Tech Session Idea - Gauging Interest

[Rob88ix]

Gruppe,

Would anyone be interested in meeting a local BG rep and watching while a shop does a BG trans flush on one of BMWs infamous "Lifetime Fill" trannies?

I plan to have this work done at CCC in Manassas and Timmy suggested we make an event out of it if folks want to watch. I've met the BG guy, he's very good and I think would give us an informative presentation.

Wife's car is a 2001 325Xi Touring. This car has the "Lifetime Fill" automatic that Mike Miller is always ranting about in his Tech Talk column. I think all the automatics are lifetime now.

If folks are interested I'll try to set this up for a Saturday in the next few weeks...just reply to say if you'd like to do this.

Rob

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

I'm tryign to remember where I saw the article, but there have been reports that BMW has foudn that failure rates go UP with fluid flushes in the auto trannies.

[AlfaEric]

I'm tryign to remember where I saw the article, but there have been reports that BMW has foudn that failure rates go UP with fluid flushes in the auto trannies.

I assume this one that was quoted from Roadfly in this thread:
http://www.nccbmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1142

---Eric

[Dirichlet]

Funny - I never had mine flushed, and it failed @ 85k... But, we are talking about me here - and with me comes my luck...

[bsun]

Hi Nick325xiT 5spd,
The information about transmission or differential probblems on 100K and above cars are from Bimmer Magazine (August 2005 page 92: E39 Maladies: From magor to minor). It is not from BMW

[Rob88ix]

Thanks for that link. I'm taking that info into account, I read the Bentley procedure concerning the trans temp and such, but I will make extra sure about the fluid before I do this.

I tend to lean toward the Mike Miller (Roundel Tech Talk) theory that BMW instituted Lifetime Fill around the same that they were pressured by their competitors to begin paying for routine maintenance during the first 5yrs. Quite a coincidence that as soon as THEY are paying for it BMW comes up with a magic fluid that doesn't deteriorate.

I don't buy it.

Also, like that last post said, "Lifetime" is a relative term. The car has 96k on it now, so maybe 100k is "Lifetime" according to the engineers? I understand that Germans do not have the same affinity for old cars that we do here (see Jeremy Walton's article in Roundel this month), so maybe 100k is all they really think anyone should be using a car...

I'll be the guinea pig, but if this flush ruins my trans I'm going to look like a real ass!

Rob

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

I've seen so much nonsense in that column that I pretty much ignore it. Which is not to say that I trust BMW (because I don't), but that guy is stuck in the E30 days.

[SMOODY]

Rob,

Did you set this event up? Or did you decide to just have it done and bag the tech session idea?

Steve

[Pinecone]

I tend to lean toward the Mike Miller (Roundel Tech Talk) theory that BMW instituted Lifetime Fill around the same that they were pressured by their competitors to begin paying for routine maintenance during the first 5yrs. Quite a coincidence that as soon as THEY are paying for it BMW comes up with a magic fluid that doesn't deteriorate.

I don't buy it.

Only problem with that idea is that how many auto tranny fluid fills would they be doing for free if it was a 50K mile or Inspection 2 requirement? remember early free maintenance was 3 years, 36K miles only. More likely was that happened about the time they switched to full synthetic fluids, which do last a lot longer.

Same thing with longer oil change intervals, but considering most manufacturers are now recommending 7,500 mile intervals with non-synthetic fluids (and no free maintenance), and synthetics are conservatively rated at 2 -3 times the life, the current intervals are well within reason

Not that I buy any fluid as truely being lifetime.