There are vital fluids that circulate through your engine. Like other fluids, transmission fluid can decline over time. Transmission fluid gets beaten up, hard use, things take a toll on the engine and the fluid, like daily stop-and-go city driving. Soon the other issues of taking your car out starts to accumulate and eventually you’ll start to feel your engine start to wane. The solution, of course, is to replace the old fluid with new.
When Do You Replace It?
A rule of thumb with many mechanics say it should be done at least every 50,000 miles. However, the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule for many transmissions doesn’t call for fresh fluid until 100,000 miles – you need to check your owner’s manual to see what BMW recommends for your model.
Checking Your Transmission
You might be thinking to yourself, ‘what if I have an older car and I’m unsure how long ago the transmission fluid was changed last?’ Here is a good tip for a quick method to check out its condition. When transmission fluid is brand new it is usually red but when it gets old, it tends to turn darker, nearly black, in color. It also starts to smell burned after a while that is a good sign that it needs to be changed, eventually if the fluids aren’t changed in the transmission will start developing mechanical problems. Another good signal it needs changing is that you can feel gritty dirt or other debris in the fluid when you put a drop between your fingers.
As we are sure you know, your BMW is not a clunker. This design of engine has a beautiful history of craftsmanship and attention to detail. Even if you own an older BMWs, that does not take away from the craftsmanship that you see in the newer models. However, even with this reputation, BMW is still a working vehicle and still do need routine maintenance work. This includes maintenance like spark plug and oil changes, are ordinarily, on the maintenance bucket list, servicing the transmission BMW is many times be ignored. That is not a good idea at all.
Understanding more about your BMW will help ensure the longevity of this beautiful piece of craftmanship. This is why we recommend that you know what your owner’s manual calls for when it comes to your maintenance of your engine, how many miles, timing, what and when. All of these factors are very important and we want to ensure you are well prepared.