Hey guys just a couple questions. I'm planning on replacing my transmission fluid and wanted to know if i could follow this DIY. My car is a 2004 525i manual transmission with 82k miles on it.

DIY - E39 525i Fluid Triple Play (PS, diff & tranny fluid change) - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

Any tips/advice before I start on this project?

 

I thought there was a DIY for the E60 manual on here somewhere. I tried to find it but could not. Then again, I only looked for a couple of minutes.

It looks like pretty close to how my Bentley manual says to do the manual on my 545i.

Since you are a DIY guy I would spend the money and get the manual. Amazon sells it as well as bimmershops etc.

I used BMW fluid in my change at 68k miles and it came out dark. I still can't believe they call this stuff lifetime.

While you are at it, you might as well do the differential. Mine came out kinda dark so I am glad I did. For that fluid I also used BMW fluid. That stuff was not cheap.

Make sure you open the fill bolt before you open the drain bolt. It's good insurance.

Per my manual, you need MTF-LT-2 fluid. I am sure you knew that.

 

Thanks for the feed back squidzilla, I'll definitely look into buying that repair manual.

 

Sure no problem. You can buy the BMW fluid from the dealer, it will cost the most there but that made me fill best. Pentosin also makes the approved manual gearbox fluid and you can get that from Oreilys.

There are plenty of other fluids that may be just fine to use, but I get the most piece of mind from using BMW fluid purchased from the dealer.

 

It is relatively easy to change manual transmission fluid on e60. Warm up the fluid by driving the car for 10 minutes Than raise the car but make sure it is level. First open the fill plug and then drain plug. Let it drain for couple hours then put the new drain plug back( I am using magnetic plug ) do not over tighten it probably 18ft-lb. I used a clear tube to fill it from the top with funnel but next time I gonna use a syringe to fill it. It takes 2.5 liters if completely drained. Just fill it till the fluid comes out from drain plug. I agree get the BMW trans fluid. They sell it in 5 litter container And You gonna need it for the next time. I changing my trans fluid every 15-20k as it gets really used and comes out like the used motor oil.

 

Sounds like I needa make a trip to the dealer for some oil. Wow you change the fluid quite often. Your car must shift like butter.

 

Yes it shifts nice. I decided to go shorter intervals after I saw how used and dark the old oil was.This is probably once in one or two year good preventative maintenance and cheaper than replacing the trans. $125 for one trans oil change is not a lot.

 

I find the Red Line MTL or D4-ATF work better on my 2006 525i manual transmission than the BMW fluid. When I bought the car 2 yrs.ago with less than 40K miles, I sometimes had problem shifting into 1st gear at the stoplight, was forced to shift into 2nd and then into 1st. Having experienced the same problem with my 1992 535i years ago and Redline MTL cured the problem then, I drained the factory fluid and replaced it with 50% Redline MTL + 50% Redline D4-ATF, although Redline recommends D4-ATF exclusively. Result : no more shifting problem whatsoever, in fact shifting is now smooth as butter, even in the winter.

 

I know exactly what you're talking about except it was hard going from 1st to 2nd sometimes. I'm on the fence between OEM and redline. I've heard of good things from both.