Very confused: Oil options for ZF 6HP19 Auto Trans

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So the more I read about oil for the ZF transmission in my BMW 335i (6HP19) the more I get confused.

I drained out the stock stuff awhile ago and put in Mercon SP. I want to change the oil again but am not sure what to go with.

BMW states to use Shell Shell M-1375.4, and ZF says to use Lifeguard 6. Fair enough if they were easy to find a not $20/qt.

Okay so what about some cheaper options.

Pentosin ATF 1: Clearly states it meets the TE-ML 11 requirements. Cheaper at $12-14 a QT. Probably a very safe bet.

Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle ATF: Around $6/qt. States it meets the Shell M1375.4 specs but says nothing about TE-ML 11..... why is that?

Royal Purple Max ATF: Cheaper than Pentosin. All synthetic I think. States it meets TE-ML 11B requirements but then goes on to say not for use where Shell M-1375.4 (BMW ZF 6-Speed AT) is required.

I don't understand how an oil can be approved in ATs requiring Shell M-1375.4 but at the same time not meet TE-ML 11 specs, or vice versa.

Castrol is by far the cheapest and most readily available. My car is still under warranty for another 25k miles which makes the decision a bit more difficult.
 
There are some Shell distributors in So Cal, one of them is Southern Counties Lubricants LLC, 1825 W. Collins Ave, Orange. Contact them to see if they have Shell M-1375.4. I bought a case of MB ATF for less than 50% dealer price.
 
Read the ZF fluid list carefully as it sates LG6 as the ONLY fluid for the 6HP. Now you've obviously read that Mercon SP is an equivalent so @ 5$/bottle why are you changing?

I've spoken to Pentosin in Germany and they told me ATF1 was "ok" on a 40k mile OCI.

Try Bavauto or thectsc.com for LG6. People misted tv TE-ML list all the time. Only the the 3/4 & some 5HP's can use fluid off the 11A/11B list.
 
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Originally Posted By: BMWTurboDzl
Read the ZF fluid list carefully as it sates LG6 as the ONLY fluid for the 6HP. Now you've obviously read that Mercon SP is an equivalent so @ 5$/bottle why are you changing?

I've spoken to Pentosin in Germany and they told me ATF1 was "ok" on a 40k mile OCI.

Try Bavauto or thectsc.com for LG6. People misted tv TE-ML list all the time. Only the the 3/4 & some 5HP's can use fluid off the 11A/11B list.


ZF states one thing while the BMW literature and Bentley Manual says to uses Shell fluid.

It's very difficult to interpret.
 
Personally since I would only change every 50k miles I see no reason not to use LG 6 for piece of mind. It's not like you're changing the fluid every 20-30k miles.

Now I know all about the Mercon SP is LG6 arguement and perhaps it is true so if you feel good about it go ahead and continue using it.

Also if you read the TE-ML list you'll see ZF's maintnance requirements which are ~60k miles for fluid change under severe use.

I plan on doing my fluid change at ~60k miles (ZF6HP26).

The fewer times u open up the trans the better!
 
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