Re: 1994 540i Auto Transmission Service and Fluid

[Vincent Poy <vince@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 19 Aug 2002 alex.fadeev@domain.elided wrote:

>
> Henri Baccouche <henrib@domain.elided> wrote:
> > > First : Only use the special OEM ATF.......if you must.
> >
> > The OEM oil is unique.......for this trans.
>
> Henri,
> Could you please elaborate.

	This is where I am confused as well.

> OEM oil is obviously unique in the sense that it is some other
> manufacturer's oil re-branded by BMW.

	OEM is just a way for BMW to remarket someone else's oil with
their name on it and then markup the price.  Just like Radio Shack sells
lots of stuff that are made by others but cost more than if you bought the
actual item with the original companies name on it.

> BMW is not in the oil business, just like it is not in the transmission
> business (manual or automatic). Your and Vincent friend's transmissions are
> built by either ZF or GM.

	Isn't ZF and GM the same since I remember on this list a few years
ago, someone said the ZF transmission is just a better transmission made
by GM sold to BMW?

> I would advise to start by checking which transmission is installed in your
> car and contacting the manufacturer for the advise on which ATF to use.
> BMW dealer service departments are notoriously clueless and sales oriented.
> Unless you personally spoke to a wrench with 10+ years of experience and
> NOT a service "advisor", I would not put any faith in the advise your
> received.

	Yep, a company will always recommend their own products over
anything else.  Just like you buy a Timex watch, they say to replace it
with a Timex battery but any battery from Renata, Energizer, Duracell,
Maxell, Varta, Panasonic will all work as good if not better than the
original battery.

> > It is not Redline's version of Dextron 3 synthetic .......
>
> Most likely not.
> BMW has never re-branded any RedLine products. But they had been known to
> resell Shell and now Castrol (the current Williams BMW sponsor) products.

	Interesting.  I thought BMW rebranded some of the LubriMolly or
whatever that brand name is.

> I've seen reputable local independents use both RedLine D4 ATF and Mobil 1
> ATF oils in manual and automatic transmissions. One reason is cost - either
> one is about $10/quart. The other is access. BMW makes it very difficult to
> obtain their juice outside of the dealer network.

	I guess the first reason is more important since who wants to pay
10x as much per quart.  How many quarts does a transmission take anyways?

> I doubt the independents would be using either product if it were to cause
> accelerated transmission failure.

	Yep, the funny thing is this was a Independent BMW servicer I
called and they said to use only BMW OEM fluids.  Also, speaking about the
transmission, my friend said when he puts the transmission in reverse, it
has a delay of 2 seconds before the car would actually reverse with the
foot on the gas pedal, anyone knows what the remedy for this is?

> > >         Is there any thing special about it since it seems to cost
> > > a fortune and all the BMW Performance catalogs including Bavarian
> > > Autosport seems to sell the Redline stuff, is there anything wrong
> > > with it.  Also, my friend asked if Slick50 ATF is a bad idea.
> >
> > OEM fluid only...!!!!
>
> Why?
> Can you tell me the difference between Redline, Mobil-1 or re-branded OEM
> oil?
>
> I'm yet to meet anyone who has anything good to say about Slick50 or
> similar magic oils, so do stay away from those.

	Me too, I remember even on this list, people had bad things to say
about Slick50 except I forgot if it was Engine fluid or if it's the ATF
their talking about.

> > > Second : I have been monitoring this issue, since the "lifetime  fluid"
> > > craze began , and I think it's not worth it. The manufacturer doesn't
> > > recommend this service as a regular thing.
>
> Yep,
> BMW NA stopped recommending transmission service in '98, exactly the year
> they started including 'free' 3 year/36K mile service with new cars.
> Prior to '98, transmission fluid flush was a part of Inspection II.
> Draw your own conclusions.

	Interesting... So models prior to '98 actually required
transmission service?


Cheers,
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