Tranmission Oil Change Yes/No

[Mmvic]

Originally Posted by G4BR13L

And we are still talking about the DCT and not the 6MT right? I cannot believe that after 60.000 miles the oil of the DCT was no longer good. I remember teading someone who replaced it after 100.000 miles and the was still good

correct dct. Probably depends on how it's been driven.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by Mmvic

just got mine done yesterday[IMG]undefined[/IMG]

Holy cow you spent $1k just to change the DCT fluid after only 20k miles?

[hellokitty]

DCT is certainly not lifetime fluid.

I changed my DCT pan, dct filter and fluid at 40k which is what ECS recommends.

My pan was leaking as well. The gaskets go bad with age and will leak.

[G4BR13L]

I see that ECS tuning sells a kit for this:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...81078428402kt/

[hellokitty]

Originally Posted by G4BR13L

I see that ECS tuning sells a kit for this:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...81078428402kt/

I'd go through FCP Euro for their lifetime warranty if you plan to keep the car.

[ShoNufff]

I just did my 6MT and diff fluid change @ 47k miles. I noticed the diff has plugs to change out but where can you get the 6MT tranny fill and drain plugs at? My drain plug was starting to feel tight going in at the end. I would like to change those out as I did with the diff plugs.

[jmciver]

New fill/drain plugs for the 6MT should not be necessary assuming nothing was cross-threaded when you re-installed them - they don't have integrated o-rings like the diff plugs. But if you want new ones go to realoem.com to find the part number then order them from your favorite online vendor or take a trip to the dealer.

[ShoNufff]

Originally Posted by jmciver

New fill/drain plugs for the 6MT should not be necessary assuming nothing was cross-threaded when you re-installed them - they don't have integrated o-rings like the diff plugs. But if you want new ones go to realoem.com to find the part number then order them from your favorite online vendor or take a trip to the dealer.

I'll check them out, thank you!

[Remonster]

If anyone's curious about changing their 6MT transmission fluid, I decided to switch from stock to Motul DCTF at around 11,000 miles and am surprised by the improvement. I live in Southern California so a 'cold' start here is not really cold but even still I found the transmission reluctant to go into gears for the first several minutes of every day. with Motul, the transmission shifts smoother right after starting up than the stock fluid at full operating temperature and it only gets smoother from there. I'm happy with the change especially since it cost me so little (did it myself so no labor, a shop should charge about half an hour to drain and fill the fluid).

[Ferg]

Originally Posted by G4BR13L

I see that ECS tuning sells a kit for this:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...81078428402kt/

Make sure you order a pan with seal as well.

[Alan l.]

Originally Posted by Remonster

If anyone's curious about changing their 6MT transmission fluid, I decided to switch from stock to Motul DCTF at around 11,000 miles and am surprised by the improvement. I live in Southern California so a 'cold' start here is not really cold but even still I found the transmission reluctant to go into gears for the first several minutes of every day. with Motul, the transmission shifts smoother right after starting up than the stock fluid at full operating temperature and it only gets smoother from there. I'm happy with the change especially since it cost me so little (did it myself so no labor, a shop should charge about half an hour to drain and fill the fluid).

Isn't that fluid meant for DCTs?

My 6MT only has 7K miles on it and i've noticed that it does take a couple of minutes of warming up/slow shifting to get the gears to slide in smoothly. I've noticed it especially going into 3rd gear after a cold start that you have to be slow and smooth or it would feel almost like it crunches into gear if you rush it when cold. Wondering if swapping out the fluids would help this.

Alan

[maniz]

I changed it around 3K miles IIRC and will do so every 20K miles. I posted a DIY for the MT here.

It used to be a recommended break-in service step until BMW started paying for initial maintenance.

[623baller]

so would you change DCT oil based on mileage or number of years or whatever comes first?

have a low mileage 2015 f80 (16k miles now), i bought it used so i rather change the DCT oil for my own peace of mind or is that too soon given the low mileage?

[hellokitty]

Originally Posted by 623baller

so would you change DCT oil based on mileage or number of years or whatever comes first?

have a low mileage 2015 f80 (16k miles now), i bought it used so i rather change the DCT oil for my own peace of mind or is that too soon given the low mileage?

