Phantom Mark

OT:

You had an E60 stolen ??? wow......I mean unlucky of course

They steal the keys or something ?

968turboS

I wish I knew how they stole it. From what I gather, these cars are almost impossible to steal but I guess someone found a way. Its was an 04 545i.
I am in the works on getting an 06 530i SP. Hopefully, if the PPI checks out, I will have it in my driveway in a few weeks.
Regards.

barry325

Rang my fav non-dealer service center. Mechanic there STRONGLY agreed that 2 years/50K is a good interval for fluid/filter swap if you wish to keep the car. He strongly cautioned that some of the fluids people say "will work" will not work, and could damage the trans. He said go to a dealer or a very knowledgable private shop only for this work.

The "good" fluids are like $26+/quart. Trans takes 12 quarts.

I will for sure be getting this done.

YMMV,
Barry

968turboS

Not trying to stir something up but you should have your Indie mechanic check this website.
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorO...thetic_ATF.aspx
I doubt Mobil1 would be printing its compatibility with BMW oils.
Regards.

barry325

OK, my bad... What I should have said is the guy said the fluid the dealer (and he) will use is about $26/quart. He said there are fluids out there that people believe will work that he would not put in the trans of my BMW. We didn't discuss Mobile 1.

Additionally, he said if you aren't keeping the car, he'd not swap the fluid. If you are in it for a long-haul, smart move. He also said they have a ton of cars through his shop that have near 200K on a trans with zero problems and they are on the original fluid. He said he'd do his car.

Also, I do a wee bit of towing with my X3. That will be getting a fluid/filter swap as well at 50K.

Barry

juris335

[quote name='Krozi' date='Dec 17 2008, 10:15 PM' post='747581']

"Well I have done some research and found that BMW transmissions have a pretty bad history. There are a lot of reports of transmission failures."

Hi Krozi- I was interested in your finding the "bad history" (above). Could you give me the site or reference where you found this? It is the first time I have heard that 5ers have a bad history of transmission failures. Is the "bad" history worse than the transmission failure rate of the cars that compete with the 5er? Is it a percentum of the 5ers sold in a given year as compared to all similar sized vehicles? Any more information would be helpful. Thanks.

Krozi

Well not all of them where on E60's but here are the links:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/autom...bmw_trans.html

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticl..._Fluid_Auto.htm

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2008/09...-the-birds.html

http://www.noreverse.org/

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=262130


And a few weeks ago my transmission said bye-bye (got it replaced no charge under warranty). I actually had a topic on it: http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=64579&st=15


I am not sure what kind of transmission problems cars like the Cadillac, or E class, or Infiniti (not that they can compete with BMW 5er), or Audi's have.

porsche911targa

You might want to do a search right on this site. Plenty of tranny complaints...

968turboS

NP Barry.
If I remember correctly, all BMW ZF units use Esso LT71141 fluid, which is the same as the Audi/VW A162 fluid and also made by Febi/Bilstein and Pentosin. There are options out there. Mobil1 clearly states that their fluid is compatible. I wouldn't hesitate using Mobil1 in our transmissions. This is a new formula and a lot of people are not aware of it.
Regards.

kxmills

I have an SMG and when I was changing the oil I didn't see a drain plug on the bottom or a fill port on the side. Does anyone know where it is?