[STR8-6IX]

hey everyone, looking to start a little thread and get an idea of how long I can expect the 8 speed to last. I am at 115k KM, just recently changed my fluid but the transmission is operating well and shifting nice and sturdy. perhaps a little slower and not as smooth as before when shifting in the meaty part of the power band, but still great.

so..
-how long can I expect it to last?
-when should I have my solenoids changed?
-when does the next fluid service have to be done? ever? 60k I know that the torque converter fluid must be dirty and was mixed with the new fluid
-have you guys had any transmission related problems so far?
-what mileage do you guys generally have, and hows the trasnmission operating? (if your car jumps into drive or shifts poorly and you got more then 60k on it, I'll tell you right now to change your fluid so you dont waste your time)

[Wires]

That tranny is in A LOT of vehicles (BMW cars all the way to Dodge pickups). It's based on a similar design as the 6AT that was in the previous gen BMW as well.

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by Wires

That tranny is in A LOT of vehicles (BMW cars all the way to Dodge pickups). It's based on a similar design as the 6AT that was in the previous gen BMW as well.

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

definitely, its a great transmission as long as the programming stays away from Dodge. Acuras new 9 speed, and the 8 speed in basically every new BMW like you said is brilliantly tuned and has no problems. My friend has an AWD Acura tlx with the 9 speed and its very well tuned but nothing beats the low RPM driveability of a torquey inline engine.. simply put, his v6 shift mapping below 3000RPM is nowhere near as seamless. but then there the dodge 9 speeds.. so many transmission failures and problems with shift quality its awful. everyone calls the dodge ZF shit because they fail to realize that ZF only makes the unit and leaves the tuning to the manufacturer to figure out.

read somewhere online that the BMW unit had 0 failures, Acura's has 11 and Dodge... 111. (I know that acuras and dodges version has an extra gear and is designed for transverse layouts, but its basically the same transmission) its amazing how different a transmission could be purely based on how it was tuned. for example, pretty much all of the e90 328i guys have a GM auto box. it was manufactured in france (therefore probably wasnt designed by thr american team) and tuned by BMW (obviously) so it seems like a good unit with a solid reputation for reliability. its interesting..

[Wires]

It could be based on torque input as well. They do come in different sub-models that handle different levels of input torque (so not the exact same model into each vehicle model).

I'd assume from a failure point of view, keeping 4 big tires of a truck planted, and dumping a lot of torque into the transmission input would result in more premature failures.

More gears tends to add issues as well. There is only so much space in the transmission housing, so more gears = less material for other components.

In my previous GM truck, it had a 4 speed with clutch plates that compressed against floating discs. When they released their 6 speed (same size of housing), there was no room for the floating discs, so the clutches now just compress against each other, which required a newer more advanced ATF fluid to handle the new interaction.

[GoranBonn]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

definitely, its a great transmission as long as the programming stays away from Dodge. Acuras new 9 speed, and the 8 speed in basically every new BMW like you said is brilliantly tuned and has no problems. My friend has an AWD Acura tlx with the 9 speed and its very well tuned but nothing beats the low RPM driveability of a torquey inline engine.. simply put, his v6 shift mapping below 3000RPM is nowhere near as seamless. but then there the dodge 9 speeds.. so many transmission failures and problems with shift quality its awful. everyone calls the dodge ZF shit because they fail to realize that ZF only makes the unit and leaves the tuning to the manufacturer to figure out.

read somewhere online that the BMW unit had 0 failures, Acura's has 11 and Dodge... 111. (I know that acuras and dodges version has an extra gear and is designed for transverse layouts, but its basically the same transmission) its amazing how different a transmission could be purely based on how it was tuned. for example, pretty much all of the e90 328i guys have a GM auto box. it was manufactured in france (therefore probably wasnt designed by thr american team) and tuned by BMW (obviously) so it seems like a good unit with a solid reputation for reliability. its interesting..

