Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
If it were my car, I'd change the ATF.
In a car belonging to someone else, I'd leave it alone.
Nailed it.
If, for some reason, I decided to buy a neglected 185K mi 2008 528i, and if I decided for some reason that I would keep the car, the fluid would get changed. Even knowing the total lack of maintenance history on it, I would still do the fluid change. I am a firm believer that a fluid change alone will not cause a transmission to go from "fine" to "broke," and if anything bad were to happen to the trans, it was coming anyway.
But I would bet the owner of the car has no concept of that whatsoever. More than likely, all they know is you want to replace some mysterious fluid in some mysterious part. Should the mysterious part act up after the fluid change, that could be a problem for you, as least as far as any future relationship with this person.
Now if the owner says, "I know I may be too late anyway, but I want to change the fluid out, can you help me out?" Maybe...MAYBE, I would lend a hand.
I would not get yourself on the hook with a car like this by suggesting how things should have been done.
Hate to assume/stereotype, but am I correct in guessing that the owner of the car is not the original owner, and the car was purchased because it was an '08 BMW at a "great price," mileage be [censored]? If so, do not touch the transmission, and don't do the oil pan either.
The owner is not a car guy, but is starting to become one, in the interest of keeping this car longer.
With that said, he purchased this car as a CPO back when it had around 30k on it, so he's owned it for the majority of its life. He wasn't ignorant, he just simply followed the BMW recommendations (at the time).
He's simply asked me to bring things up to date for him, with the intent of keeping the car for another two years or so.
I told him to do the tension struts for now, and to pass on the oil leak. But he wants the oil leak fixed, so...
I haven't brought up the transmission service matter in detail, but I did casually mention that a 185k old transmission on the original fluid is on the borrowed time. At this point, I don't think he's put 2 and 2 together yet...