What's a fair price for a transmission fluid change on my BMW?

Rod Knock

Rod Knock

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BMW Dom said:
I have no doubt they make great products! They are just out of my price range.

I'm taking it somewhere this weekend to get an estimate of filter and fluid change. They said about $350, but it could be more.
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No, they're not if you can do your own oil change. Is this something you can do? Do you have a ZF 8 Speed?

A 5 Gallon Pail of ATF Green CC (PAO):
1670468937304.jpg


You're not going to buy ATF like this from RedLine/AMSOIL.
 
BMW Dom

BMW Dom

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Rod Knock said:
Do you have a ZF 8 Speed?
Click to expand...
No, my car is a gm 6l45r. The transmission plug is towards the back of the car.

It's not hard to get the first fill, but when the car is running, the exhaust hot, and you're trying to find the fill plug, many words are said.

If I had a lift, or quick jacks, this would be a different story.

here's an okay video, let me know what you think:

3:13 shows fill plug
 
Rod Knock

Rod Knock

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BMW Dom said:
No, my car is a gm 6l45r. The transmission plug is towards the back of the car.

It's not hard to get the first fill, but when the car is running, the exhaust hot, and you're trying to find the fill plug, many words are said.

If I had a lift, or quick jacks, this would be a different story.

here's an okay video, let me know what you think:

3:13 shows fill plug
Click to expand...

If you're handy with a circular saw and are willing to cut some wood, you can build four ramps and drive the car on them. That's what I did. It's a little bit of work but it's well worth the effort. If you're interested PM me and I will send you some pictures.

The HPL ATF Green CC is green and the ATF Blue CC is dyed blue. They're identical, except that the Blue is a slightly higher viscosity to cover transmissions that call Dexron III/ATF+4 and such type fluids. The additive package they're using for this fluids is a cut above what RedLine/AMSOIL/Valvone use.

I remember when I upgraded the oil pan to a PPE Aluminum pan on the RAM 1500 for the ZF 8 Speed and I burned myself on the exhaust while pumping fluid in. You can use wet towels to cover the exhaust pipes, but once they're no longer wet they will start burning up.

I'm not saying you have to use HPL. They're just my top pick. Motul ATF VI is another good fluid. Valvoline works as well, but you won't get the same service life out of that oil as you would from something like HPL. I have no clue where Motul falls on that spectrum. Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is also a very choice to consider, as is their Dexron HP fluid. You have plenty of good choices.
 
BMW Dom

BMW Dom

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Rod Knock said:
If you're handy with a circular saw and are willing to cut some wood, you can build four ramps and drive the car on them. That's what I did. It's a little bit of work but it's well worth the effort. If you're interested PM me and I will send you some pictures.

The HPL ATF Green CC is green and the ATF Blue CC is dyed blue. They're identical, except that the Blue is a slightly higher viscosity to cover transmissions that call Dexron III/ATF+4 and such type fluids. The additive package they're using for this fluids is a cut above what RedLine/AMSOIL/Valvone use.

I remember when I upgraded the oil pan to a PPE Aluminum pan on the RAM 1500 for the ZF 8 Speed and I burned myself on the exhaust while pumping fluid in. You can use wet towels to cover the exhaust pipes, but once they're no longer wet they will start burning up.

I'm not saying you have to use HPL. They're just my top pick. Motul ATF VI is another good fluid. Valvoline works as well, but you won't get the same service life out of that oil as you would from something like HPL. I have no clue where Motul falls on that spectrum. Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is also a very choice to consider, as is their Dexron HP fluid. You have plenty of good choices.
Click to expand...
I'm definitely interested in seeing those wood ramps.

I may consider HPL for the future, but I need to get rid of all of the old ATF first. My car is starting to jerk a bit when shifting, which definitely has me worried.

I'm trying to convince myself to DIY it. If somewhere will do the fluid and filter for about $400, I will have them do it. Otherwise, I will most likely do it myself over this Christmas break.