It's quite far from being a basically same transmission. I have no clue about transmissions really, but found the following articles fascinating to read and bordering on reading about magic - but it's clear that they are fundamentally different and the 8-speed seems to have a much better design in terms of simpler shift mechanics.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...eed-automatic/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...-on-the-leash/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...he-zf-9-speed/

[ajob]

Originally Posted by GoranBonn

It's quite far from being a basically same transmission. I have no clue about transmissions really, but found the following articles fascinating to read and bordering on reading about magic - but it's clear that they are fundamentally different and the 8-speed seems to have a much better design in terms of simpler shift mechanics.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...eed-automatic/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...-on-the-leash/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...he-zf-9-speed/

Amazing links, a BIG thank you for posting them - finally I begin to understand a little about the mechanical beauty we are driving with - and feel grateful that BMW chose 8 rather than 9 speed for my car!

[dkmesa]

Originally Posted by Wires

That tranny is in A LOT of vehicles (BMW cars all the way to Dodge pickups). It's based on a similar design as the 6AT that was in the previous gen BMW as well.

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I have one of each application. 2014 ram 5.7 and 2016 340i. very solid in both. 41k miles on my truck and smooth as butter.

[Wires]

That's some nice feedback on how it runs in the truck. My GMC got one of the first GM made 6 speed autos, and it's pretty decent, but shift programming is all over the map. It's like the software guys didn't know what to do with the extra 2 gears (or needed to bang out the code before the Christmas party).

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by Wires

That's some nice feedback on how it runs in the truck. My GMC got one of the first GM made 6 speed autos, and it's pretty decent, but shift programming is all over the map. It's like the software guys didn't know what to do with the extra 2 gears (or needed to bang out the code before the Christmas party).

you cant trust GM with programming. the quality of the box itself is apparently good though.

[insanecoder]

I expect my 8HP to last 200,000+ miles
I've already changed the transmission oil and will do it every 30,000 mi from here on.

[Wires]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

you cant trust GM with programming. the quality of the box itself is apparently good though.

Can't argue with that. I don't think the cruise guys talked to the tranny team once during development.

[EvenKeel]

Originally Posted by insanecoder

I expect my 8HP to last 200,000+ miles
I've already changed the transmission oil and will do it every 30,000 mi from here on.

Am at 60K miles. Am terrified of replacing the fluid for fear that it starts to cause issues. This is an $8K replacement unit

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by EvenKeel

Am at 60K miles. Am terrified of replacing the fluid for fear that it starts to cause issues. This is an $8K replacement unit

at 60k, you are causing more damage by not changing it...

its only risky to change at 150k.

highly suggest you do it.

[PK2348]

At 21K my 335 xdrive with sport auto had the whole transmission replaced.
I posted details here
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...263&highlight=

[Wires]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

at 60k, you are causing more damage by not changing it...

its only risky to change at 150k.

highly suggest you do it.

+1. I believe 60k miles is the recommended service interval for it.

[insanecoder]

60k is recommended by ZF
imo no change after 60k yer risking exactly what you are fearing.. down the line the sludge dislodged from any subsequent tranny oil change may cause issues

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by insanecoder

60k is recommended by ZF
imo no change after 60k yer risking exactly what you are fearing.. down the line the sludge dislodged from any subsequent tranny oil change may cause issues

its not going to sludge until 150k.

100k should be last call to change. past this point, the risk becomes legit.

this is why 60k services are important for the ZF.

[insanecoder]

150k is a bit high figure for even an ordinary car let alone a BMW driven hard
either way we concur 60k tranny oil change is recommended if you wish to keep the car longterm

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by insanecoder

150k is a bit high figure for even an ordinary car let alone a BMW driven hard
either way we concur 60k tranny oil change is recommended if you wish to keep the car longterm

agreed. even 100k is very overdue, even if you dont drive aggressively.

