetime" gets under my skin. The guy who works on my car now told me that "lifetime" to them is 50,000 miles (or whenever the warranty expires). He used to work at both local MB & BMW dealerships.

It's a little off topic, but he also told me that the mechanics get paid much less for service performed under the BMW maintenance plan than service for $, so the mechanics show up in the morning, and push all the service plan orders off to the side to do in the afternoon. Before I knew this, one day I brought the X5 in to the dealer 7AM for an oil change, and asked if I could wait while they did the oil service. The SA has the balls to tell me that an oil change takes several hours on an X5 because "it is very complicated to change the oil on these cars". I feel very sorry for the people who buy the BS they serve up. I could keep going...

Ghost take a look at my last post in this link. Don't run your car more than 10 min when filling.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...op-filter.html

Thanks Slick, good advice.

OK, so said BMW X5 now has a authentic bmw ATF filter and drain and flush 4 times with dexvi. I just hated wasting all that M1, there's little starving kids in China that don't have any ATF, oh well.

BTW trans fluid has jumped. dexvi was around $6 for major brands at Pep Boys a month ago now major brands are $7.49 cheap dexvi is $6+.

Yea those poor kids.

Not surprised on the price. I don't usually pay attention to prices in stores, but have seen my grocery credit card jump 10% recently. Oil is even more volatile.