[nightbreaker]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

Same here.

Please check my message, also do some research and change the transmission and differential oil regularly to keep them in good condition very long time.


The main purpose is to change the tranny oil sooner than later, as the transmission still needs some old oil in addition to the new oil, there is no need to flush. However the old oil should not be too old so it will easily mix with the new oil and will not cause any problem such as slippery clutch etc.

Choosing genuine ZF branded (aftermarket) oil is critical and much better than choosing genuine BMW transmission oil. As we all know Castrol and Shell produces oil for BMW, on the other hand it makes more sense to use ZF branded oil and filter with the correct BMW part number inside the ZF transmission.

Also applying the ZF procedures from A to Z, doing oil adjustment at the nominated temperatures without forgetting to turn off DSC, using seatbelt, keep the door shut and changing gears after the wheels stop turning on the hoist is critical as well as resetting adaptation values at the end. I also measured the oil which I took out from the transmission which was 4-4.5 liters and added 4.6 liters which was exactly same amount considering some excess oil inside the filter.

As a result I made 7000 km after the tranny oil change (7 months passed) and everythings is still perfect.

Perfect fast shifts, no hesitation, no error codes, and I am sure that the color of the oil inside is still green and protecting all metal and rubber parts inside. Plus the filter is new so it does not have any risk of getting blocked any soon.

I will change the differential fluid (Febi 48785). which is the right oil with characteristics (G1/Hypoid/75w85/GL5) for my F30's rear diff.

[IraHayes]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

That's the discrepancy I mentioned earlier in the thread. Originally I was looking at a Bentley service manual for my car that said 100k mi service. When I called the dealership to schedule the service, you would have thought I was asking them to stitch up a dress. Their head tech said he hasn't done AT fluid maintenance since the 90s.

My BMW owners manual (2014 335i) says lifetime.

I feel you. I actually contacted ZF about a year ago regarding this issue as I too have the Bentley manual and was getting conflicting info regarding fluid change interval from various online sources. They were kind enough to provide me with this document outlining not only how to perform the procedure, but also when they recommend to do so. Converting km to miles, the document states a recommended fluid change interval of between 50k & 75K miles, or 8 years at the latest.

[123Britt]

1. First and Foremost - Fluid of Choice -- I chose the Lifeguard 8 for the F22

2. How are you going to measure your fluid temps -- I chose the Foxwell 510
and it worked great to understand how much fluid to add.

3. What transfer Pump to add fluid -- I chose the ECS Branded pump which had the essential adapters for adding fluid to my ZF but also to my wife's MB W211.

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[Skiddz]

Originally Posted by 123Britt

1. First and Foremost - Fluid of Choice -- I chose the Lifeguard 8 for the F22

2. How are you going to measure your fluid temps -- I chose the Foxwell 510
and it worked great to understand how much fluid to add.

3. What transfer Pump to add fluid -- I chose the ECS Branded pump which had the essential adapters for adding fluid to my ZF but also to my wife's MB W211.

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Thanks - good info. Regarding item #3, is this the pump you used: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben.../007311sch01a/

[123Britt]

Originally Posted by Skiddz

Thanks - good info. Regarding item #3, is this the pump you used: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben.../007311sch01a/

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Pump worked well -- It made it easier on the BMW and on the MB it was absolutely necessary. Plus - I purchased the ZF Pan with like 8L of fluid but I only opened 6L and really only used 5 with approx 1L left in the pump before I washed it out with D Alcohol. The old fluid was not really looking bad but the magnets did have a lot of particle mash on them.

[Mike_BMW]

I think this video helps a lot with this topic?

Seems like good advice to me what do you think?

[123Britt]

Drop the pan, drain out fluid that will come out and replace filter and pan and put back fluid following ZF procedure.
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[KeelTiii]

Talked to the dealer today about getting this done. They said $1100... I guess it is DIY for me at this point. Those guys are ruthless. On the other hand I am thinking if I could pull this off with no DIY experience and no tools at the moment I will be very happy with myself. The only thing that I need to ask you guys is what happens after this procedure. Do I need ISTA or anything like that to finalize this? (reset adaptations and etc...)

[ktw]

I did the ZF GA8HP45 pan and fluid change recently. With only moderate DIY experience it wasn't particularly difficult--just somewhat time consuming. There are lots of instructions on this forum and other sites that list the tools and steps, so I won't go over that.

When I do it again, I might opt for what I saw in one post on this forum: route a long tube from a funnel in the engine bay to the fill port so that it's much faster and easier to add fluid. I used a large CTA fluid transfer syringe which worked fine, but with the car only on jack stands it required a fair amount of back and forth to fill the syringe and then crawl under again to fill the transmission.

Another thing that I haven't seen noted is that I was able to use a normal ratchet and torque wrench on the fill port by using a stubby 8 mm hex socket (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It was tight, but there was just enough room to get the socket + ratchet/torque wrench in there.

[roma3]

I did an ATF change a few thousand miles back.
With only 76k (miles) on the odometer look at those magnets inside the pan vvv
F30 AT filtrate by Roman G, on Flickr
I would definitely recommend changing ATF