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      03-15-2018, 05:57 PM   #1
MikeG12
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Transmission oil change ZF 8 sp

Have about 40K miles on my 228 MSport. Has anybody changed their transmission oil. I'm guessing that BMW is going to say it is lifetime fluid and will not change it during the 50K free maintenance time.
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      03-15-2018, 06:11 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeG12 View Post
Have about 40K miles on my 228 MSport. Has anybody changed their transmission oil. I'm guessing that BMW is going to say it is lifetime fluid and will not change it during the 50K free maintenance time.
not a chance
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      03-15-2018, 06:28 PM   #3
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MikeyG you might find this interesting,

https://www.zf.com/usa_canada/en_us/...hange_oil.html

Cleanliness is important when doing this service.
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      03-15-2018, 10:11 PM   #4
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Talk to a transmission shop that knows/specializes in ZF transmissions if you want an honest answer. No disrespect intended but BMW mechanics are not experts on the ZF trans. If you really are serious about the transmission fluid have it analyzed and don't take anyone's 'average use' answer as being gospel.
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      03-16-2018, 07:48 PM   #5
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Good info in link above. Thanks!
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      03-16-2018, 08:59 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottSinger View Post
MikeyG you might find this interesting,

https://www.zf.com/usa_canada/en_us/...hange_oil.html

Cleanliness is important when doing this service.
I thought all you had to do was drain tranny oil and refill. But I guess they take off the oil pan.
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      03-16-2018, 09:07 PM   #7
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they have ZF service kits available on FCP Euro. See if one fits.
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      03-16-2018, 09:15 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inc235 View Post
I thought all you had to do was drain tranny oil and refill. But I guess they take off the oil pan.
I believe the filter is part of that plastic pan. The hard part of diy is draining the converter and then refilling the transmission to the proper level.
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      03-16-2018, 09:19 PM   #9
overcoil
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inc235 View Post
I thought all you had to do was drain tranny oil and refill. But I guess they take off the oil pan.
For a manual yes but most automatics need filter change so you drop the pan. On my old mercedes you needed new pan bolts tightened in a specific order, a special trans dipstick - because the car didn’t have one, and an infrared temperature gun to know what markers to use on the dipstick.
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      03-18-2018, 09:28 AM   #10
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The new plastic oil pan replacement has magnets around the perimeter of the pan to catch metal fragments over time.

I'm considering changing the ZF8 speed fluid on the M40i every 40K miles

Preventive maintenance
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      03-18-2018, 11:25 AM   #11
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I really want to do this service but people make it sound impossible without having ISTA and some other stuff. I would be happy with draining the pan oil and changing the pan/filter. That should be the majority of the fluid? I don't know how necessary it would be to get every ounce of fluid out if I will be doing the service way early. (Less than 20k miles)

I would be willing to pay to get it done but how do you know who knows these transmissions? Dealer would charge $1000+ for this service I'm sure. Unless the the price of the pan has came down lately.
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      03-18-2018, 12:41 PM   #12
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I changed the transmission oil on a Nissan with 100,000 plus miles and it smelled really burnt and black (not red). So if I had an Auto ZF I would definitely change the oil at lease 50,000 miles, just as preventive maintain, regardless of BMW claims of "Lifetime" fluid.

At 50k, BMW is not really on the hook for any warranty claims, so they are not overly concern about wear in your transmission. It just better for them to market their products as "maintenance-free" to move units.

I am not saying modern day transmissions are not more efficient but the fact is that it is still a machine and needs to rid itself of waste and worn parts, within the unit.

From any auto supply store, you can get a cheap pump, like what's used to bleed your own brakes, which one could use to pump the old fluid out the same drain/fill hole. Add new fluid in reverse. At 50,000 miles, I think any auto transmission has earn the right for fresh fluid.
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      03-20-2018, 09:36 AM   #13
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The funny thing is even ZF (the people that actually make the transmissions) recommends changing the fluid, if I remember right, at 60k miles. It may have even been less than that, I don't remember for sure.

Someone posted a link to their website with that info on it awhile back. Wish I still had the link.
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      03-20-2018, 10:02 AM   #14
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So, who's actually done the transmission fluid change?

