Steptronic Transmission Fluid/Filter/Pan Suggestions

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So I want to drain my steptronic transmission fluid and get a new pan/filter as well.

I have an account with my local BMW dealer, so I can get the OEM pan/filter kit for $200. (Part number 24152333907)

On eBay, there looks to be a pan/filter kit from ZF for around $100:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/oem-ZF-Autom...9Vsg6U&vxp=mtr

Regardless of which pan/filter kit I use, I will follow this link to purchase the ZF LifeGuard 6 transmission fluid:

http://www.thectsc.com/products/zf-l...er-184-58.html

What do you guys think my best option is? I would like to hear from people who have already changed the fluid in their 135i.

I am leaning towards the OEM pan/filter kit and the ZF Lifeguard 6 transmission fluid.

[working_title]

I did this not too long ago. I found a ZF pan on amazon for around $110, and actually went with Pentosin ATF1 fluid. Its not exactly the same as the lifeguard6, but I have not had any issues with it in a few thousand miles. Jason at Propulsive Dynamics mentioned in a post that he recommended Pentosin ATF1 in their built transmissions. Make sure you reset the transmission adaptations after you change the fluid/filter, and at least attempt to drive the adaption procedure.

I have about 2,000 miles since the swap, with no leaks, issues or problems shifting. Make sure you fill the transmission correctly by getting the fluid up to temp and having the fill hole open, its a bit tricky to do.

You may want to replace the mechatronics sleeve while you're in there, and if you drop the valve body there are a few small gasket/sleeve things you would want to replace. Looks like CTSC has everything you'd need:

http://www.thectsc.com/products/oil-...9/21-2-10.html
http://www.thectsc.com/products/seal...eeve-3-10.html
http://www.thectsc.com/products/mech...p21-44-45.html
http://www.thectsc.com/products/seal...21-218-43.html

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Originally Posted by working_title

I did this not too long ago. I found a ZF pan on amazon for around $110, and actually went with Pentosin ATF1 fluid. Its not exactly the same as the lifeguard6, but I have not had any issues with it in a few thousand miles. Jason at Propulsive Dynamics mentioned in a post that he recommended Pentosin ATF1 in their built transmissions. Make sure you reset the transmission adaptations after you change the fluid/filter, and at least attempt to drive the adaption procedure.

I have about 2,000 miles since the swap, with no leaks, issues or problems shifting. Make sure you fill the transmission correctly by getting the fluid up to temp and having the fill hole open, its a bit tricky to do.

You may want to replace the mechatronics sleeve while you're in there, and if you drop the valve body there are a few small gasket/sleeve things you would want to replace. Looks like CTSC has everything you'd need:

http://www.thectsc.com/products/oil-...9/21-2-10.html
http://www.thectsc.com/products/seal...eeve-3-10.html
http://www.thectsc.com/products/mech...p21-44-45.html
http://www.thectsc.com/products/seal...21-218-43.html

Did you use a DIY somewhere to follow the adaptation procedures? I'm not familiar with how to do that.

[working_title]

The transmission adaptations can be reset in INPA, although there is a procedure going around the web that had something to do with turning the key on (not starting the engine) and holding the accelerator pedal to the floor for 30 seconds or something like that. I know I tried the gas pedal a few times before I changed the fluid/filter, and by that time I had figured out how to get INPA working, and did it that way.

Here's a PDF document from ZF regarding the series of transmissions which include the 6HPXX:

http://www.natef.org/NATEF/media/NAT...sion-6-8HP.pdf

Also a powerpoint about swapping the mechatronic (valvebody)
http://www.europeantransmissions.com...eplacement.pdf

And one more from Sonnax:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/sonnax-dev/...AutoChoice.pdf

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Well I don't know much about coding and INPA, so this is something I'll have to talk to my coder about.

The first question I have is about the small items you mentioned replacing, were they in desperate need of replacing? Did they look like they needed to be replaced? I'm on the fence about messing with the valve body to be honest with you.

Would you recommend the kit I linked from eBay? It seems to be a kit directly from ZF.

Another question I had is about getting the fluid level correct. Could you elaborate more?

I have access to a lift, so if I need to let the car run while in gear that is doable.

EDIT: One other thing I want to add is I have the Alpina Transmission flash done to my 135i.

[working_title]

That Kit from Ebay looks exactly like what I used. It should come with the pan gasket, the built in filter, and the magnets that sit in the transmission pan which the pictures shows.

As for getting the fluid to the correct level - there is a fill hole on the side of the transmission. You will need a fluid transfer pump to pump fluid into this fill hole. The car will need to be level and running, and when the transmission fluid reaches a certain temperature (it was printed on a sticker on the side of my old pan) then you want the fluid to just be spilling out of that fill plug. To measure transmission fluid temperature I used a thermal imaging camera pointed at the pan, and stopped when it just hit the range - assuming the fluid was slightly hotter than the pan due to slower heat transfer.

I also did not drop the mechatronics/valve body. If you did, then you would need to get the seal adapter and sealing sleeve kit from CTS. Those apparently go bad resulting in poor pressure and bad shifts - I probably won't touch them until another 20k or so are on the car.

The mechatronics sleeve should be replaced if you drop the pan. It sucks to do, but isn't impossible and they did update the sleeve at one point so depending on what year your car is it may need done anyway. My 2010 model had the updated sleeve, but I did not know this until I took it out.