Sign waiver for transmission fluid change?

[BMW Dom]

Instead of using that shop, I'd go to an indy shop that KNOWS BMW's. Here's another strange but related tale. A few months ago I called the Infiniti dealer in Chesapeake VA that did the only previous ATF exchange on my 2007 M35 at 72K miles. They would NOT do an ATF service on the car at that time with 122K miles, even with a waiver. BTW I was having no issues at all with the transmission. So I'm doing three drain and fills myself (two completed so far).

yup, I'm taking it to a BMW shop. They know what they're doing

 

[Arc]

I took my car to a shop to get a quote on a transmission fluid and filter change. They were very nice, and had a clean shop.

It's because I bought the car a few months ago, and it just started shifting a little rough.

Had the same issue with my BMW Z4. They told me it was lifetime fluid. I don't know if was my lifetime or the cars but they said not to change it.

 

[BMW Dom]

Had the same issue with my BMW Z4. They told me it was lifetime fluid. I don't know if was my lifetime or the cars but they said not to change it.

I dont know. Even the BMW dealer will change the fluid and filter. They had no hesitation when I asked.

 

[Marcozi]

Go to www.bimrs.org to find a reputable indie shop in your area that specializes in bimmers.

 

[BMW Dom]

Go to www.bimrs.org to find a reputable indie shop in your area that specializes in bimmers.

Yes, I’m taking it to Elsen’s autohaus

 

[MrJayhawk]

Had the same issue with my BMW Z4. They told me it was lifetime fluid. I don't know if was my lifetime or the cars but they said not to change it.

Here’s the position of the tech guru from the BMW Car Club of America:

The short answer for the modern BMWs with “lifetime fill” ATF: Change it and the filter at least every 60,000 miles using ONLY the factory BMW proprietary ATF or current equivalent. Long answer: At various production dates in the mid-1990s, which vary according to model, BMW switched to their so-called “lifetime fill” ATF in automatic transmissions, as well as manual gearbox lubricant and differential oil. The reason for this, as far as anyone can tell, is marketing and not engineering – the idea being to foster the notion of the low-maintenance BMW.
There was no explanation of what “lifetime” meant, i.e., lifetime of the car, the component, or for that matter the driver. If it was the component, then obviously anything could be “lifetime fill”. The factory’s initial position was that these lubricants never need to be changed. Then, some time later, it came out that “lifetime” means 100,000 miles. Many dealerships are now recommending manual gearbox and differential oil changes be done at customer expense every 60,000 miles. Every independent BMW technician I know recommends a 30,000-60,000-mile interval, and many recommend Red Line synthetic oils, but not for automatics with “lifetime fill” – you need the factory proprietary ATF for “lifetime fill” automatics.
My inclination is to tell people to change “lifetime” ATF and filter every 60,000 miles. However I have seen BMW automatic transmissions that were maintained break anyway. In that event, say it happens at 90,000 miles, you would like to have the money you spent on the ATF and filter change to put toward your new automatic transmission. And if I told you to spend it on maintenance you’re probably not going to be very happy with me. On the other hand, I have seen maintained automatics last 200,000 miles. I have also seen un-maintained automatics last 200,000 miles, although both are very rare. There's just no predicting with these transmissions. When you choose to buy an automatic transmission, you also buy into the vagaries of the darn things, which is one reason technicians hate them. Whether to maintain a modern BMW automatic is up to you.

 

[bbhero]

Really really good posts here. ^^^^^^^^^^

In my opinion.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Here’s the position of the tech guru from the BMW Car Club of America:

The short answer for the modern BMWs with “lifetime fill” ATF: Change it and the filter at least every 60,000 miles using ONLY the factory BMW proprietary ATF or current equivalent. Long answer: At various production dates in the mid-1990s, which vary according to model, BMW switched to their so-called “lifetime fill” ATF in automatic transmissions, as well as manual gearbox lubricant and differential oil. The reason for this, as far as anyone can tell, is marketing and not engineering – the idea being to foster the notion of the low-maintenance BMW.
There was no explanation of what “lifetime” meant, i.e., lifetime of the car, the component, or for that matter the driver. If it was the component, then obviously anything could be “lifetime fill”. The factory’s initial position was that these lubricants never need to be changed. Then, some time later, it came out that “lifetime” means 100,000 miles. Many dealerships are now recommending manual gearbox and differential oil changes be done at customer expense every 60,000 miles. Every independent BMW technician I know recommends a 30,000-60,000-mile interval, and many recommend Red Line synthetic oils, but not for automatics with “lifetime fill” – you need the factory proprietary ATF for “lifetime fill” automatics.
My inclination is to tell people to change “lifetime” ATF and filter every 60,000 miles. However I have seen BMW automatic transmissions that were maintained break anyway. In that event, say it happens at 90,000 miles, you would like to have the money you spent on the ATF and filter change to put toward your new automatic transmission. And if I told you to spend it on maintenance you’re probably not going to be very happy with me. On the other hand, I have seen maintained automatics last 200,000 miles. I have also seen un-maintained automatics last 200,000 miles, although both are very rare. There's just no predicting with these transmissions. When you choose to buy an automatic transmission, you also buy into the vagaries of the darn things, which is one reason technicians hate them. Whether to maintain a modern BMW automatic is up to you.

This is Mike Miller saying it won't hurt to change it, but it may not help.

 

[jeepman3071]

I've changed the fluid a few times in these GM transmissions in the 328i now. A couple times in my own car, and once in a friend's E91 Wagon that had original fluid in it until 150k miles. Mine shifted pretty decent to begin with, but is noticeably smoother with MaxLife ATF. My friend's E91 had a rough shift 2-3, and the fluid was dark black. I did a drain and fill with Valvoline Dex VI she provided, and also changed the filter and did another drain and fill after driving it around the block to get more of the old fluid out. It now shifts way better with 185k on it, so my thought is the transmission can always benefit from a fluid change.

 

[Bill7]

I do an ATF drain/fill every 15,000 miles.
From the research I've done, most OEM transmission fluids is not synthetic fluid.
The transmission fluid sheers (becomes thinner) just like motor oil sheers.

Also the best way to keep the fluid clean, fresh, and to remove the sheered fluid is a drain and fill.
And minor wear particles in the fluid need to be removed with a drain/fill.
Leaving the fluid dirty and sheered to a lower viscosity is just going to cause even more wear.