I was going to do mine sometime according to the instructions/information posted in this thread:
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1016592
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      03-21-2018, 10:01 AM   #15
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By 60K miles or 100K km, which is the interval that ZF recommends, the original service contract has expired. No warranty will cover this sort of preventive maintenance, so the proper place to go to is an independent shop that you know and trust that has already serviced your vehicle(s). If you don't have such a place, ask your friends who own BMW or other similar level vehicles for recommendations. A good such shop will not be much less than BMW, though.
I will give a shout-out here to Elite Auto in Port Jefferson, NY. They are as honest as the day is long (very important!) and have always done well by our BMW vehicles.
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      03-21-2018, 10:26 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cxp213 View Post
So, who's actually done the transmission fluid change?

I was going to do mine sometime according to the instructions/information posted in this thread:
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1016592

Recently coming from an Audi, I remembered that this same bimmperpost thread was referenced in a long ZF8 fluid discussion on Audizine.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...Lifetime-fluid
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      03-21-2018, 10:30 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blbroo View Post
Recently coming from an Audi, I remembered that this same bimmperpost thread was referenced in a long ZF8 fluid discussion on Audizine.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...Lifetime-fluid
Not sure I want to read that giant of a thread over on AZ; care to share cliffs on why it was referenced?
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      03-21-2018, 10:42 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cxp213 View Post
Not sure I want to read that giant of a thread over on AZ; care to share cliffs on why it was referenced?
Audi was adamant that the ZF8 was sealed and fluid was a lifetime item to never be changed. They had no procedure for their shops to do a service on the trans and claimed it should not be done.

He contacted ZF and they suggested that Audi's claim is ridiculous and the fluid and filter should be changed every 60K miles.
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      03-21-2018, 11:14 AM   #19
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For my 2006 325 I purchased the supplies here: http://www.thectsc.com. I took the parts and fluid to my mechanic and he changed the fluid and pan. All in all, I think the total was $500-$550. If I still have this car at 60k and plan to keep it, I'll repeat the process.
I'll add that some shops will not install parts the customer obtains. So check around first before you order.
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      03-21-2018, 01:12 PM   #20
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If there's a drain plug on the pan, is there any good reason not to drain it and refill with the correct fluid every 40K miles or so?
I know that's not ideal (old filter & not all the fluid). But it seems like that would be pretty easy/cheap and has got to be better than leaving it all in for the "life" of the car.
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      03-21-2018, 01:57 PM   #21
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Is there a lot of transmission failure reported with "lifetime" fluid?
I don't think majority of ppl who own BMW care beyond what they are told by dealer or manual.
If the transmission holds up fine without fluid change, it may be ok following what manual says.

For sure, it will be better to change oil regardless but if it is really not necessary, I don't want to mess with it.

Speaking of ZF's requirement, even if it is basically same transmission, requirements can be vary for each applications.

All different companies that uses same transmission would have different maintenance process and requirements, depends on their usage profile and expected life/performance.

Highly likely ZF and BMW have something slightly different from ZF's 'generic' transmission maintenance requirement. They may use different oil.

It would be huge risk for BMW if transmissions fail frequently, even after the warranty period, because it will hurt their image/reputation.

It will never hurt changing oil frequently, but this one seems like not simple drain and fill. If it's done by someone who does no know very well, it may hurt transmission.
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      03-21-2018, 03:16 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TajoMan View Post
Is there a lot of transmission failure reported with "lifetime" fluid?
I don't think majority of ppl who own BMW care beyond what they are told by dealer or manual.
If the transmission holds up fine without fluid change, it may be ok following what manual says.
Lol, BMWs have other ailing symptoms that present itself before transmission issues would arise from not changing the fluid (ex. vanos, water pump, ofhg, etc).

Jokes aside, while many probably don't go beyond what the dealer/manuals says, most of them are also not modding their cars or driving it as hard. Also keep in mind that not everybody gets on the forum, especially nowadays, to post their experiences with social media being so easily accessible (and faster for pretty much everything).

Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterWT View Post
If there's a drain plug on the pan, is there any good reason not to drain it and refill with the correct fluid every 40K miles or so?
I know that's not ideal (old filter & not all the fluid). But it seems like that would be pretty easy/cheap and has got to be better than leaving it all in for the "life" of the car.
Yeah, that's certainly better than not doing anything at all but why half-ass a job when it's no more difficult to do it right? The only thing extra you're doing to do it right is replacing the belly pan.
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