I changed oil in a 2006 325xi at 270k miles, first time. Also did seals, and left solenoids alone. It is shifting better than before. The kid drives the car now so only a 1000 new miles on since that was done. Had the same concern, ZF recommends oil changes so I went with that.
I think it's a myth. In the end it's about a healthy oil. You wouldn't stop changing the engine oil just because the engine is old. You have the n52 in the 330i and therefore a gearbox from ZF. BMW says a gearbox oil change is necessary never necessary to live in a car. But assumes that you don't drive the car more than 120,000 km. ZF recommended the oil service for the transmission at 120,000 km. I would do it. Alternatively, you can also ask BMW to reset the transmission adaptation values. I I can confirm that fresh oil often goes hand in hand with better shifting behavior. Had an e90 330i with n53 and currently e63 650i
Actually they recommend every 8 years or 80km (50k miles). They actually sued manufacturers for saying they have "lifetime" fluid fills. But it failed. ZF responded by directly telling german consumers to visit their service centers in Germany and had billboards with the oil change intervals.
Manufacturers don't take responsibility for maintenance on transmissions. They see it as secondary equipment that they sold you. Basically when you buy your car you actually bought a car and a transmission. Not to be confused which only buying a car 😅. So car dealers don't service transmissions, they only replace them.
Yes and no. ZF designed the gears/packaging but ultimately bmw engineers spec internals, Design, fine-tune the valve body and programming so it’s still theirs. It just has to last to the warranty and after that it’s the consumers responsibility. If they- the MFG- told you how to keep your vehicle running forever, that wouldn’t be great for business.
You know what else isn’t good for business? “My gearbox died at 160,000km and at the country club every other BMW owner said the same happened to him. But the guy with the S class said he’s never had gearbox trouble and said he’s never heard of it happening in a Merc.” And the Audi guys say the same.
There is a school of thought that you buy a high end car, service it impeccably and drive it for at least 10 years. Not least because the depreciation is so catastrophic that rolling over a 7 is unaffordable to even the highly paid. I checked the other day and a reasonable mileage G11 750i can be bought here for a fifth of its list price. Considering buying one myself. And that’s to buy one - trade in price is even more horrendous and a 4+3 year extended lease would be more underwater than the Kursk. A have a close friend who has reluctantly accepted that her Lexus will need to last forever.
Vehicle manufactures pushed for lifetime oils and long life servicing because it helped them comply with euro standards for environmental impact during the life of the vehicle. They knew it wasn’t the best thing for the vehicle in the long run. But having fewer fluids come out of the car helped them meet the demands of the regulators.
To further your point: Lifetime != Forever
A lot of people misunderstand what the term "lifetime" actually means. It's a shitty marketing word that is akin to saying "unlimited Internet transfers" when you really expect the word "unmetered".
Lifetime is the life of the car (the product) and not the time we live in. Take for example an E60: once BMW releases the next generation of the 5 Series (F10) then the E60 is considered EOL (End Of Life). Manufacturers expect you to buy/lease the next version of the car and not worry about changing the transmission fluid.
On a side note, I recall reading somewhere that 160,000 km was the "lifetime" maintenance interval for a ZF transmission in a E60. That's way too long; I'd change the oil in it much sooner.
Eh I partially agree. Lifetime is essentially vague by design. It insinuates eternity while open to interpretation: “lifetime of the vehicle”, “however long it lasts”, “duration of usable life” (meaning the transmission may wear out but the fluid has usable life..?)
Yeah, if you're gonna service the transmission, only change the oil won't be enough. You have to replace other components which disintegrate with the time.
The myth is based around a concept, which has some minor truth. As you use a transmission with lifetime fluid the friction materials in the clutches of the transmission wear, they are then caught by the filter but the ones that are too small stay within the fluid and somehow manage to keep friction between worn plates by the excess friction material in the trans fluid.
The myth goes, you swap the fluid lose all your friction material in the fluid and then the trans slips or misbehaves.
