Истината за BMW "life time", масло АСК и сервизни интервали

[godsAnger]

Prior to the advent of BMW Free Scheduled Maintenance, approximate BMW maintenance recommendations were:
automatic transmission fluid (ATF) and filter changes every 15,000 miles, manual gearbox and differential oil changes
every 30,000 miles, annual brake fluid changes, and coolant changes every two years. Spark plugs, air filter, and fuel
filters were typically replaced every 30,000 miles on most BMWs except M cars up to 1995, which got
new spark plugs and a valve adjustment every 15,000.

Prior to Free Scheduled Maintenance, you couldn’t change engine oil often enough according to most dealerships.

But once BMW began paying for scheduled maintenance, lo and behold the “schedule” was revised. Now, magically, the
cars hardly need any maintenance at all! The 1,200-mile break-in service was done away with except for M cars. Engine
oil suddenly lasts 15,000 miles (dealers are supposed to use BMW synthetic oil). Manual gearbox and differential oil? No
worries there – now BMW says they NEVER need to be changed, it’s “lifetime fill.” Brake fluid and coolant service
intervals were doubled with no change in the original BMW brake fluid and anti-freeze dealers are supposed to use.
So, is Free Scheduled Maintenance all about marketing and cost reduction – BMW’s costs? Draw your own conclusions.
There is no doubt that many buyers incorrectly view BMWs as “high maintenance” cars. Nothing can address that more
effectively than Free Scheduled Maintenance. But the operative word in the name is “scheduled.” In my opinion,
extended service intervals and “lifetime fill” came very close on the heels of Free Scheduled Maintenance.

This is an alternative to BMW’s factory-recommended maintenance schedule. It is not, “Mike Miller’s maintenance
schedule.” It is actually BMW’s maintenance schedule, more or less, which was used prior to Free Scheduled
Maintenance. It also represents my opinion, based upon my experience and that of my readers, tech advisors, and
professional BMW technicians both dealer and independent. I have prepared it because of the large number of readers
asking for this information. The fact that my opinions may differ from those of others does not mean anyone is
necessarily right or wrong. You will get a different answer from every person you ask about routine vehicle maintenance.
You should also know that in my work I have observed the most common reason for BMW drivability problems in
contemporary cars with over 100,000 miles is that they need a tune up – spark plugs, air filter, and fuel filter.

Engine Oil and Filter Intervals
BMW recommends their Castrol 5W-30 synthetic motor oil in all BMWs except contemporary M cars, for which they
recommend their Castrol 10W-60 synthetic motor oil. The factory oil change interval is controlled electronically, but is
presently about every 15,000 miles. If you are running BMW’s oil, I recommend an oil and filter change interval between
5,000 and 7,500 miles.
Original BMW filters are recommended for price and quality, or MANN, Mahle, Bosch, or Knecht filters

Spark Plugs
There is no reason to deviate from the factory-recommended Bosch or NGK spark plug specification, changed at 30,000-
to-60,000-mile intervals, depending upon the car and severity of service. Basically, any BMW produced after 1993 can
easily run 60,000 miles on a set of spark plugs.
The factory also has part numbers and applications for “100,000-mile spark plugs.” These are good too, and are capable
of 100,000 miles of service assuming no other problems, which might cause them to foul during that time. Moreover, while you may
not have any problems running spark plugs for 100,000 miles in some BMWs, this does not mean the plugs will not be worn,
or that that wear is not affecting engine performance. In other words, for optimum
engine performance, most BMWs want spark plugs every 30,000-to-60,000 miles.Stay away from platinum plugs in BMWs.
These don’t last as long as the regular Bosch copper or silver plugs and NGK plus, and have been known to fail in other ways.

Air Filter
Stock paper element, check every 15,000 miles, tap out dirt, replace if necessary, standard interval 30,000 miles, use
Original BMW filters or aftermarket filters such as Knecht, MANN, Mahle, or Bosch

Fuel Filter
Replace every 30,000 miles, also replace if fuel pump is replaced, use original BMW filters or Bosch, Knecht, MANN, or
Mahle

Engine Coolant Service
I recommend changing engine coolant at two-year intervals, using only factory BMW anti-freeze mixed 50-50 with
distilled water. The factory coolant change interval used to be every two years. It is now every four years

Power Steering Fluid
Replace every 30,000 miles. This is a very neglected operating fluid. Almost all BMWs use automatic transmission fluid in
the power steering system, except for some E32 7 Series cars, which use Pentosin hydraulic oil

Manual Gearbox Oil
Only synthetic oil should be used in BMW manual gearboxes, drain interval 30,000 miles

Interior Air Filter: Variable every 15,000 to 30,000 miles
On cars so equipped, the interior air filter service life really depends on where you drive.

Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) and Filter
The short answer for the modern BMWs with “lifetime fill” ATF: Change it and the filter
at least every 60,000 miles using ONLY the factory BMW proprietary ATF.

At various production dates in the mid-1990s, which vary according to model, BMW switched to their so-called “lifetime
fill” ATF in automatic transmissions, as well as manual gearbox lubricant and differential oil. The reason for this, as far as
anyone can tell, is marketing and not engineering – the idea being to foster the notion of the low-maintenance BMW.
There was no explanation of what “lifetime” meant, i.e., lifetime of the car, the component, or for that matter the
driver. If it was the component, then obviously anything could be “lifetime fill”. The factory’s initial position is that these
lubricants never need to be changed. Then, some time later, it came out that “lifetime” means 100,000 miles. Many
dealerships are now recommending manual gearbox and differential oil changes be done at customer expense every
60,000 miles. Every independent BMW technician I know recommends a 30,000-mile interval.
Older automatic transmission models, which do not have “lifetime fill” should have ATF and filter services every 15,000
miles if using petroleum ATF; every 30,000 miles with synthetic. However, the modern automatic transmissions are different.
No one knows exactly what BMW’s proprietary ATF is, so no one knows if there are viable alternatives.
We do know that BMW dealerships charge about $500 for an ATF and filter service, due to the price of the ATF.
And that’s assuming you can get them to do the job, which is not often the case.
Under no circumstances would I recommend draining any previously unmaintained automatic transmission with much
more than 50,000 miles. I have seen it happen too many times, where a well-meaning owner or technician performs an
ATF and filter service on a neglected but well-shifting automatic, and then all of the sudden it starts slipping. I can’t
explain it, but my feeling is the fresh ATF flushes a bit of sludge from a place where it was doing no harm to a place
where it does do harm. Overfilling, underfilling, and cleanliness are also issues in ATF and filter servicing, but these
should not be problematic for a professional BMW technician, dealer or independent.
BMW has “backed off” their lifetime fill mantra for automatic transmissions, currently recommending an ATF and filter
change every 100,000 miles.
My inclination is to tell people to change “lifetime” ATF and filter every 30,000 miles. However the fact is, I've seen
BMW automatic transmissions that were maintained break anyway. In that event, say it happens at 90,000 miles, you
would like to have that $1,500 you spent on ATF and filter changes to put toward your new automatic transmission. And
if I told you to spend it on maintenance you’re probably not going to be very happy with me. On the other hand, I have
seen maintained automatics last 200,000 miles. I have also seen unmaintained automatics last 200,000 miles, although
both are very rare. There's just no predicting with these transmissions. When you choose to buy an automatic
transmission, you also buy into the vagaries of the darn things, which is one reason technicians hate them.
Whether to maintain a modern BMW automatic is up to you. I am washing my hands of automatic transmissions – I
don’t like them, I don’t buy them, and I don’t mess around with them under the car. At the end of the day, for long-term
durability, order the car with a manual gearbox.
At automatic transmission replacement time, we are confronted with the reality that the local transmission shop cannot
rebuild BMW automatic transmissions, even those built by GM (BMW’s GM transmissions bear not resemblance to GM
transmission in domestic cars). There are some domestic specialists who concentrate in BMW automatic transmission
rebuilding, and you’ll see their ads in Roundel. However, I have no experience with any of the current domestic
rebuilders. My experience in the past is…well, I wound up buying a BMW factory rebuilt automatic transmission every
time, and this is the course I recommend to readers – “back to the dealer.”
Some of you, having seen the light, may be interested in converting to a manual gearbox. This is always possible, but for
most of us it won’t be less expensive than a replacement automatic transmission. This is because of all the other parts
and additional labor required. And the newer the car the harder the job will be. It is certainly a doable swap, but there’s
no cost savings even if you do the work yourself. The exception would be if you have access to a manual gearbox donor
car for little or no expense.

Differential Oil
Recommend Red Line 75W-90 synthetic gear oil, drain interval 30,000 miles in any BMW differential


Brake Fluid
Recommend one-year brake fluid changes, or prior to each driving school or track event.
BMW now recommends two-year brake fluid changes, but used to recommend a one-year interval.

