[gofast182]

I just took my '19 in for service and asked that they change the trans. fluid since I'm over 50K miles and I tow with it.

They called me before they performed the work and said it would be $1,400 to change the fluid! $400 for the fluid, $400 for the filter pan, and 2.6h of labor. That seemed absolutely insane to me and I told them not to do it.

What have others paid to get the fluid changed in the ZF 8HP?

[beattiecj]

ECS has a diy kit $500 for the pan, fluid and gasket. I’ve seen videos how to do it in the f15 would say medium effort because you need a scan tool and to tighten the bolts in a certain order. Don’t know if they would allow you to bring in the kit to cut down costs too.

[weinerbarn]

That's laughable. You should have maybe $400-500 in parts including the (7) liters of fluid.


(1) Transmission Filter (ZF 8HP70) - BMW Number:24115A13115 <-- x40i/x50i part
(7) Transmission Fluid - ZF LifeguardFluid 8 (ZF No. S671 090 312) but BMW ATF 3+, Oil No. 83222289720

I love that labor rates are now well over $200/hr for basic maintenance items. The biggest challenge for most people is going to be running the service procedure in ISTA for the transmission oil level adjustment.

[TurtleBoy]

Keep in mind that changing the transmission is not a recommended maintenance procedure. Some feel changing it can cause more harm than doing good.

[charlie fairmont]

It's been in the 1k range for as long as I can remember, Indy or dealership, if you use bmw or zf fluid. The fluid is extremely expensive. The pan seems too high by about $150, even at bmw MSRP. You can also haggle with the service manager. If you did haggle, depending on your location you could probably get it done for closer to 1k but, as others have pointed out, it can be done more cheaply on your own...but there are some skills required, some unique steps that need to be followed and no dealership to buy you a new transmission if things go sideways. How long are you planning on keeping the vehicle? How frequently do you tow, and what do you tow?

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by charlie fairmont

It's been in the 1k range for as long as I can remember, Indy or dealership, if you use bmw or zf fluid. The fluid is extremely expensive. The pan seems too high by about $150, even at bmw MSRP. You can also haggle with the service manager. If you did haggle, depending on your location you could probably get it done for closer to 1k but, as others have pointed out, it can be done more cheaply on your own...but there are some skills required, some unique steps that need to be followed and no dealership to buy you a new transmission if things go sideways. How long are you planning on keeping the vehicle? How frequently do you tow, and what do you tow?

We're planning on keeping it for another 3-4 years. I tow a track car and trailer totaling about 4,000lbs about 1,300 miles a year.

[charlie fairmont]

Originally Posted by gofast182

We're planning on keeping it for another 3-4 years. I tow a track car and trailer totaling about 4,000lbs about 1,300 miles a year.

I've always followed zf's 60k recommendation, although I think it was bumped to 90k not too long ago. With the towing, they'd bump that back down due to higher temps you see when towing. Attached are a couple docs in case you decide to take it on yourself.

[realdah]

Originally Posted by charlie fairmont

I've always followed zf's 60k recommendation, although I think it was bumped to 90k not too long ago. With the towing, they'd bump that back down due to higher temps you see when towing. Attached are a couple docs in case you decide to take it on yourself.

Thanks, this info really helps!

150k km (~93k miles) is a lot for my situation, it will take more than at least 10 years for me to get that mileage, I will mostly trade-in the car long before it. : -)

[rmorin1249]

Does BMWNA still say automatic trannies don't ever need a fluid change under normal driving conditions?

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by rmorin1249

Does BMWNA still say automatic trannies don't ever need a fluid change under normal driving conditions?

Yes, only change when doing a repair.

[rmorin1249]

Originally Posted by TurtleBoy

Yes, only change when doing a repair.

I've owned 13 BMWs and have never changed the tranny fluid except on the ones that were manual. None had more than 75k miles and none towed anything or were tracked.

[Tejas1836]

Originally Posted by charlie fairmont

I've always followed zf's 60k recommendation, although I think it was bumped to 90k not too long ago. With the towing, they'd bump that back down due to higher temps you see when towing. Attached are a couple docs in case you decide to take it on yourself.

This. I'd follow ZF's recommendations