[harkes]

Hi

My dealer told me that its time for a gearbox oil change - my car is now at 46000km. Isn't that a bit early? I am driving my car hard but anyway... They are charging me 740usd for the change.

[mosmmc]

i thought it was life time oil! but i was quoted about 550usd when i asked at 45k

[harkes]

Originally Posted by mosmmc

i thought it was life time oil! but i was quoted about 550usd when i asked at 45k

Yes I was also surprised. Crazy its so much more expensive here in China with car service.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by mosmmc

i thought it was life time oil! but i was quoted about 550usd when i asked at 45k

It hasn't been "lifetime" for 5 years: on the older autos it was changed to 100K service.

$500-$800 is the range. There's also the question of whether you want a "flush" to get the old oil out of the torque converter. And sometimes the mechatronic seal is replaced; definitely replace the filter.

[harkes]

...

[Golden Arrow]

Originally Posted by harkes

...

The "lifetime" claim is describing the normal lifecycle of the vehicle, which is 75,000-100,000 miles. After this mileage is achieved, you need to change the fluid.

[KGB_123_99]

You will definitely need to change it at some point but not at your current mileage. 100,000km or 60,000mi is a conservative value. Changing your oil before that is throwing money away.

[harkes]

A jerky gear change should be the tell tell for an oil change. I have been raving about this for some time - so maybe it was worth giving it a try.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by harkes

Hi

My dealer told me that its time for a gearbox oil change - my car is now at 46000km. Isn't that a bit early? I am driving my car hard but anyway... They are charging me 740usd for the change.

Officially ZF states "lifetime" and recommends 80k-120k KM or 8yrs when the vehicle is "frequent highway driving in top speed range, offensive, sporty driving style, frequent trailer operation".

[bahasad]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

Officially ZF states "lifetime" and recommends 80k-120k KM or 8yrs when the vehicle is "frequent highway driving in top speed range, offensive, sporty driving style, frequent trailer operation".

With my limited knowledge of China, I expect a lot of stop/go, city, and low-speed driving with multiple gear changes.

Thus, 46K kms may not be all that unusual.

Either way, ZF boxes have traditionally been problematic over the long run. If I was going to keep my car for a while, I would budget for trans fluid changes probably every 50k-75k miles depending on drive cycle.

[harkes]

Just got answer from my SA in Denmark. They recommend oil change at 150-180000km. So I think Ill wait a bit longer

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by bahasad

With my limited knowledge of China, I expect a lot of stop/go, city, and low-speed driving with multiple gear changes.

Thus, 46K kms may not be all that unusual.

Either way, ZF boxes have traditionally been problematic over the long run. If I was going to keep my car for a while, I would budget for trans fluid changes probably every 50k-75k miles depending on drive cycle.

Actually the 6HP and newer have been rock solid. That said I did change the fluid on my 335d at 50k miles.

[snipnoob86]

its a touchy subject. any mehanic worth his salt will advise a oil change before 60k miles. and any mechanic worth his salt would not advise an oil change passed 100/150k *regarding one had not been done before 60k*

this is because the fluid over high mileage becomes sludgy and is actually filling in micro gaps in the transmission and seals. so changing it after this has started can cause catastrophic issues.

similar to hiw an engine flush can benefit regularaly serviced vehicles but can destroy poorly serviced ones

general rule keep ontop of it 50/60k or dont bother atall