Note
It has to be recognized that the benefits of good drivetrain lubricant maintenance do not accrue until the car matures.
The difference between the car that ran 15,000-mile oil change intervals and never had its gearbox or differential oil
changed (as per BMW instructions) and the one that ran high-end synthetic lubricants and had its driveline maintained
in contravention of BMW's instructions, is the strong likelihood that the second car will be running strong at 200,000
miles whereas the first car will likely have a worn out drivetrain. BMWs, and most modern cars, will run 100,000 miles
just fine with zero maintenance.

So, if you're maintaining the car religiously only to sell it at 75,000 miles then you're a good guy for helping out
subsequent owners. That's nice, but to realize the fruits of your diligence, you need to keep the car longer.
© 2002 Mike Miller

[hpnotic2]

Прочитайки горния пост, изводът, който направих е, че голяма част от нещата, които трябва да се сменят много зависят от това кой, как и къде кара колата.

[kraska Профил]

Прочитайки горния пост, изводът, който направих е, че голяма част от нещата, които трябва да се сменят много зависят от това кой, как и къде се кара колата.

[godsAnger]

Абсолятно съм съгласен, колеги ... за мен най-ценното в тая статия беше обяснението за смяната на маслото в скоростната кутия на автоматиците...и обяснението на "life time" терминологията...остава да разберем къде в БГ можем да се доверим на качествено обслужване на автоматик е90

[Leon]

Всъщност БМВ тихомълком започнаха да препоръчват смяна на маслото в автомата на 120 000км (имаше тема някъде), така че тази статия е леко остаряла.

[kraska Профил]

Тази статия е извадка от на Майк Милър май се казваше съветите за обслужване на БМВ, която е писал отдавна. А това за скоростната кутия си е маркетинг отново. Ако е направят на 100 000 км може да влязат в безплатното им обслужаване което хич не е евтино на АСК. Затова се води лайфтайм, което е до живот ама на скоростната кутия и реално си е така. Торк конвектора особено на дизелите рядко изкарва повече 200 000 км. А маслото като качество при благоприятно каране би издържало 250 000 км , както и го дават по спецификации на самото масло. А правиш ли торка или нещо друго, така или иначе ще сменят маслото. Колата я взех на 247 000 реални километра и нито маслото , нито филтъра бяха сменяни, проблеми с кутията нямам засега. Може торка да не бачка на 100% като нов, но няма симптоми които да говорят обратното. А сега след като колите станаха вече поне на 5-6 годинки се започнаха писанията колко по-добре е да се сменя по-често.... Все пак масло разработено специално за тази скоростна кутия трябва да се продава и да се правят печалби , а то хич ,ама хич не е евтино.

[godsAnger]

Мойто масло на скоростната кутия го смених по принуда - имаше теч. Колата е на 147 000 км, явно му е свършил лайфтайма. Само не ми обясниха от сървиза как със смяната на маслото ще спре теча, но предполагам е било от уплътнението на картера, или самия къртер а те се сменяват заедно с маслото. След смяната не съм усетил промяна в поведението на автоматика, но съм минал само 200-300 км от тогава.

[kraska Профил]

По-вероятно ти е текло от буксата, която фабрично е със смотани гумени пръстенчета и тече оттам на почти всички кутии. Така или иначе източват маслото и махат картера , който е и филтър, така че добре си направил.

[godsAnger]

А въпросната букса и нея ли я сменяват заедно с маслото - щото ако не са може да продължи да тече? Доколкото знам "комплекта" за смяна на масло включва картер, филтър, уплътнение на картера и самото масло ...

[kraska Профил]

Ако теча е оттам, ще го забележат със сигурност, просто под буксата е омаслено и се стича надолу. По принцип теча оттам не е силен, рядко прави капка на земята. Самата букса е евтина , около 20-на лева и то оригинална на ZF. Може да се смени след като източат маслото и махнат капака на картера т.к. отключващото лостче за буксата се намира вътре за да може да се изтегли тя самата .

[godsAnger]

Ако теча е оттам, ще го забележат със сигурност, просто под буксата е омаслено и се стича надолу. По принцип теча оттам не е силен, рядко прави капка на земята. Самата букса е евтина , около 20-на лева и то оригинална на ZF. Може да се смени след като източат маслото и махнат капака на картера т.к. отключващото лостче за буксата се намира вътре за да може да се изтегли тя самата .

Ясно, благодаря ти. Сега се сещам май че във бележката дето ми дадоха май пишеше че включва и букса, т.е. изглежда са я сменили.

[JTD Профил]

Ето и един цитат от обучението на БМВ кадрите:

Work Shop Hints
Note:
• The transmission requires oil replacement every 100,000 miles.

Друго интересно:
• The oil pan can only be removed at temperatures below 40 ºC. The oil pan is made of plastic which will distort at high temperatures.