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Old 10-19-2012, 12:37 PM
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Default "Lifetime" transmission fluid

My E90 has a ZF slushbox. Don't judge me. The car has almost 55k on it now and I typically change ATF in my cars at 60k. Doing a search through the usual sites, I've been led to believe that only automotive engineers with PhDs from the fatherland can do this procedure, and that if I try it myself it will ruin my transmission, blow up the car, burn down my house and kill my family. I'm a little skeptical.

Anyone do this? Anything more complicated than drain, fill, bring to temp, top off? Leaving ATF in a car for 100k+ miles is something that just doesn't sit well with me.
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Old 10-19-2012, 12:43 PM
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My Cayenne says no Trans fluid changes ever too. I am very skeptical but 122k later smooth as silk. Keep asking my indy to change it and he keeps saying no. Sometimes it's tough being old school.

Also the Spyder suppose to have oil changed every 15k. F that. Old school or not.
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Old 10-19-2012, 12:44 PM
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if it was truly "lifetime" then why do they have drain plugs?
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Old 10-19-2012, 12:59 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by good hands View Post

Also the Spyder suppose to have oil changed every 15k. F that.

F this and do it for piece of mind and the health of the engine! The original Cayenne manual called for changes every 20k too. Ask me how I know, or just read my sig.
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Old 10-19-2012, 01:01 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jazzbass View Post
Leaving ATF in a car for 100k+ miles is something that just doesn't sit well with me.
Good call. Mercedes did something similar, where they claimed "lifetime fill" for years on their slushbox. They later changed their stance, and recommended a change at 40k miles, and then every 60k thereafter.

The newer MB's no longer have a transmission dipstick, the only way to get the correct fill level is by hooking up the special dealer computer and reading the level that way. I'm sure BMW is similar, since they all get their gearboxes from Getrag or ZF anyhow.

I interpret "lifetime fill" to mean "lifetime of the factory warranty". Because if it blows up after that, it's not their problem any more.
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Old 10-19-2012, 01:09 PM
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Ah, now we know why the new thread.

You have it easy; I can't even change the rear brake pads on my car without some crazy-ass factory tool to handle the parking brake.
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Old 10-19-2012, 01:14 PM
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Ah, now we know why the new thread.
Thread? I added a whole new forum so I could post this crap.

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Originally Posted by mscheidt View Post
You have it easy; I can't even change the rear brake pads on my car without some crazy-ass factory tool to handle the parking brake.
Not surprising. I used to think Porsche engineers with the most sadistic bastards on the face of the earth. Until I bought a BMW.
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Old 10-19-2012, 01:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Jazzbass View Post
I used to think Porsche engineers with the most sadistic bastards on the face of the earth. Until I bought a BMW.
Work on an Audi. Those fuch wad engineers put 4 pads in one caliper and have brackets to hold brackets, let alone 5 different types of fasteners to hold on an underbody tray.

That said, BMWs move away from dipsticks and towards turbos and to smaller and smaller oil capacities makes me like their new stuff less and less.
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Old 10-19-2012, 01:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Lupin..the..3rd View Post
I interpret "lifetime fill" to mean "lifetime of the factory warranty". Because if it blows up after that, it's not their problem any more.
Me too. Most autotrans fluid changes now are just hook up to cooller lines and run new fluid to push old fluid out. The more "technical" things get the more unuser friendly they become.
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Old 10-19-2012, 01:33 PM
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MB had the same lifetime trans fluid craziness for several 2000ish models, including the ML430. Tons of threads on BenzWorld on trans fluid changing and flushing. Even MB tech bulletins recanted the lifetime fiction. There's no trans dipstick so you meed to buy one aftermarket. Dumb.

I say change it once you figure out how to measure the level at 80°
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