Manual Gearbox Oil Changed- Well worth it!
- Thread starter Digidick
- Start date
Good to hear good feedback and that it doesn’t take long. I want change mine before summer. Was the old fluid in bad condition?
The Millers TRX is a GL-5 fluid though isn't it which apparently is less than ideal in terms of reacting with soft yellow metals such as brass, bronze and also aluminium to a point. I suspect that in practice you won't have any problems but BMW specify a GL-4 fluid for the transmission. This article explains it a little better... https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/difference-between-gl-4-gl-5-gear-oils-manual-transmission-daniel-shi/
EDIT: Ah, actually I see that's it's rated as GL-5 AND GL-4. Should be fine.
EDIT: Ah, actually I see that's it's rated as GL-5 AND GL-4. Should be fine.
Mikeyay said:
BMW have this thing about changing oil as infrequently as possible, hence their 18-20k for engine oil changes and their lifetime transmission and diff oil policy. I read somewhere that it comes from "green" pressure in their domestic market and competitors doing the same (must confess I never validated it). I am sure they have life tested their transmissions without oil change and they are fine. But my take is oils deteriorate with age due to the high temperatures they encounter combined with particles of mechanical debris that are inevitable due to wear. If you are the sort of person that changes your car frequently it is probably best to stick to BMWs recommendation. But if you plan on keeping the car longer, then changing the oil (providing you stick to the same spec) can do no harm and the transmission may be smoother and last longer. I changed the "lifetime" transmission oil on my BMW Mini at 50k and the gearchange appeared smoother.
Used the same myself and find it excellent once warmed up a bit. Still a bit stiff on the cold mornings however, but 10 minutes driving and it's perfect.
Digidick said:mr wilks said:Digidick said:
Digidick said:
Big Millers fan here & that's the stuff ive always used , their engine oil also worth considering
It was you that made me choose Millers, found an old post of yours.
Well the 120k Si coupe i recently bought appears very well maintained but once on the road next month will be getting the full fluid change to Millers ( engine , gearbox + diff ) that along with fresh coolant + brake fluid is all you can do to prep the car for the next 50k/100k miles A small investment & better done as pre-emptive routine maintenance rather than trying to cure later on
As BMW think that gearbox/diff lubricants are lifetime fluids does this mean they are never changed when Inspection I / II are performed. If so I'm getting it booked in to get those done next week, I just assumed it would be part of the major service, whoops I mean Inpection II (I really must get up to speed on all this BMW terminology)
eddiemunster
Member
Magicarcher said:
Transmission oil is more about heat dissipation than lubrication, so running it without oil for a short period of time wouldn't really prove anything: it'd be noisier and it'd over-heat fairly quickly. "Oil for life" is a nonsense in engineering terms, what's closer is "It'll do, for a lifetime", but personally I'd change mine every 40k-50k/3-4 years, particularly on those transmissions with LSDs as oil weight can affect their efficiency.
markalp said:
Exactly - BMW think they are lifetime, so changing them is not part of either Inspection.
If you want them changed you'll need to ask specifically for it to be done. My Indy didn't do my differential (I've got an E86) as he said it doesn't have a drain plug, but the gearbox does. :roll:
eddiemunster said:
What I said was "..I am sure they have life tested their transmissions without oil change.." IE when they do durability testing on their transmissions they keep the same oil in at the start for the duration of the transmission life without changing it. What I did not say is they will test their transmission without oil.
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