ATF change 2012 BMW 335is; dealers say never do

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I am asking for any experience regarding the transmission fluid for this vehicle, 2012 BMW 335is automatic trans. It is at 50,000 miles and 5 years old, and I wish to change the ATF, but the dealer nearly refused to do it, fine. I called two other dealers and the service mgrs were in agreement that it is a lifetime fluid, leave it alone or trouble will occur. The items they have recommended and I have performed are flush coolant, differential fluid, and follow the oil change meter. Of course I do not and change every 5000-7000. So, the question I have; does anyone have a good reason for never changing BMW ATF? I have modified this vehicle and feel it is important to change the ATF. In the other vehicles, I change the ATF every 25000-35000 miles, and have not had a failure for several cars with even 250,000-350,000 miles (maybe LubeGard Red helps a little). I would like to use MaxLife ATF on the BMW, as it meets the spec and add LubeGard Red. But the overpriced OEM Pentosin can be used if it must. Thank you for any experience you can share. BTW, I have been using Euro Castrol 0w-30, but it is becoming difficult to find. Do you think Mobil-1 0w-30 Advanced Fuel Economy is alright in this slightly modded N55 3.0L turbo engine?
 
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So, the question I have; does anyone have a good reason to never change the ATF?


No, no one can give you a good reason not to do it.

Manufacturers feel it will get them through the life of the warranty period. That's the "lifetime." 50 to 60k is a good time to get the factory fill out for maximum protection and performance. It can provide service longer if those are not priorities. That's the only reason, and it's not a "good" one.
 
If it doesn't have a dipstick, then the official procedure to fully remove and replace the fluid and filter and ensure the level is correct can be quite involved.

Maybe they don't have the confidence in their own techs or are afraid of getting it wrong or the allowed time makes the job less profitable.

Or maybe they are sticklers for doing things according to BMW.

But I would change out the ATF, preferably with a pan drop and filter change and using the official BMW fluid.

And I wouldn't use M1 0w30 AFE in a BMW.
 
It's not just BMWs.

I've yet to see any data showing changing the ATF has a benefit but lots of folks on here think it does.

I don't change it. It's lifetime, baby!
 
My feeling is, If it were truly a lifetime ATF, then the manufacture should warranty the the AT for same. I would think the manufacture would put some ridiculous change mileage on like 200,000 miles to placate people like me. Ed
 
And BMW also says my trans fluid and rear diff fluid are "lifetime". Funny thing is, I have the EXACT (as in exact same part number) same transmission as the 1M, and I am making the same power, for my car BMW says lifetime, for the 1M, BMW says replace at 2000 km and every 48k after that. Soooooo.....which is it?

Also, ZF and GM (who actually make the BMW automatics) do not say the fluid is lifetime.

I take all manufacturers recommendations with a grain of salt.

For the engine, why not switch to Castrol 0W40?
 
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Both the dealers for my BMW and Audi have refused to change the ATF fluid when I inquired -- both cars are ZF. They didn't have ATF in stock either. Anecdotal research shows that these things can last 200k+ miles with regular use. Not sure how the longevity is affected for short trip and stop-and-go driving.

As for the engine oil, Castrol 0W-30 meets LL-01. Unfortunately, Mobil1 0W-40 no longer meets the LL-01 certification.
 
Change the ATF fluid with MaxLife. My cousin thought that the transmission in his z4 was going out. It was jerking and slipping and doing other weird things. He changed the fluid, full capacity, and filter. Now runs like new again! And for the oil - do not use M1 0w30, unless you change it frequently. It simply does not meet the BMW specs. But if that does not bother you - then go ahead. I would personally use Pennzoil Euro 0w40 or Castrol 0w40. Both available at WalMart for $23/5qt jug.
 
Change the fluid but skip the do-all Maxlife. It claims to meet the spec but isn't licensed.

When I had a MINI R53 with the Aisin auto (lifetime), I changed several times. I used Redline D4 which is stout, but alas not licensed either.
 
Are you sure that you have an N55? I have a 2012 335i Sedan and it is N55. I had to choose between the 2012 335is E92 Coupe and the F30 sedan. There was no power kit available to make an equivalent "is" for the N55 until well after I bought the car in May 2012.

In either case, the engine definitely needs an LL-01 oil. I am putting in Castrol Edge 0w40 for the next change this month. It is pretty much the only LL-01 oil that I can buy at Walmart that I know of....at least in 5 qt jugs.
 
In the days when I never changed tranny fluid, my daily drivers only lasted 75K-125K miles on the transmissions. And I drove them pretty easy. Funny thing. Once I started doing 25K-30K fluid changes from early on, I jumped up to 175K-230K miles. Now, I haven't had a trans fail since around 2002....and that one went to 212,000 miles.
 
I'd ask the service manager what the procedure is to capture, keep uncontaminated, and then adding back in the fluid after any repair that requires opening the transmission.

I'd assume if changing the fluid would mess it up, then not reusing the old fluid after repairs would carry the same risk.

It's a difficult procedure to change it, I'd assume, and they don't want to mess with it.
 
In all my years as a BMW tech I can tell you that I've done a lot of atf changes throughout the years. In my experience, the people who change the lifetime fluid often (possibly too often), like every 30-50k miles, usually don't have problems as a result of changing the fluid.

Whether or not they are able to get more effective life out of the transmission is debatable. These people are normally really nice to their cars anyhow, so perhaps it would last a long time without service?

If the trans has over 100k miles without service, doing a trans service is a bit of a gamble. Sometimes it will start to act up shortly thereafter.

If your ZF trans has a plastic pan, the trans filter is integrated into the pan, so you replace the pan to get a fresh filter. If the pan is leaky you may want to consider replacement. Often times they warp and will continue to leak even with new profile gasket.

Check the electric connector on the the trans for leaks also, passenger side of the very back above the pan. Replacing the connector sleeve with o rings is an easy repair but requires pan removal, so check it first before getting started in case you want to tackle it during the service.

I only have experience with the factory fluid so I can't comment on any other fluids.

And yes, only LL-01 oils for that car. Not worth the risk of deviating from that spec with the expensive turbo and valvetrain components.
 
^This!
ZF recommends every 60-75K.
I did on my X5 at 64K, using ZF6 fluid and ZF made pan/filter.
I know some people who used Valvoline, Redline etc, but most people use ZF fluid and it is bit expensive, around $26 per liter.
Now, BMW switched to SOPUS for trans. fluid. I would personally skip BMW fluid and got ZF fluid.
 
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Originally Posted By: edyvw
^This!
ZF recommends every 60-75K.
I did on my X5 at 64K, using ZF6 fluid and ZF made pan/filter.
I know some people who used Valvoline, Redline etc, but most people use ZF fluid and it is bit expensive, around $26 per liter.
Now, BMW switched to SOPUS for trans. fluid. I would personally skip BMW fluid and got ZF fluid.


I would use the ZF fluid as well. Many E90 owners on the forums report smoother shifts when changing their "lifetime" trans fluid. BMW says the fluid is lifetime but ZF recommends changing the fluid.

I've been using Castrol Edge 0w40 in my GF's 2006 325xi with the N52 and my neighbor's 2004 330xi with the M54 for a few years now with good results. The lifters in the 2006 with the N52 are quieter with the 0w40.
 
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