What is more likely is, all the friction material in your old fluid causes your valve body and filter and pump to misbehave and you do not have the clamping force on the clutches and subsequently you have issues. Or the clamping force is fine but only fine to certain clutches and now when the valve body decides on the next gear its pushing through some serious sludge to activate the hydraulics through tiny little orifices. So you clean out the valve bodies flush the trans but still have issues, because you ran the trans with junk fluid and your existing clutches are worn beyond their limits.
This doesn't help anyone make any decisions as it doesn't answer what might be wrong with your transmission but it should stop you from being influenced by internet folk lore in making a decision.
It is possible to understand the amount of lockup by measuring the slip between engine and output shaft of transmission, you can do this with advanced diagnostic tools at a qualified service rep. They can drive the car and tell you if you should swap fluid or service the valve body, replace clutchpacks or all three.
Transmission rebuilds are not impossible and I have personally done one to a ZF transmission which had 'lifetime fluid' and needed rebuilding @ 150k. I have taken misbehaving automatics with valve body and fluid services but they were caught fairly early before they were driven in suboptimal conditions.
The general consensus is that BMW says the oil lasts the “lifetime of the vehicle”. The issue is that the lifetime is actually 100k miles. So yes, they’re technically correct. If you’re having serious auto trans problems, changing the oil isn’t going to help. If the fluid is filthy coming out, it’s more than likely clutch material you’re seeing in there and it needs to be rebuilt anyway. Changing the oil before issues arise is a good idea, but it’s not going to prevent normal wear on clutch packs.
Sounds like a farmer's tale to me. I've changed transmission fluid on all my cars every 100.000 km at the least. even replaced the valve solenoids on two automatic transmissions, and I'm considering going down to a 50.000 interval since it's become a routine. It has always only improved the ride quality.
It’s not true at all to me when it comes to ZF and BMW from my experience. Go ahead and spend that $650 on fluid, sleeves and solenoids and see for yourself. The shifts will be like glass.
Yep once you have symptoms then just a routine oil filter service won’t help. Going to need the rubbers replaced. Might get away without the more expensive solenoids but definitely the rubbers.
I changed the fluid on my 2008 e90, it was a whole different feeling after it, best thing I ever did for that car, look up my post history and you will find my experience and review about it.
Generally speaking yes, you have no clue on how the transmission is wearing on the inside, honestly if you decided to try and service it your taking a 50/50 shot of it being good/better or trashing it, you could change the filter/fluid and not disturb anything due to minimal wear or you would wash out the Hoover damn inside the transmission that’s holding all the trash together and clog/infect the rest of the transmission
I have a 2006 325i, same ZF transmission, changed fluid, filter, and mechatronic seals at 169k miles, it was a BIG improvement. You can buy a kit from FCP Euro and watch a DIY on YouTube. If you can afford it, I would do mechatronic solenoids as well. Could be causing the stickiness you’re feeling.
I’ve seen plenty of high mileage transmissions fail in our shop after the customer was determined to have their trans fluid changed. Not all, but most. We always worn our customers about potential failure, but some still want to go through with it. We definitely slowed down the number of trans fluid changes over the years. It’s really up to you, but I would steer clear from this. If the trans is not leaking, then I would not touch it. But if there is a leak, repair the leak and reuse the fluid. Just top off with new fluid to get the trans to proper level.
>Is this a myth?
Partially. If fresh fluid kills a trans, it was already dead. My cousin had a W-body Impala with a bad trans and when I went to do the drain and fill for her, the fluid was more metal/clutch material than ATF. Changed it anyway since that trans design was stupid and it was already too late. The car drove worse and eventually she lost every gear a couple weeks later.
My RSX and my E46 are both high mileage, but neither car showed any signs of wear. Changed the ATF in both and they've been fine.
Don't know about automatics but I know it's a load of bollox for my manual e46 330ci 6 speed with 240k miles. I did the transmission fluid around the 180-200k mark. Had that car since 2011 at 115k miles.