[simsimma777]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

hey everyone, looking to start a little thread and get an idea of how long I can expect the 8 speed to last. I am at 115k KM, just recently changed my fluid but the transmission is operating well and shifting nice and sturdy. perhaps a little slower and not as smooth as before when shifting in the meaty part of the power band, but still great.

so..
-how long can I expect it to last?
-when should I have my solenoids changed?
-when does the next fluid service have to be done? ever? 60k I know that the torque converter fluid must be dirty and was mixed with the new fluid
-have you guys had any transmission related problems so far?
-what mileage do you guys generally have, and hows the trasnmission operating? (if your car jumps into drive or shifts poorly and you got more then 60k on it, I'll tell you right now to change your fluid so you dont waste your time)

I just got back from the dealer few minutes ago regarding my ZF8 whining in certain gears (1st, 2nd, and 5th from what I can hear).

Had the tranny first replaced at about 6500 miles for this issue. The replacement was quite for the first 200 miles or so, and then started doing the same whine which got progressively louder. I'm now at 10,000 miles.

When I took it back to the dealer, they refused to repair the 2nd tranny under warranty and are blaming the use of Launch Control for causing excessive wear.

Escalated to BMW NA who advised to take it to another dealer for a second opinion. Just got the car back today, and they are also blaming Launch Control (I think its the same field rep so I essential got the same opinion twice), and refused warranty. Per my SA, he said the car was launched 4 times since the replacement.

I think that is ridiculous that I got the same exact issue twice, but got different explanations for the cause. Even if LC was the cause, how can 4 launches essentially void a warranty.

I am perplexed on what to do next. The whine in the replacement tranny started before I even launched it, so I am 100% sure that LC is unrelated and is just some cop out excuse/assumption. I've had the car for less than 9 months.

Anyways that's my experience with this tranny. It doesn't seem to be a very common issue, but per my research, happens to a certain percentage and has been reported on various forums involving 135, 128, 340, 235, 428 to name a few. Also same issue reported on Jaguar and Jeep forums as they use the same transmission.

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by ballinisahabit

I just got back from the dealer few minutes ago regarding my ZF8 whining in certain gears (1st, 2nd, and 5th from what I can hear).

Had the tranny first replaced at about 6500 miles for this issue. The replacement was quite for the first 200 miles or so, and then started doing the same whine which got progressively louder. I'm now at 10,000 miles.

When I took it back to the dealer, they refused to repair the 2nd tranny under warranty and are blaming the use of Launch Control for causing excessive wear.

Escalated to BMW NA who advised to take it to another dealer for a second opinion. Just got the car back today, and they are also blaming Launch Control (I think its the same field rep so I essential got the same opinion twice), and refused warranty. Per my SA, he said the car was launched 4 times since the replacement.

I think that is ridiculous that I got the same exact issue twice, but got different explanations for the cause. Even if LC was the cause, how can 4 launches essentially void a warranty.

I am perplexed on what to do next. The whine in the replacement tranny started before I even launched it, so I am 100% sure that LC is unrelated and is just some cop out excuse/assumption. I've had the car for less than 9 months.

Anyways that's my experience with this tranny. It doesn't seem to be a very common issue, but per my research, happens to a certain percentage and has been reported on various forums involving 135, 128, 340, 235, 428 to name a few. Also same issue reported on Jaguar and Jeep forums as they use the same transmission.

I cant blame the dealer for choosing not to fix your transmission the second time around. you launch a new, not fully broken in transmission, break it. they give you a new one, and you do the same damn thing to the brand new unit again? and then you're angry at them for choosing not to fix your mistake? wow.

I hope you know not to launch a brand new transmission before its broken in now.

[VCuomo]

Originally Posted by ballinisahabit

... When I took it back to the dealer, they refused to repair the 2nd tranny under warranty and are blaming the use of Launch Control for causing excessive wear.

Escalated to BMW NA who advised to take it to another dealer for a second opinion. Just got the car back today, and they are also blaming Launch Control (I think its the same field rep so I essential got the same opinion twice), and refused warranty. Per my SA, he said the car was launched 4 times since the replacement. ...

Have you asked them to point out where the "rules" for Launch Control are explained/published? 4 instances of Launch Control in 10,000 miles doesn't sound excessive to me.