Originally Posted By: SLO_Town
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
How often do you change the manual trans fluid on this car?
Well, understand, my 330Ci is my garage queen. It's never been driven in the rain or on wet roads, nor has it ever spent a entire day or night parked outside. Not one. I cover it when it's in the garage. The only time it's outside is when it's actually being driven.
Often times I drive it just to keep it "wet". So, to answer your question, I change the gearbox oil once a year when I bleed the brakes and change the rear diff oil. That can be as few at 2K miles if I'm not driving the car much.
I've used the Pentosin "MTF2". It works well and is what BMW recommends. However, IMO Redline MT-85 works even better. The differences are subtle but I do honestly believe MT-85 makes the gearbox smoother shifting and a bit quieter. I hear no gear noise at all with MT-85. While Pentosin MTF2 I sometimes notice a slight gear whine in first gear.
Garage queen and (too) frequent oil changes aside, the car is "driven". I'll just leave it at that. Though a bit off topic this is the list of mods I've done to the car, every single one of them researched, specifically chosen, installed, and fine tuned by me. No one else but me has ever touched the car mechanically. Since taking new car possession my wife is the only person other than me who has driven it, and that was once for about 5 miles.
Scott
BBS CH Wheels 19x8.5 35mm offset front, 19x9.5 40mm offset rear
Continental SportContact 3 Y-rated 235/45-19 front, 245/35-19 rear
Eibach Pro-Kit Springs
Bilstein Sport Struts/Shocks, E36 M3 Versions On Rear
BMW Motorsport Front Strut Tower Reinforcement Plates
Rogue Engineering Rear Shock Mounts
H&R Sport Adjustable Anti-Roll Bars, 27mm front, 21mm Rear
Turner Motorsports Adjustable, Ball Jointed Front Anti-Roll Bar Endlinks
Mason Engineering Adjustable, Spherical Bearing Rear Anti-Roll Bar Endlinks
Mason Engineering Front Strut Brace
BMW Motorsport ZHP Front Control Arms
BMW M3 Engine Mounts
BMW M3 Transmission Mounts
Lemforder 66mm Front Control Arm Bushings
BMW M3 Rear Control Arm Bushings
Turner Motorsports Aluminum Rear Control Arm Bushing Limiters
BMW M3 Spherical Bearing Rear Lower/Outer Control Arm Bushings
BMW Group N Spherical Bearing Rear/Upper Control Arm Bushings
Stoptech Stainless Steel Brake Lines F/R
BMW Motorsport Cross-drilled, Fully Floating Front Brake Rotors
Jurid Sport Front Brake Pads
BMW M3 Rear Brake Pads (Textar)
Turner Motorsports Brass Brake Caliper Bushings
Borla Catback Stainless Steel Exhaust
Meyle Heavy Duty Rear Differential Mounts
BMW ZHP Finned Rear Differential Cover/Cooler
BMW ZHP Shift Knob
B&M Short Shift Kit
UUC Stainless Steel, Weighted Shift Rod
Mason Engineering Quick Shift Geometry Clutch Pedal Arm
Stewart Engineering Water Pump
Rogue Engineering Underdrive Pulley Set
BMW M3 Trunk Lid Spoiler Lip
BMW Motorsport Alcantara Steering Wheel
Sounds like a very nice car. My M3 was a garage queen before I bought it, never parked outside or driven in the rain once during its first 12 years of life. It has a harder life with me, although it shouldn't complain about only 3500 kms in the last year. I realize the transmission in the M3 is different than the one in your 330, but most people lean toward the OE BMW MTF2 for the M3 transmission over on M3F.