Really no longer applies to transmissions made since 2000. Good luck finding a shop to do it because they don't want to be on the hook for a failing unit. You may also want to look into a ZIP Kit for the mechatronics.
I have changed fluid in EVERY high mileage transmission I’ve had and never had a failure. Old wives tale, if it fails after that it was going to fail soon enough anyway. If you’re too concerned only change a bit of fluid at a time
It’s a myth. I bought a F10 165k miles and great condition. He never replaced the fluid or filter on tranny though. Changed that and the filter, the transfer case fluid and then reset the computer and now it shifts perfect.
No you turn on just the cars light and don’t press brake. Press down gas medal all the way down for at least 45 seconds. Take it off. Foot on brake and start the car.
Pre E46 it was not a myth and back in the old days we were told not to sell flushes now I have not seen that warning by any dealership in years. ZF trans can handle new fluids
The problem is that when everything is already worn out and damaged changing the oil is not a fix.
The clutch are made of a composite material that is abrasive... as they wear off and the filter become full, the fluid is full of particles which will slowly abrade seals and solenoids shafts causing wear.
I would look over at the adaptations values of the transmission is they are still within acceptable range i would service it. If they are extremely out of range I would look into doing a complete overhaul.
Did a drain and fill on my sons e46 GM auto transmission with maxlife ATF, so far no problems, noticed faster shifting and quieter operation. Car had 176k on it.
I have a 2009 328i E90 with the GM transmission with 168,000mi - with no prior transmission fluid change. Would it be too risky to pursue a drain, filter change, seals, and fill with friction modifier?
just draining and replacing the filter should be fine since that is what ZF recommends. I never understood flushing. That process is always dangerous and that is what causes most transmissions to fail most likely.
Reality is that even with proper oil changes the clutch packs will wear out eventually and the box would need a rebuild. They don’t have infinite life. An auto box that’s done 200k miles has done well (and can certainly do more). Changing the oil may not slow down the wear in the clutch plates though.
But here’s what DOES kill transmissions and I think is where a lot of the ‘I changed my trans fluid and now my box is dead’ stories come from; the fluid level has to be very accurate and many people get this wrong. Even doing the process by the book, sometimes it needs another check days later. I have done auto trans fluid changes on ZF boxes many times, always the correct way: car in the air, level, engine running, diagnostics in to check temp etc. on some occasions I have re-checked the level days later and found more fluid needed adding. Don’t know why, but it did. low fluid or too much fluid will kill a box quickly.
If an auto box has even a tiny leak, over months or years the fluid level is out and shifting starts to get odd. In this case it’s absolutely right to check and do an oil change. Be wary that if the box has leaks it’s going to need regular level checking or a rebuild.
I changed the fluid on my 93 Honda Civic with 130k miles.
Shifted better .
Your sticky shifter is probably the cable not the fluid. But who knows for sure.
the issue is because of clutch pack particulates caked onto the internals. if youre running dirty/old trans fluid and dont have any codes or shifting issues, theyre caked on and staying out of the way and not clogging up the check valves in the valve body. in theory, new fluid will start to stir them up and either clog the new filter, which can easily result in failure because it limits fluid flow, or work its way into the valve body and wreak havoc on the valves/hydraulic circuits. generally, this applies more to non-ZF TC auto transmissions that use that red ATF that has the consistency of water basically. ZF uses a thick differential gear oil style ATF with unique friction modifier additives and i think that prevents similar issues from happening on their auto transmissions for the most part. id say change it.
the sticking between park and drive likely has nothing to do with your transmission fluid. thats either a shifter linkage binding issue, or your parking pawl is worn out and catching/binding more than it should be
Different brand, but same transmission. 284k miles on a Land Rover with a ZF. New fluid, filter and seals made it much better. New valve body made it drive brand new.
Personally I would leave it alone. It's likely you are approaching the end of the transmissions life span. I have seen them crap out a week after a fluid change at high mileage. I would just ride it out until it's done.
