My car (2010 BMW 535i xDrive 6AT) is at about 82k miles and my assumption is that the transmission has never been serviced before (i.e. fluid drain/refill or filter swap). I head up to school in a few weeks, and I just would like to get this service done as the "last hurrah" for the summer before I start having to pay for college stuff again lol. I'm seeing on FCPEuro this kit which includes the oil pan and filter, trans fluid and bolts/drain plug. That seems pretty good to me, but then there's this kit here which includes stuff for the "mechatronics" - 6 valve body sealing sleeves that go above the mechatronics unit of the transmission. I looked up a video and it looks like a mild pain in the butt (to me) since there's a bunch of bolts holding it up, but it shouldn't be a terrible job. Do you think it's worth it to spend the extra ~$80 and get the mechatronics sleeves done too for peace of mind? Or is it alright as-is? I plan on keeping the car for a good long while so I feel like it's not a bad idea - just want a second opinion is all. Cheers!
Automatic Transmission Servicing: Mechatronics Kit or just Transmission Service Kit?
- Thread starter Jeffroii
- Start date
Just as a data point for you to consider, I didn't do my own, but when I had the shop do my transmission (around 60k) I had them replace my mechatronic sleeve as well since they were in there. I honestly hadn't researched it much, but from what I found people recommended doing the sleeve with the transmission since they can go bad and your already in there so might as well. Like you, I plan on keeping my car a while so it was an easy decision for me.
Gotcha. This is exactly what I figured - I mean $80 for reliability and not having to re-drain the fluids in the relatively near future sounds good to me. Set it and forget it. Thank you so much for the input!
Mechatronics kit for sure. You want to get the seals replaced every 80 to 100k and change the fluid every 40 to 60K miles as preventative maintenance if your car is stock. Change the seals now then when you reach around 130k miles do a fluid and filter change then at around 170k miles do the mechatronics kit again.
The only "difficult" part of the job for me is getting the seal for the connector in, the bolts are tedious but if you have an electric ratchet it's a breeze.
The only "difficult" part of the job for me is getting the seal for the connector in, the bolts are tedious but if you have an electric ratchet it's a breeze.
I'd definitely do the mechatronic sleeve and seals, cheap insurance for keeping your transmission in check.
I also wanted to note that the ZF pans have kinda shit QC in that they seem to not be 100% straight. I did a trans service on my X5 and dropped the pan again because I thought I didn't clean the surface enough when it was leaking. Double checked it again and it still leaked (I followed the torque sequence and everything both times). I said fuck it and filled all the crevices and around the bolt holes with transmission-fluid compatible RTV as I couldn't be bothered to drop the pan a third time. To save yourself the headache, I would put a small bead of transmission RTV on the outer edge of the O-ring just to ensure that the pan can be 100% sealed even if it isn't completely straight
I also wanted to note that the ZF pans have kinda shit QC in that they seem to not be 100% straight. I did a trans service on my X5 and dropped the pan again because I thought I didn't clean the surface enough when it was leaking. Double checked it again and it still leaked (I followed the torque sequence and everything both times). I said fuck it and filled all the crevices and around the bolt holes with transmission-fluid compatible RTV as I couldn't be bothered to drop the pan a third time. To save yourself the headache, I would put a small bead of transmission RTV on the outer edge of the O-ring just to ensure that the pan can be 100% sealed even if it isn't completely straight
i suggest zero rtv on the pan, done this service on 6hp's and 8hp's never had it leak. If possible do solenoids as well, it'll be shifting like brand new.
I have zero leaks and no rtv. If you assemble and torque properly, there will be no issues. There was no rtv used from factory, should not need it now.
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