Thanks :)
 
BMW Dom

BMW Dom

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dkryan said:
Hmmm……

I don’t know, Dom

I don’t own a Blau mit Weisse so I can’t comment on repairs at Just BMW.

I regard online reviews with a wide range of suspicion. Somewhat like the five star and one star reviews on Amazon. Or any other online sites for that matter.

I’d suggest calling them and the shop in Loveland and asking what the charge is for your required service. Then ask them about bringing your own fluid(s).

If you don’t like their answer, then again, try Northgate or Ridge Transmission.
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I just sent both of those transmission shops an email.

Thanks for the recommendations!
 
The Critic

The Critic

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slo town said:
I've done this myself multiple times using jack stands and it doesn't take me that long. If I had a lift and did it on a regular basis it's a 45 minute job. I'm talking pan drop and filter change.

2.8 hours is an OUTRAGEOUS rip off! What a joke!

Scott
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I'm curious if the service procedure calls for a road test, followed by a cooldown and re-check - which could be a driver for the higher labor time. Some of them do.
 
slo town

slo town

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The Critic said:
I'm curious if the service procedure calls for a road test, followed by a cooldown and re-check - which could be a driver for the higher labor time. Some of them do.
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Possibly. All I can say is that when I've taken our BMWs to the dealers for the airbag recalls, and the E90 for the PVC heater recall, it appeared to me the guys working on the cars were in slow motion. I don't want to see people thrashing, but I remember thinking the apparent pace of their work was ridiculously slow.

Scott
 
BMW Dom

BMW Dom

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dkryan said:
BMW Dom,

How did this turn out in terms of the tranny fluid change?
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I haven't gotten it serviced yet.

I will most likely DIY it once the weather warms up, but it has been shifting fine, no issues.

I've been dealing with a pretty bad vacuum leak, which has taken priority. I will be doing valve cover gasket tomorrow
 
S

sparky123

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I've done this service on my 04 325i which has the gm 5-sp. transmission. PITA because the car is so low to the ground to begin with. Even on ramps, jacks and my 3 ton floor lift. Not an overly difficult job, just messy. Something I don't look forward to doing anytime in the future! (Love the car and what a great in line 6 engine!)
 
JHZR2

JHZR2

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The Critic said:
Book time is 2.8 hr, so 3 hours?

Local MB/BMW dealer here is $230/hr. Plus they are missing out on their usual parts mark-up. So yes, $800-$1k is fair.
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Is there something special with this setup that makes it take that long? I suspect there’s an underbody belly pan or three that have to come off, which isn’t hard, but takes time.

AT pans are always a pain just because of the number of bolts. The MB 722.4 has many fewer but it’s the only one I’ve seen with that few.

$230 is ridiculous though, the tech is probably pulling $60/hr max, which if lucky is a burdened cost of labor of maybe $120/hr…. So there’s a lot of coffee machine and CA regulations built into that $230…
 
JHZR2

JHZR2

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atikovi said:
So it's OK if somebody ELSE gets themselves messy, but not ok if they charge a fair price for it? Either pay the piper or put on some old clothes and get into it. Doing the same job on my old Volvo today, outside, in the cold, on my back, face inches from the undercarriage, and it will be a 2 day affair waiting for parts. I don't pay people to do something I can do myself when there is a large variance in price.
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Fair is relative. We don’t know what is involved.

What if the tech can get it done in less than book time? Then it’s ok to charge book time when it didn’t take that long and they’re double billing customers? Is that ok?
 
BMW Dom

BMW Dom

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atikovi said:
Found one,

stewsgarage.com

Car Lift Rental | Stew's Garage - Rent A Bay DIY Auto Repair

We rent garage bays with car lifts! We also include tools, equipment, expert advice and more! Great for DIY auto repair of all kinds. Rent a bay today!
stewsgarage.com stewsgarage.com

$500 for a whole day. About how long a DIY clutch job may take? Ouch. How much labor would a shop charge?
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Yeah, that wouldn't be worth it. Maybe for an oil pan gasket diy. I'll probably just do the atf change in the spring on jack stands :)
 
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