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      01-08-2010, 03:58 PM   #1
nickyfzr
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ATF Change for high mileage car?

I know this issue has been beaten to death but I have to ask.

I purchased my 2002 530i with 95,000 mile. I now have 101,000 and am contemplating changing the ATF. All of the boards and websites that I have been reading seem to be split 50/50 about whether to change the fluid or not. What I would like to know is if anyone that has changed their fluid with that many miles and experienced a transmission failure soon after doing it or not. What I am planning on doing as the first step is to try and check and see what the status of the existing fluid is. I am planning on opening the fill plug and checking the fluid to see if it smells burnt or looks black.

Sorry for the long post but this is really starting to worry me.
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      01-14-2010, 02:08 PM   #2
cdmulders
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I have a 2000 528i w/ AT, and the transmission started shuddering under low-load conditions about a year ago. It felt like the torque convertor wasn't quite locking up, and the local shop recommended a full AT fluid drain, flush, and refill. This is a specialty shop (not a dealer) that works almost exclusively on BMWs, and I have had excellent service and advice from them, so I trusted them on this diagnosis. My car had about 200,000 kms (120,000 miles or so) at the time. They said it was a 50/50 chance that this AT fluid change could work, but the alternative was to start taking things apart and doing or getting a rebuild. I took the chance on the fluid change (cost me about 400 Euro). To make a long story short, the fix worked, the problem completely went away, and I have put another 12,000 miles on the car since without incident. I love my 528i (sport package, all the toys).

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      01-15-2010, 02:22 PM   #3
nickyfzr
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Thats good news. Glad to here it went well for you. I have pretty much decided to do the tranny service on my 530i. It is at 101,000 now and I read somewhere that BMW claims lifetime means 100,000 miles.
Thaks for the response and good luck with your cars.
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