Auto Transmission Fluid Change Interval

pdh

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2015 Golf TDI, 2014 BMW 328d, X Drive
I own a 2014 BMW 328d with 40000 miles which I purchased as a CPO in 11/17 @ 37000 miles. It's showing a service requirement in 2000 miles and I would like to get the trans lube changed. I KNOW the dealer will give me grief about changing it...."life time fill" and all.
Do any of you BMW & Mercedes owners have any experience on this?
If so, how much did they steal from you?
I'm hoping to get 200k out of this car and I am concerned that if the trans goes the car will not be worth fixing. I did purchase a 2 year warranty which will not cover a fluid change. Thx
 

Tin Man

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Daughter's: 2004 NB TDI PD GLS DSG (gone to pasture)
40,000 to 60,000 is safe. At least by 80,000 miles change it. There are many references both from owners and from ZF for around 60,000 miles. Obviously it depends on how you drive.

Back in the day when all ATF fluid that came with the car was not synthetic, I had great success with full synthetic ATF that met the manufacturers' specs.

Some cars have a dipstick for the ATF and allow you to suck fluid out. Then replace the same amount or per workshop manual to top it off properly. I did this twice for my departed E320 CDI and my mechanic marvels at how the tranny has lasted 350,000 miles. But that transmission was the best on the market at the time.

But to answer the question, plan to spend at least $400 for the privilege with the ZF gearbox which usually requires a full pan and filter change.

TM
 

oilhammer

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Joined
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Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Yep, you'll get a new plastic pan/filter/gasket/bolt/drain plug kit, part number: 24 11 8 612 901 , costs us less than $150 and it is genuine ZF.

You can get the genuine ZF Lifeguard 8 ATF, but it is nuts expensive... almost $30 per liter, or you can use an aftermarket fluid that meets the specs.

Genuine ZF: S671 090 312 01

Liquimoly TopTec 1800: LM20032 (you can usually find this for less than $10/liter)

The capacity is listed at 8.5 liters, but I would simply collect and measure whatever you take out and put the exact amount back in. However, quite often these transmissions like to leak... there are TSBs about possible leak sources that are rarely the pan itself according to the TSB. So if yours is wet, it may be low, and you may want to figure a little extra ATF when refilling and check the level afterwards.
 

jck66

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Location
Greenwich, CT, USA
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12 Passat SE / 14 BMW 535d
If you want to keep your BMW for a long time, you might consider joining the BMW CCA and writing a nice email to Mr. Mike Miller, a well-regarded expert in BMW circles. He will likely share his "lifetime maintenance schedule" document with you and you can use this as a guide to keeping your car on the road. My wife's BMW is on a pretty strict "Miller diet" for maintenance. So far so good but only at 85k miles.

PS. Transmission fluid / pan / filter done at 60k by my local trusted indy mechanic.
 

oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
ZF has a publication (that I have) that states clearly they prefer a 100k km (about 60k mile) fluid change on their transmissions, regardless.

That is what I have been doing in mine, and knock on wood zero issues at 195k and 225k.
 

dmanb2b

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Location
NY
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2012 Jetta, 2011 335D
ZF has a publication (that I have) that states clearly they prefer a 100k km (about 60k mile) fluid change on their transmissions, regardless.

That is what I have been doing in mine, and knock on wood zero issues at 195k and 225k.
This and the DIY on this is not so bad. There are multiple youtube videos from ZF explaining the procedure. You would be lucky to get a drain and fill from dealer for $350. Dropping and relacing the pan/filter you are definately in $500+ range.

CTSC.com is a good source for OEM filter kits and fluids. Be prepared to replace mechantronic sealing sleeves after 100K. Also look into FCPeuro as the have lifetime warranty on fluids and filters, after initial purchase, future purchase of same product only costs you shipping.
 

andreigbs

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FWIW, I replaced the driveline fluids in my GLK250BT at 60K. The MB dealer recommended transmission fluid (only!) replacement, I just didn't want to pay the $860 fee.

I did have my local Indy do the job for much less, plus transfer case and both diffs, for good measure.

I don't think any fluid is "lifetime." Heck, even blood gets recycled and made fresh.
 

oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
Not sure about your GLK, but the 7sp G-tronic box in my Sprinter has 40k mile service intervals in the manual. 20k for oil change and fuel filter and tire rotations. I think the air filter is 60k.
 

andreigbs

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According to the schedule I found online at MBUSA:

* automatic transmission fluid replace at 70K (but the CLAs get them every 30K?!)

