bimmerluuvr

Forgot to ask: I have a manual tran., I've called three different dealers and they all think I am crazy for wanting to change the fluid, am I? its about 2years and 4months old, with about 10k on it. After what I've been reading, I get the impression that this should be done if you plan to keep your car long term, contrary to BMW's claim of a "lifetime fill". I guess it depends on your interpretation of the word "lifetime" Also, changing the power steering fluid: am I just using a turkey baster, or does the system need to be flushed?

Thanks

pa550

Power stearing, you need to flush the entire system. Manually tranny - don't think you ever need to change fluid. I think it's grease anyway. It's not a hydraulic system like an automatic. In any case, doing both of these is counter-indicated.

I have a two year old 550. I change the oil (myself) every 3,000 miles, partly becuase I like to and partly because I want to keep it fresh. I wouldn't worry about the tranny or power steering. You might want to consider the coolant though at some point. I typically do mine every three years.

bimmerluuvr

Thanks for your response. Does the power steering system have a drain port somewhere that would allow me to flush the system, and what are you using to flush the system? Also, are you sure about the tranny? in the winter 08' issue of "Fast Times", which is the quarterly newsletter for BavAuto.com, they provide a maintenance schedule that covers all production BMW's from 83' to present, and according to them the fluid should be changed at 2yrs./50k.

pa550

Best thing to do is to PM Rudy for the shop manual (PDF) for power steering fluid change, coolant change and manual transmission change. It will provide you with a step-by-step description of exactly what to do. Also, you can go to http://www.realoem.com/bmw/ and poke around looking at the schematics of the systems and try to figure out from there how to drain them.

OK, after posting this I just went to Real OEM and checked out the transmission schematic. There's a sticker on the transmission housing that says "Life Time Oil - No Oil Change". I wouldn't monkey with it.

bimmerluuvr

Yea, I saw that same diagram, I'm not going to touch it, and hopefully 200k down the line, all will be well

Thanx dude