Looking at a used BM 7-series…

[Acroy]

d00df00d - thanks for the link for the 6spd manual conversion, that is awesome. Maybe Robert will sell me his car

And thanks again BullyT - hope your 7 continues to treat you right. I plan to handle as much of the maintenance/repair myself, and have a good independant mechanic lined up for stuff over my head.

Much of the reson these cars (and all BMW's to an extent) are maligned is the lousy, slow, expensive, [censored]-staffed dealerships.

 

[MCompact]

Just ignore the sour grapes from those Bimmer Envy sufferers. My 1995 3er costs less than $50 per month to run and my wife's 2004 X3 costs just a bit more. My 2007 Mazdaspeed is proving to be both more expensive to run and less reliable- in less than 27000 miles it has already needed a new LF strut as well as a new turbocharger...

 

[Acroy]

ouch on the Mazdaspeed problems... I've been drooling over one of those as well as a "daily driver". Can't justify it yet though - the Protege I own handles nearly as well (aftermarket suspension) and gets 27-30mpg going a lot slower than the MSpeed3

 

[BullyT]

Originally Posted By: Craig in Canada
To the OP, I'd also be careful of the ATF chosen. Make sure it is Esso LT71141 compatible. I don't know that Mobil1 is, for instance.


There is a new formula Mobil 1 ATF that is specifically listed as acceptable for Esso LT71141 applications. I noticed it on Mobil 1's website about a month ago, although I haven't seen the new formulation in stores yet. I waiting for it because I'm planning a tranny flush on my '99 740iL.

Your point about getting the factory fluid from BavAuto is a good one, and VW/Audi dealers also sell it for much less than BMW dealers. I want to use the Mobil 1 because it's a full synthetic.

 

[Craig in Canada]

I have an E39 (with stick) and I think a couple of folks in my online circle have tried Amsoil. I know a couple have used Maxlife.

My dad has an E39 with ZF automatic, and I'm "hoping" that Amsoil works out well for LT71141 applications. He's been doing pan drop/filter changes every 50,000km at the dealer so far under an extended warranty.

For what it's worth for the thread, my 4/98 production sport package E39 528 has been a fantastic car. Performance, reliability and durability. Of course the more I sing its praises, the more I may be jinxing myself.

At any rate, I've had very little money spent on non-maintenance items (ie. true failures). None of the failures have been stranding, and none have been particularly expensive. "Failures" since 2001:

- camshaft position sensor ($80)
- broken wire in trunk harness (soldered and insulated)
- trunk lock actuator ($100)
- HVAC final stage resistor ($100)
- cracked thermostat housing ($15)
- main fan clutch ($60)
- electric aux cooling fan ($250)
- SRS passenger seat occupancy sensor ($140)
- dodgy worn front wheel bearing replaced during suspension refresh

I do a combination of DIY and independent mechanic.

 

[Acroy]

Not bad at all Craig for such a complex car, thanks for sharing. How many miles your 528 up to?

Thanks for the recommendations on the fluids. If I get a 7-series, sounds like I'll be doing the Auto-rx treatment and a flush or 3, the Mobil product looks good.

 

[Craig in Canada]

~ 154,000km and counting. I take pretty good care of it, and it looks pretty darn good.

I do work I don't strictly need to do to keep the suspension tight, engine strong etc... Of course as the years go by the nice-to-haves taper off a bit with financial sensibility. Particularly now I don't just throw money away.

I don't consider a lot of that work repair, although I'm sure it's prevented a number of failures. (ie. I change the O2 sensors on a mileage schedule, not wait for a code saying it's failed).

 

[MCompact]

Your experience mirrors mine with my 1997 528i. Wonderful car. I wish that I had kept the 5er rather than the Jeep, but I had to own something UAW built for political reasons

Not any more however...

 

[SamSpade]

I come from the E46 crowd. I researched a lot on LT 71141 when I was deciding whether to change the factory fill at 42k km (26k miles). I'm glad I did the change. Even at that low mileage, the fluid was very dark and the pan magnets had considerable metal 'mud' on them.

I used MOTUL ATF-1A, 100% synthetic. MOTUL states that it's compatible with LT 71141. I chose it because it's more easily available in my part of the world, and it's from a reputable oil manufacturer.

Most E46fanatics however give great feedback to Red Line D4 ATF. It's also LT 71141 compatible (but not certified by BMW).

In the case of ATF, I don't give much importance to something being officially approved by BMW as LT 71141 certified. The factory fill, by most accounts, isn't even full synthetic. I would rather use the Red Line, a top quality ATF, and change every 30k km.

Here's some of the specs I picked up:

Code:


100°C 40°C VI

Esso LT 71141 7.3 37 168

Red Line D4 ATF 7.5 34 198

Royal Purplse Max ATF 7.4 32.4 197.5

Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF 1 7.6 34 199

Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF 2 7.4 36.3 176


Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is a bit confusing since they supposedly changed their formula. But I've read some feedback that the old version was too 'slippery' for the ZF trannies. The new bottle however has LT 71141 on its compatibility list.

Also, there are versions of the ZF tranny that are prone to reverse-gear failures. It's not a function of bad fluid but more of bad design. I just accept the fact that my auto transmission will fail one of these days, but at least I know it won't fail because of neglected ATF.

 

[Craig in Canada]

The LT 71141 spec is mostly about the friction modifiers and material compatibility in a mediocre semi-syn base, if I recall correctly. That's what makes it "LT 71141" instead of just Dexron (or whatever).

In a lot of ways, I'd simply ignore the viscosity and VI stuff - not that it isn't important, but it isn't the *critical* factor in LT 71141 for this BMW application.

I just read the PDS for D4 ATF - no mention of LT 71141 ANYWHERE. I personally feel that one should go after something with LT 71141 prominently on the label, and preferably not something brand new which just recently decided it was 71141 compatible. I wouldn't be betting the transmission in my 7-series on Guy@Redline says "Yeah sure it'll work".