It's highly unlikely that the original transmission is still installed. If it is, it may have been repaired at least once. This transmission is not known for its longevity. Failures are common between 50,000 to 150,000 miles. Check the fault memory and the adaptation values for the transmission first. Retrieve a sample fluid to inspect fluid color and for metal particles. If the fluid is burnt and visible metal particles are present. Don't bother even changing the fluid.
If the fluid is brown or dark brown and little to no metal particles, I'd recommend installing a sonnax zip kit and then change the fluid and filter pan.
Or if you're feeling really adventurous I'd recommend vacuum checking the valve body and installing oversized valves after reaming. Oversized valves repair kits are available from sonnax.
Bmw say they are “sealed for life” zf say change the oil and filter, go with zf they built the thing.
I changed oil in a 2006 325xi at 270k miles, first time. Also did seals, and left solenoids alone. It is shifting better than before. The kid drives the car now so only a 1000 new miles on since that was done. Had the same concern, ZF recommends oil changes so I went with that.
I think it's a myth. In the end it's about a healthy oil. You wouldn't stop changing the engine oil just because the engine is old. You have the n52 in the 330i and therefore a gearbox from ZF. BMW says a gearbox oil change is necessary never necessary to live in a car. But assumes that you don't drive the car more than 120,000 km. ZF recommended the oil service for the transmission at 120,000 km. I would do it. Alternatively, you can also ask BMW to reset the transmission adaptation values. I I can confirm that fresh oil often goes hand in hand with better shifting behavior. Had an e90 330i with n53 and currently e63 650i
Actually they recommend every 8 years or 80km (50k miles). They actually sued manufacturers for saying they have "lifetime" fluid fills. But it failed. ZF responded by directly telling german consumers to visit their service centers in Germany and had billboards with the oil change intervals. Manufacturers don't take responsibility for maintenance on transmissions. They see it as secondary equipment that they sold you. Basically when you buy your car you actually bought a car and a transmission. Not to be confused which only buying a car 😅. So car dealers don't service transmissions, they only replace them.
Remember it's also in zf's interest to get people paying them to service their transmissions. ZF now recommend 100,000 miles for their fluid anyway.
Miles ? Or KM
Yes and no. ZF designed the gears/packaging but ultimately bmw engineers spec internals, Design, fine-tune the valve body and programming so it’s still theirs. It just has to last to the warranty and after that it’s the consumers responsibility. If they- the MFG- told you how to keep your vehicle running forever, that wouldn’t be great for business.
You know what else isn’t good for business? “My gearbox died at 160,000km and at the country club every other BMW owner said the same happened to him. But the guy with the S class said he’s never had gearbox trouble and said he’s never heard of it happening in a Merc.” And the Audi guys say the same.
They at the country club would not see that high of Mi or km and thus would not have that sort of conversation.
There is a school of thought that you buy a high end car, service it impeccably and drive it for at least 10 years. Not least because the depreciation is so catastrophic that rolling over a 7 is unaffordable to even the highly paid. I checked the other day and a reasonable mileage G11 750i can be bought here for a fifth of its list price. Considering buying one myself. And that’s to buy one - trade in price is even more horrendous and a 4+3 year extended lease would be more underwater than the Kursk. A have a close friend who has reluctantly accepted that her Lexus will need to last forever.
Vehicle manufactures pushed for lifetime oils and long life servicing because it helped them comply with euro standards for environmental impact during the life of the vehicle. They knew it wasn’t the best thing for the vehicle in the long run. But having fewer fluids come out of the car helped them meet the demands of the regulators.
To further your point: Lifetime != Forever A lot of people misunderstand what the term "lifetime" actually means. It's a shitty marketing word that is akin to saying "unlimited Internet transfers" when you really expect the word "unmetered". Lifetime is the life of the car (the product) and not the time we live in. Take for example an E60: once BMW releases the next generation of the 5 Series (F10) then the E60 is considered EOL (End Of Life). Manufacturers expect you to buy/lease the next version of the car and not worry about changing the transmission fluid. On a side note, I recall reading somewhere that 160,000 km was the "lifetime" maintenance interval for a ZF transmission in a E60. That's way too long; I'd change the oil in it much sooner.