I'd change the DCT oil around 30-40k. Same with the diff fluid.

[rborane]

Originally Posted by hellokitty

I'd change the DCT oil around 30-40k. Same with the diff fluid.

That is aggressive for DCT. Diff every 35-40k for sure. DCT has not been shown that the fluid breaks down like in a traditional manual, I would recommend and am planning on 60-70k change the DCT fluid. I am overly on top of maintenance and keeping everything up to spec, and feel that is appropriate for DCT fluid.

[623baller]

Originally Posted by hellokitty

I'd change the DCT oil around 30-40k. Same with the diff fluid.

Originally Posted by rborane

That is aggressive for DCT. Diff every 35-40k for sure. DCT has not been shown that the fluid breaks down like in a traditional manual, I would recommend and am planning on 60-70k change the DCT fluid. I am overly on top of maintenance and keeping everything up to spec, and feel that is appropriate for DCT fluid.

thanks for the input guys! so i guess even though it's been 5 years now i will just go by the mileage instead

[hellokitty]

Originally Posted by rborane

That is aggressive for DCT. Diff every 35-40k for sure. DCT has not been shown that the fluid breaks down like in a traditional manual, I would recommend and am planning on 60-70k change the DCT fluid. I am overly on top of maintenance and keeping everything up to spec, and feel that is appropriate for DCT fluid.

I went by the ECS tuning recommendation. I just did it out of caution since my 335is is tuned. I drive my M3 like a grandma so I can probably extend the interval past 40k for the DCT.

"The DCT transmission in your BMW is nothing short of incredible and exhilarating, but also astronomically expensive to replace. BMW has been labeling fluids as "lifetime" for quite some time now, and as enthusiasts and owners have learned over the years, there simply is no fluid that last a lifetime.

With that being said, ECS Tuning has assembled a proper DCT service kit that takes the guesswork out of the equation. No need to track down the correct fluid and plugs, simply open the box, and get the job done the correct way. By servicing your DCT transmission, you will be assured that old, broken down fluid won't cause a several thousand dollar nightmare. ECS Tuning recommends this service every 40,000 miles to keep your transmission going strong for years to come."

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by 623baller

so would you change DCT oil based on mileage or number of years or whatever comes first?

have a low mileage 2015 f80 (16k miles now), i bought it used so i rather change the DCT oil for my own peace of mind or is that too soon given the low mileage?

I understand changing something like engine oil for peace of mind...but DCT fluid? Thats super low mileage so nothing to worry about there. Personally, I wouldnt think about doing DCT fluid until I was approaching 100k miles. Its a complete waste of time and money at this point not to mention added risk of the fluid change being done incorrectly.

[Ferg]

So just changed my DCT fluid/filter/seals/pan at 58K and I can say I'm glad I did. Moderately spirited driving and when the fluid was drained, it did not in any way look clean.

[jmciver]

Correct me if I am wrong, but don't the DCT and 6MT transmissions have a vent to atmosphere? That would be another reason for moderately frequent change intervals for either transmission....

[623baller]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

I understand changing something like engine oil for peace of mind...but DCT fluid? Thats super low mileage so nothing to worry about there. Personally, I wouldnt think about doing DCT fluid until I was approaching 100k miles. Its a complete waste of time and money at this point not to mention added risk of the fluid change being done incorrectly.

if it was 15k street driven miles, yea waiting a bit to do the dct oil change make sense. i still wouldn't wait till 100k.

if it was 15k track driven miles , good luck servicing it at 100k miles if it even makes it that far.

since i have no idea how the previous owners drove and took care of the car, i m going to play it safe. The second scenario is probably a little extreme , so im probably going to do it around the 40~50k range.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by 623baller

if it was 15k street driven miles, yea waiting a bit to do the dct oil change make sense. i still wouldn't wait till 100k.

if it was 15k track driven miles , good luck servicing it at 100k miles if it even makes it that far.

since i have no idea how the previous owners drove and took care of the car, i m going to play it safe. The second scenario is probably a little extreme , so im probably going to do it around the 40~50k range.

Your car, do as you please. I have yet to hear of a single case of DCT failure/issues related to the oem fluid not being replaced, even with very high mileage.