* fuel and air filters replace every 40K or 4 years

* brake flush every 20K or two years

* oil and filter every 10K or annually

* tire rotation every 5K

...among various other things. It would appear that these schedules are probably adjusted up or down according to the type of duty that a vehicle is expected to perform.
 

oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
And if equipped, the ASSYST plus setup will allow for variable PM schedules, based on needs recorded by the car's various ECUs.

Mine just has the fixed interval monitor. Some have a monitor that is fixed, but allows you to pick which oil used, long life or not. 229.31 vs. 229.51.
 

tikal

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Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
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2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Not sure about your GLK, but the 7sp G-tronic box in my Sprinter has 40k mile service intervals in the manual. 20k for oil change and fuel filter and tire rotations. I think the air filter is 60k.
If I may ask, is this 20K mile oil change interval with a specific long life MB rated oil?
 

oilhammer

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Joined
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Location
outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
If I may ask, is this 20K mile oil change interval with a specific long life MB rated oil?

229.51, which is the highest listed for some, same as previous versions that show a 10k mile interval. There is a 229.52 spec too, but it is not always available.

I am not sure how much, if any, that spec changes the service interval. And it must vary by model.

I serviced a 2010 E350 (3.5L gasoline engine) yesterday, and while it did with the scan tool allow me to set oil spec, even with 229.51 entered (the highest I could go, it also gave me options for 228.51 and 229.31) it still defaulted the service display to 365 days/ 10,000 miles. But that was a 2010.

The OM651 in the Sprinter holds an obscene amount of oil: 11.5 liters. The E250 with a different version of the same engine only holds 6.5 liters. Which is probably why the fixed interval for those defaults to only 10k miles.

The problem with MB is, their service intervals are confusing, because some models have a fixed interval, some have flexible. The ASSYST + is *supposed* to be totally flexible, and just displays A or B or whatever service necessary, to indicate a scan tool is to be linked to the car, and the car tells you what needs to be done.

BMW's is more precise, in that it shows percentages of things... but this is based off of algorithms linked to various factors like mileage, temp, type of driving, etc. So it may say "60% brake pad life", when it isn't actually able to measure the amount of remaining friction material on the pads. It just runs a series of calculations based on how much the car has been driven and how much braking force has been used over that time. It also records steering angle input to calculate tire rotations. Pretty neat, but as per usual with the Germans, needlessly complex and often frustrating to both the owner and the technician.
 

tikal

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Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
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2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
229.51, which is the highest listed for some, same as previous versions that show a 10k mile interval. There is a 229.52 spec too, but it is not always available.
I am not sure how much, if any, that spec changes the service interval. And it must vary by model.
I serviced a 2010 E350 (3.5L gasoline engine) yesterday, and while it did with the scan tool allow me to set oil spec, even with 229.51 entered (the highest I could go, it also gave me options for 228.51 and 229.31) it still defaulted the service display to 365 days/ 10,000 miles. But that was a 2010.
The OM651 in the Sprinter holds an obscene amount of oil: 11.5 liters. The E250 with a different version of the same engine only holds 6.5 liters. Which is probably why the fixed interval for those defaults to only 10k miles.
The problem with MB is, their service intervals are confusing, because some models have a fixed interval, some have flexible. The ASSYST + is *supposed* to be totally flexible, and just displays A or B or whatever service necessary, to indicate a scan tool is to be linked to the car, and the car tells you what needs to be done.
BMW's is more precise, in that it shows percentages of things... but this is based off of algorithms linked to various factors like mileage, temp, type of driving, etc. So it may say "60% brake pad life", when it isn't actually able to measure the amount of remaining friction material on the pads. It just runs a series of calculations based on how much the car has been driven and how much braking force has been used over that time. It also records steering angle input to calculate tire rotations. Pretty neat, but as per usual with the Germans, needlessly complex and often frustrating to both the owner and the technician.
Interesting information. So basically the huge amount of oil in the latest diesel Sprinters makes the difference. Thanks.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Huge amount of oil, or the fact that they figure since they are more intended for commercial/vocational use they'd be getting miles piled on faster albeit with no more heat cycles.

So, an E-class driven 20 miles a day to and from work would be two heat cycles... a Sprinter being driven around for delivery service for DHL may pile on 100 miles a day, with that being only one heat cycle.
 
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