KyleB

wrx5 - yes, you are overdue.

ZF manufactured that transmission and not BMW. BMW first said the fluid was 'lifetime', then modified its stance to recommend fluid replacement at 100K. BMW is wrong, wrong wrong, wrong, wrong. Did I mention they were wrong?

Both of BMWs positions conflict massively with the manufacturers maximum service interval recommendation of 100,000km, which translates to 62,000 miles. I'd love to ask BMW how it is that the fluid instantly gains 38,000 more miles of service life once it's bolted into a BMW.

Oil change kits for ZF 6HPXX gearboxes can be had for around $300 or less. If you're paying someone $700 for the labor to do it, you're getting hosed. It's pretty easy to do.

Yes, the fluid is expensive. A new transmission is north of five grand. Take your pick.

wrx5

I gave a call to BMW service to ask if I really need to use ZF LifeGuard 6 because I am having difficulty to find a place to by in Sydney. They strongly suggest me to NOT to TOUCH it.

I told him the BMW's recent 100k milage trans oil change suggestion. He refused it and he said "The oil is not ZF, it is spefically made for BMW and if you put a new oil into used transmission it will lessen the life time of the transmission." He said transmission oil change cost is $1300 AUD for my car. He would love to make that money, however, as being honest, he said do not touch it.

After spoke with him, I called 2 other mechanics, local ones I used to go for non-BMW cars. Same thing. Both said do not touch the transmission oil.

now what to do?

KyleB

Sorry, but all of them are wrong. If you don't believe me, go to ZFs website and look up their service intervals for 6HPXX transmissions. Print it out, take it to them, and ask them if they would care to revise their recommendation. Sounds to me like they're stuck in the 2001 mindset which is 'transmission fluid is lifetime'. It simply isn't true.

ZF distributes a fluid specifically for BMW only?!?!? What utter nonsense.

The fluid is most definitely Lifeguard6. I don't think people realize just how much misinformation there is out there, even at the dealer level. Three months ago I overheard a service advisor at a local BMW dealer tell a woman with an E90 328i she should bring her car in for a VALVE ADJUSTMENT. BMWs haven't had solid valve lifters that required adjustment for over twenty five years.

Gangplank

My local Indy has these recommendations to follow:

All BMWs Late 1999 to Present:

Brake Fluid Flush every 2 years
Coolant Flush every 2 years
Power Steering Flush every 3 years
Transmission service every 60,000 miles
Oil Service every 15,000 miles between Inspections (although they now recommend 5,000-7,500 miles for oil changes b/c oil is cheap & engines are expensive)
Inspection I every 30,000 miles
Inspection II every 60,000 miles

KyleB

Now that's a good schedule right there, all of it.

rubberban

That's not entirely true e46 m3's s54's have solid lifters that should be adjusted every 36k. And remember many service advisors are salesman, they have to sell you stuff, sometimes not so necessary stuff.

Lotus99

On the Coolant Flush, I was told you should just check its PH level at 4 years, and if it's ok, leave it as is, since it's a lifetime type of fluid. So you'd do it every two years?

Do you have a list of what's included in Inspection 1 and 2?


Lastly, interesting that if all these other things like power steering fluid flush, etc. are recommended to be done as often as I've read in the posts above, then why doesn't the dealer suggest them to me, when I go in when I'm out of the warranty / free maintenance period? Seeing how they make tons of money off service, and they'd love to do more work? It doesn't make sense to me...

KyleB

Yes. Get the notion of 'lifetime fluid' completely out of your head. There is no such thing as 'lifetime fluid'.


A gallon of BMW coolant is $22. Why take a chance?

Gangplank

Most of what's on that list is tracked by the idrive or the key.

So your dealer isn't recommending any maintenance(?). Seems odd since it needs to be done at some point no?

Lotus99

I know, but I was just saying that while lifetime sounds ridiculous, every two years does as well, for being on the other extreme. What does a dealer charge for the flush? It's not the cost of the coolant... So if it's not too expensive, I might just go for it, but for some reason I was expecting it to be in a couple hundred dollars or something...

Nope. At least not at my mileage and age (50,000 and 5 years old). Was just there yesterday and all we did was an oil change. They loosely said when I get up to like 65,000 miles or more, there's some lifetime fluids they'd recommend changing...

So what's included in Inspection 1 and 2 you referred to above?
.