E90 transmission fluid flush

John6857

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Aug 25, 2017
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2007 E90 335i 6MT
Hey all, i have a 2007 e90 335i 6MT with a little over 90k miles on it. To my knowledge the transmission fluid has never been flushed, this being the case i ordered Redline d4 atf. A couple of my buddies are telling me that at this mileage the fluid should not be changed because it is lifetime and that it could be worse for the synchros. Only reason i am changing is that i have been having crunchy shifts and figured i mine as well do that while i do the cdv delete. Thanks!
 

Bmwfixerguy1

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Jun 5, 2017
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07 335i MT
It's far from lifetime fluid and it will not be worse. The D4 was a night and day difference especially in colder weather.

But BMW manuals have always been know to be a crunchy box. Even brand new they are less than ideal for how we want to drive them.. tougher than all hell but shifting is less than perfect.

Switch to the D4 or d6 and change often at least once a year for the way we beat the snow out of them. D4 was a good choice it's an awesome fluid for out box
 
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John6857

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Aug 25, 2017
45
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2007 E90 335i 6MT
It's far from lifetime fluid and it will not be worse. The D4 was a night and day difference especially in colder weather.

But BMW manuals have always been know to be a crunchy box. Even brand new they are less than ideal for how we want to drive them.. tougher than all hell but shifting is less than perfect.

Switch to the D4 or d6 and change often at least once a year for the way we beat the snow out of them. D4 was a good choice it's an awesome fluid for out box
Gotcha, my friends are scaring me because a buddy flushed his e36 m3's fluid and he had to replace the transmission becuse it wouldn't go into gear and would just grind.
 
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Bmwfixerguy1

Lieutenant
Jun 5, 2017
875
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07 335i MT
Gotcha, my friends are scaring me because a buddy flushed his e36 m3's fluid and he had to replace the transmission becuse it wouldn't go into gear and would just grind.

Well there is definitely more to that story lol. You could drain every drop of oil out of the car and it would still go into gear. . what happened idk but D4 is a nice shifting upgrade for our cars.
I have D4 in my box now and when my smfw, spec 3+ and all new seals go in I'm gonna try D6. Hate 2 qrts on hand now.

You will need 2 qrts btw.

Also go easy on the aluminum drain and fill plugs. They are supposed nto be replaced but just be gentle.
 

John6857

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Aug 25, 2017
45
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2007 E90 335i 6MT
Well there is definitely more to that story lol. You could drain every drop of oil out of the car and it would still go into gear. . what happened idk but D4 is a nice shifting upgrade for our cars.
I have D4 in my box now and when my smfw, spec 3+ and all new seals go in I'm gonna try D6. Hate 2 qrts on hand now.

You will need 2 qrts btw.

Also go easy on the aluminum drain and fill plugs. They are supposed nto be replaced but just be gentle.


Right, i picked up two quarts from ecs. What do you think of the 3+ in traffic and daily driving scenarios?
 

doublespaces

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Oct 18, 2016
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The Mars rover Opportunity had a 90 day mission lifetime, yet it has been in service for over 13 years, so lifetime is really not a literal meaning in most cases. Unless you're standing before a judge.
 

N54QC

Corporal
Aug 17, 2017
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07 E90 335i
Changed my fluid and pan out at about 90k. I used the Pentosin ATF. Car shifted super smooth after the change. Have over 20k on the fluid now and still shifts smooth with no issues.
 
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devildog0905

Specialist
Jan 21, 2018
78
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2007 BMW 335i E92
I have the auto, which is obviously different but when I did the pan and fluid change it felt much better. I was at 90k miles when i did it. that guy telling you it will make it worse seems like terrible logic
 

Jmw3607

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Feb 7, 2017
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08 335i e92
I flushed out my fluids after the recommendation from a friend and a few trans related issues I was experiencing. Was a night and day difference, but I've also read that you need to keep changing the fluid after changing it in say 30k mile intervals. Not sure how much truth there is to it
 

devildog0905

Specialist
Jan 21, 2018
78
29
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2007 BMW 335i E92
I flushed out my fluids after the recommendation from a friend and a few trans related issues I was experiencing. Was a night and day difference, but I've also read that you need to keep changing the fluid after changing it in say 30k mile intervals. Not sure how much truth there is to it

I can’t imagine that it’s a bad idea though. Your transmission works really hard. Especially if you have increased your HP. Plus the increased heat. Maybe a yearly change. It’s pretty cheap and easy.
 

Itsbrokeagain

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Jan 28, 2018
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always had a positive change when doing a transmission flush, be it an auto or a manual. We switched over to D4 in the 6MT and it made a big improvement. The autos I just change the pan and fill with fresh OEM fluid and have at it. Its nice to have access to an actual fluid exchanger instead of just draining and refilling. The downside is that it does use a little more fluid in the process than just a drain and refill, but it connects inline with the cooler and pulls all the old stuff out (even in the converter) while replacing it with all new fluid. Seems to go a bit longer that way.
 

devildog0905

Specialist
Jan 21, 2018
78
29
0
Ride
2007 BMW 335i E92
always had a positive change when doing a transmission flush, be it an auto or a manual. We switched over to D4 in the 6MT and it made a big improvement. The autos I just change the pan and fill with fresh OEM fluid and have at it. Its nice to have access to an actual fluid exchanger instead of just draining and refilling. The downside is that it does use a little more fluid in the process than just a drain and refill, but it connects inline with the cooler and pulls all the old stuff out (even in the converter) while replacing it with all new fluid. Seems to go a bit longer that way.

Thanks for the post. have you ever tried anything other than the oem fluid in an auto. FCP Euro has a "Kit" with D4 also for the auto.
 

tisdrew

Corporal
Jun 27, 2017
179
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09 335i 6MT
Just this weekend I did the transmission fluid change with redline's d4 as well. My transmission felt fine before but my car's mileage was also creeping up so did it as preventative work. It was very easy to do. I didn't experience any "night day" difference; honestly, if I didn't do it myself, I wouldn't have known it was changed. I also have a 335is/550i clutch/pressure plate and the CDV delete so my car tends to grab a little harder/notchier than OE anyway. Just my experience.