Just a thought... When's my transmission going to die?

[Dan in NZ]

I had the fluid flushed at 180,000km (bought it at 165k), and the mechanic said it was well due for a change. I'm up to 196,000km on the original trans now, and obviously auto trans's don't last forever. I follow the service indicator and plan on getting the trans flushed every oil service, ie about every 20,000km.

[winfred]

usually when it's the most inconveinant time it can happen

[George M]

Winfred...surprised you weren't totally up front with Dan. Your trans will fail at
207, 345 km late in the afternoon after you pull your last hole shot.
Start preparing now.
George

[ryan roopnarine]

why don't you change it every 1/2 service interval and sleep a little better? mine gets changed every 6k or 3k on conventional oil, that service indicator is a little long for my liking (its usually 10k or so before i have to reset it).

[Dan in NZ]

Winfred...surprised you weren't totally up front with Dan. Your trans will fail at
207, 345 km late in the afternoon after you pull your last hole shot.
Start preparing now.
George

Oh ha ha... I guess it's true, ask a stupid question, and a stupid person will give a stupid answer. I was looking for some kind of indication, like "300k with no problems", or "never seen one last over 200k". I suppose I should have worded it a little different...

Ryan, I find that with fully synthetic Mobil 1, my oil is still clear at the end of the service indicator, so don't see the point in changing it any earlier. Changing it at half intervals would also mean four changes a year instead of two, and while I'm putting myself through university I'm trying to save as much as I can. The transmission fluid should be completely changed every 30-40k, but I get it done every 20k with one of those machines that hook up to the cooler lines to change almost every drop at once. I'm talking kilometers of course, and I guess you're thinking miles (6200 miles = 10,000 km).

[Dick Schneiders]

200,000 miles. My 1991 525i, with the GM auto tranny, has 160,000 miles and is still working great with no repairs other than fluid/filters.

[ryan roopnarine]

Oh ha ha... I guess it's true, ask a stupid question, and a stupid person will give a stupid answer. I was looking for some kind of indication, like "300k with no problems", or "never seen one last over 200k". I suppose I should have worded it a little different...

Ryan, I find that with fully synthetic Mobil 1, my oil is still clear at the end of the service indicator, so don't see the point in changing it any earlier. Changing it at half intervals would also mean four changes a year instead of two, and while I'm putting myself through university I'm trying to save as much as I can. The transmission fluid should be completely changed every 30-40k, but I get it done every 20k with one of those machines that hook up to the cooler lines to change almost every drop at once. I'm talking kilometers of course, and I guess you're thinking miles (6200 miles = 10,000 km).

i'm driving my car for work right now, so i try to change tranny fluid at least once every 2 months (6k miles, 10k km). i only do a drainplug change. the reason i do this instead of the complete flush is that i've found that using it for work is REAAALLLL hard on it. yes, the fluid is still exceptionally pink, and passes the paper towel test, but i can tell from the smell that the chemistry has changed. by doing it partially every 2 months, i renew the additive pack somewhat, instead of letting it break down significantly more before replacing it all, this way, yeah, it is being "completely" changed, but its at my convenience, and it costs a lot less than taking it somewhere to be hooked up to the machine. i only use the syn. atf in the PS fluid, i don't bother anymore with using it in the tranny because its being replaced so often. its also a lot cheaper to do it with regular stuff, IE, i can buy 4 bottles of regular ATF for the price of 1 bottle of mobil1. i can just buy a case at 12.00 and have enough for 4 changes.

[Dick Schneiders]

i'm driving my car for work right now, so i try to change tranny fluid at least once every 2 months (6k miles, 10k km). i only do a drainplug change. the reason i do this instead of the complete flush is that i've found that using it for work is REAAALLLL hard on it. yes, the fluid is still exceptionally pink, and passes the paper towel test, but i can tell from the smell that the chemistry has changed. by doing it partially every 2 months, i renew the additive pack somewhat, instead of letting it break down significantly more before replacing it all, this way, yeah, it is being "completely" changed, but its at my convenience, and it costs a lot less than taking it somewhere to be hooked up to the machine. i only use the syn. atf in the PS fluid, i don't bother anymore with using it in the tranny because its being replaced so often. its also a lot cheaper to do it with regular stuff, IE, i can buy 4 bottles of regular ATF for the price of 1 bottle of mobil1. i can just buy a case at 12.00 and have enough for 4 changes.

[Brian C.]

Or was it pick-ups for the Alachua County Sperm Bank? :p

Come-on....fess-up! What is your chosen lot in life?....at least for now! ;)

Brian C.

[ryan roopnarine]

...if the relative danger of the job increases any more, it won't be for much longer (lets just say that i've already made back 1/2 the value of the gun by having it on me and making it semi-understandable that i did) and i'll fess up. (its probably the only "working" gun in gainesville that gets castrol 0w30 syn and mobil 1 grease for lubrication :^) i'll spare you the mother jokes that i use liberally to the people arouned me, as i'm not a completely insensitive bastard.

[ryan roopnarine]

yearly, regardless of mileage. i don't think i really even need to do it that often, it just gives me a chance to take a looksee at the magnet. my mother's ford, however, seems to get one whenever we have to extend an extended warranty (her choice, not mine0.

[Paul in NZ]

Your trans will fail at .......after you pull your last hole shot

Can 525 autos "Do" hole shots Dan?????

[Dan in NZ]

Can 525 autos "Do" hole shots Dan?????

Oh ha ha ha...

If the road is wet, and I hold the brake a little with my left foot before flooring the gas, I can get a little spin thank you very much. :p

Did you manage to contact your parts man??? I still need my 1991-1994 Alpine or Pioneer stereo from an E34 or E32... I've got the cd changer cable and radio harness coming from SD European, if they ever get back to me, and I've ordered the bmw-pio/m interface cable from the states. Hopefully it will all go together without a hitch.

[lesage]

yearly, regardless of mileage. i don't think i really even need to do it that often, it just gives me a chance to take a looksee at the magnet. my mother's ford, however, seems to get one whenever we have to extend an extended warranty (her choice, not mine0.

Why is it that BMW says lifetime and others on the board say every 10 minutes?
Who gives who a lesson?

[Dick Schneiders]

Only the 540i's, in the E34 models, as I recall have what BMW calls the "lifetime" fluid. Even that is a misnomer, as it needs to be changed on a regular basis, just not as often. I have seen time frames of 50,000 to 75,000 recommended for the "lifetime" stuff. Any other of the E34's do not use this long-term fluid and need fluid changes frequently no matter what the BMW dealers say. The time frame for this stuff varies because of the anality (is that a word) of the owners, but 20,000 miles seems like an average interval.

Frequently owners of 525i's, etc., that have no dipstick/fill tube are told that they have a "sealed" tranny and therefore do not need any tranny service. That is total crap and is bogus as a 3 dollar bill. Since the non-lifetime fluid is so inexpensive (usually Dexron III) it makes no sense at all to avoid changing the fluid, at least, frequently. The filter is another matter, as you have to drop the pan to change it and that is not as easy to do. However, draining and refilling the tranny with fresh fluid is easy and should be a regular part of your car maintainance.


Why is it that BMW says lifetime and others on the board say every 10 minutes?
Who gives who a lesson?

[lesage]

Thans for observations, Dick

lesage
92 525iXaT 126k
86 316 129k
both overdue for a tranny fluid change ???
Z3 2.8 19k
Not yet overdue..