Changing all oils.F/R diff, TC, engine, tranny, PS.
 

Taking the X and my family to California in 2 weeks and would like to change all oils before I head out.
Just checking if I've got everything right.You guys feel free to comment.

Motor oil - Motul 300V Power 5w40 -ordered 10L
Tranny oil- ZF Lifeguard 6- 12L for 2 rounds
Front and rear differentials - 3L Castrol SAF XO (OE ) (ECS or I hear Land Rover dealer sells the same stuff)
Transfer case - 1L Genuine BMW SAE 75W from the dealer

for power steering I'll just use Castrol import Multi vehicle ATF (few qts?)and exchange it in time little by little from the top .

I'm looking to buy magnetic drain (fill?) plugs too.Whats the best source for those and what size do I need for each application?hopefully no one got annoyed with this oil thread;)

Brake fluid was just changed with OE fluid when I did the brakes a couple months ago..

If I missed something let me know.

Maybe it's just me,but I wouldn't touch the vital fluids except the engine oil.
If your transmission is shifting well and there no leaks from the differentials and transfer case,then why would you need to flush them right before such a trip?

I got my drain plugs here:
MAGNETIC DRAIN PLUGS

Coolant?

Also, reset transfer case adaptations after changing TC fluid?

You don't need to buy differential fluid from the dealer, they aren't anything special as far as units, only special fluid needed is transfer case fluid (BMW) on the Xdrive units.

75W-90 Redline synthetic works fine for me and for all E53's for the diffs (pick your brand but a synthetic 75w-90 is fine.

I as well also get my magnetic plugs from www.drainplugmagnets.com. The best quality there is.

RB, the diff fluid is from ECS
18.50$ /qt castrol saf xo 75w90
In fact, the dealer doesn't even sell diff fluid by the quart
Redline is around there as well

Great responses guys; will go with those plugs although expensive everybody swears by them or at least that's what I read;)

With the exception of tranny fluid, looks like the majority agree that you will actually benefit from changing these oils.
Plus, I have a whine at low speeds and I think it might be low tranny oil, or TC/ diff whine....some people report improvements and I don't see why I wouldn't do it...color alone is a perfect argument...black (old)vs gold (new fluid)

Thank you !

Coolant will be another project along with the WP, belts and pulleys/tensioners and expansion tank as a preventative maintenance.

Will reset the adaptations as well.;)thx for the reminder

four.8is, What's the mileage on your '06? I changed the transfer case fluid [using BMW] at around 82k miles, and used redline in the diffs, with the lubro moly gear oil additive [a small tube], which seems to smooth the drivetrain action. I also did the manual tranny.

108k miles.is the lubro moly additive safe/approved by BMW?curious if I need it

Colour has nothing to do with the quality of the fluid.

There are recommended change intervals for transfer case and diffs. If they haven't been changed it is past time. I recommend changing those using same fluids. Transmission fluid is always a major debate. In the Bentley service manual for the X5 it states that some transmission problems can be corrected by a fluid change. I would also use the same transmission fluid and filter if you change tranny fluid.

Yes you are correct, but not entirely.New Oil will turn dark within a few hours of engine operation.
But I think we can agree that 108k miles has taken it's toll on the diff and TC oils ..
Being dark means that the oil it's doing it's job of cleaning but after 8 years and more than 100k miles , that oil lost it's initial properties long time ago.

I just did my diffs, transmission, tcase, and engine today. It was pretty easy even battling those arctic winds. I went with redline in everything except for the engine. I know you need the special unicorn fluid for your xdrive tcase.

Josh how is the redline treating you? I know I'm satisfied as I didn't need unicorn fluid either.

Well this is just dumb.stopped by the dealer today and guess what the price for the TC oil was?91$/qt...yeah 91!!!
I'm like what is wrong with you guys?they said they're surprised of the price increase as well..they sold it to me for 68$ after all; still.rip off...didn't notice ECS sells it for 42$...meh I could have been 20 and some $ richer...now if I return there's a 20% restocking fee..live and learn

The driveline is nice and quiet. The transmissions shifted smoothly before warm up, and it is currently 35 degrees.

Four.8is, I cannot believe that would want 91 a quart. That is ridiculous. I spent ~100 on fluid for the entire driveline (minus engine), with some left over.

My Indy just got the TC oil in for $61 on Monday.

No kidding.bmw Bellevue is ridiculously overpriced...Seattle is cheaper but isn't worth the drive unless I work in the area..

Guys, any reason why I shouldn't use the Pentosin ATF1 as the power steering fluid?
I have about 2qts left from when I changed the tranny fluid on my E39 1.5years ago..just stumbled upon it the other day looking for stuff in my garage..
If it's ok then great news; less money to spend lol

EDIT: I just remembered its amber/clear in color and won't mix well with the red ATF I suppose...?

Not sure what the differences are if any?

I mixed the zf lifefluid ( amber ) with RL D4 ( red ) with absolutely NO issues what so ever...

it's just a color dye in the mix

Well then I'm just gonna do it .thx guys

Glad I could help you save some $$$ :)

After I did the 2nd flush and fill, I did reset adaptations and I haven't had any kind of jerkiness or weird shifting since doing it!

Guys, is it okay to change the TC oil then drive to the shop and have them reset the adaptations or do I have to do it right then on the spot?i have no idea how this works but I'm willing to learn;)

You don't need to take it anywhere to have that done...

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ion-reset.html

Resetting the self-adapting wear values in the transfer case is not the same as resetting the automatic transmission driver adaptations. It does require a service tool. And the transmission driver adaptations that you reset with the throttle pedal as referenced in the link you provided are not stored long term in any case. You need a service tool to reset the transmission adaptations, but that is still for a different component than the transfer case.

Explained here, see post #4: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...set-4-4-a.html

And to the OP, yes, you can drive it to the shop. Damage will not be instantaneous but rather cumulative.

I recently flushed all fluids on my 4.8is as you are talking about doing, mine has 140k miles and probably never even had an oil change until I got it (seriously neglected 4.8is, I paid $5k for it as a project car). The only thing I couldn't get done was the front differential. How to people get access to that drain bolt?

Anyway, I opened up the transfer case to change out the fluid and nothing came out! Bone dry... GT1 was showing a code for transfer case "oil wear" but I wasn't expecting it to have no oil. Anyway, I filled it with .9L of the new stuff and don't see any kind of leak.. Not sure exactly what happened there.

I did one tranny flush and am about to do another one (tomorrow), I just wanted to get a good 300 miles in between flushes. The car drives WAY better after one, and I'm hoping it'll improve more after the 2nd. I still have a faint whine at low speeds. What could be causing this? Is it the tranny or the transfer case?

^^ I have the same whine at low speeds I'm curious what it can be as well...