I decided to do this project. I'll add to the sticky my experiences to hopefully save anyone else the headaches i've had to endure over the last 24 hours.
I ordered the pan/filter kit and 11 liters of Pentosin ATF1.

I examined my bolts prior to undergoing this project and felt that more than likely I'll be stripping a few out. I figured about 20% or so. So I got about 5 from the dealer. These bolts appeared to be different. When I matched them up, the dealer in fact gave me 5 T40 Torx. My vehicle had T27 Torx. I looked at the BMW TIS and it appeared that they realized that there was a problem with these and recommended replacing them with T40's.

So i got to the dirty work. I must have stripped about 10 of these bad boys out. So I had no choice but to drill them out and use an extractor bit to take the bolts out. This was a tedious process being that I had like 16 inches between the floor and my pan. But never the less a few easy strokes of the hammer to shock them a bit and then drill and back out.

So my dealer is about 25 miles away and at $1.70 per T40 torx, I opted to head to Ace Hardware and figure it out myself. I matched everything up and feel i made a better choice. Now I am equipped with the same bolts except I have 10mm Hex heads and a copper washer in between just like the oil pan. All is good! In case any others have this problem I'm posting pics of what I used. (I already have the copper washers on, so the photo shows a penny. The setup I used was an M6 inner bore washer and the outside circumference was exactly that of the orignial T40/T27 Torx used. Just make sure the hole in your washer doesn't have any play. Should fit right on the bolt thread with no play)

Tighten them down until You squish to washer and it turns then it should stop. Everything seemed to work out fine so far. I drove it, all tis all good following directions provided. I have 5 more liters and I'll drive for a short period of time then drain and fill. Good luck.

 

Stopped by the local dealer to get some coolant this morning since my car has the "low coolant level" warning, intermittently, asked the OTC part guy about the transmission fluid; he told me that they only sell it in pint and I need to bring my own container since they have it stored in a big container. He also told me that I should talk to my service advisor prior to changing it.

Thought it was a bit odd that they want me to bring my own container. Has anyone here encountered this issue before?

Thanks guys...especially the DIY section.

RCT

 

Yes, dealers only get it in 50 gallon drums. How much are they charging you per liter? I'd just go to Pelican Parts and get the Pentosin ATF1. Otherwise, i'd make sure your container is very clean and dried out prior to....... I'm going to do my final drain fill this weekend to get me to about a 85-90% new fluid range.

 

Second drain/fill went as smooth as first.

 

Hi Guys,

I'm contemplating carrying this out myself. However, the thread only starts from step 8. Where are steps 1-7? Do you have a link.

Is there like a reply limit on this thread or something, which is pushing/deleting the older posts? It would be greatly appreciated if someone could forward me the link or perhaps correct the problems on the thread.

P.S. I have tried viewing this thread on 3 different computers and they all start on step 8.

Regards

Ajay

04 545i SE Auto with Sports Suspension.

 

Post #1 and #2 used to contain Step 1 to 7. However, they are gone !!!

 

Points 1 to 7 are back. Thanks to whoever reinstated it.

 

Yeah, I contacted the admins and they were able to fix it.
I have also backed up a copy just in case this happens again.
Raj

 

I belive you can remove all the ATF from the 6HP19Z transmission the same way I do it on my Volvo. It's a piece of cake to flush yourself. Remove exit hose from tranny to radiator at the radiator attachment point, there are two hoses comming from the transmission this is how the ATF gets cooled, not sure which is the return and exit, but we can just remove both and place a clear hose on each for safety then place the hose on a bucket with QT meassurement marks. I belive a pair of snap-ring pliar will remove the clamp, but BMW TIS and Bently manual shows a plier tool for this, but it cost around $130.00, so I'm hoping the snap-pliers will work.

Run engine until bubbles show up in the clear hose ( The volvo S70 is nice because the drain is on the driver's side, allowing one to watch the progress out the driver's window), shud down, add a couple quarts of tranny fluid, then keep repeating until you are satisfied it is clean--I ussually pumped 9 to 12 quarts through my S70 to get it crystal clear. Top it off and put the hose back on.

 

What you described was the Volvo way. BMW TIS did not mention anything about flushing the tranny. It just describes the drain and refill. Has anyone tried the Volvo flush method on his/her E60 yet ? I won't do the Volvo way until someone has done it or BMW TIS say so.