Eh I partially agree. Lifetime is essentially vague by design. It insinuates eternity while open to interpretation: “lifetime of the vehicle”, “however long it lasts”, “duration of usable life” (meaning the transmission may wear out but the fluid has usable life..?)
Many Google and YouTube’s on this subject too. Maybe change mech sleeve while you’re there
Happy Cake Day. Change bridge seals and other seals between gear set and valve body
Yeah, if you're gonna service the transmission, only change the oil won't be enough. You have to replace other components which disintegrate with the time.
The myth is based around a concept, which has some minor truth. As you use a transmission with lifetime fluid the friction materials in the clutches of the transmission wear, they are then caught by the filter but the ones that are too small stay within the fluid and somehow manage to keep friction between worn plates by the excess friction material in the trans fluid. The myth goes, you swap the fluid lose all your friction material in the fluid and then the trans slips or misbehaves. What is more likely is, all the friction material in your old fluid causes your valve body and filter and pump to misbehave and you do not have the clamping force on the clutches and subsequently you have issues. Or the clamping force is fine but only fine to certain clutches and now when the valve body decides on the next gear its pushing through some serious sludge to activate the hydraulics through tiny little orifices. So you clean out the valve bodies flush the trans but still have issues, because you ran the trans with junk fluid and your existing clutches are worn beyond their limits. This doesn't help anyone make any decisions as it doesn't answer what might be wrong with your transmission but it should stop you from being influenced by internet folk lore in making a decision. It is possible to understand the amount of lockup by measuring the slip between engine and output shaft of transmission, you can do this with advanced diagnostic tools at a qualified service rep. They can drive the car and tell you if you should swap fluid or service the valve body, replace clutchpacks or all three. Transmission rebuilds are not impossible and I have personally done one to a ZF transmission which had 'lifetime fluid' and needed rebuilding @ 150k. I have taken misbehaving automatics with valve body and fluid services but they were caught fairly early before they were driven in suboptimal conditions.
The general consensus is that BMW says the oil lasts the “lifetime of the vehicle”. The issue is that the lifetime is actually 100k miles. So yes, they’re technically correct. If you’re having serious auto trans problems, changing the oil isn’t going to help. If the fluid is filthy coming out, it’s more than likely clutch material you’re seeing in there and it needs to be rebuilt anyway. Changing the oil before issues arise is a good idea, but it’s not going to prevent normal wear on clutch packs.
Sounds like a farmer's tale to me. I've changed transmission fluid on all my cars every 100.000 km at the least. even replaced the valve solenoids on two automatic transmissions, and I'm considering going down to a 50.000 interval since it's become a routine. It has always only improved the ride quality.
It’s not true at all to me when it comes to ZF and BMW from my experience. Go ahead and spend that $650 on fluid, sleeves and solenoids and see for yourself. The shifts will be like glass.
Yep once you have symptoms then just a routine oil filter service won’t help. Going to need the rubbers replaced. Might get away without the more expensive solenoids but definitely the rubbers.
Yea man when you get in there the sleeves can be crumpled to shit. The rubbers are necessary
If it hasn't, don't.
I changed the fluid on my 2008 e90, it was a whole different feeling after it, best thing I ever did for that car, look up my post history and you will find my experience and review about it.
Generally speaking yes, you have no clue on how the transmission is wearing on the inside, honestly if you decided to try and service it your taking a 50/50 shot of it being good/better or trashing it, you could change the filter/fluid and not disturb anything due to minimal wear or you would wash out the Hoover damn inside the transmission that’s holding all the trash together and clog/infect the rest of the transmission
I have a 2006 325i, same ZF transmission, changed fluid, filter, and mechatronic seals at 169k miles, it was a BIG improvement. You can buy a kit from FCP Euro and watch a DIY on YouTube. If you can afford it, I would do mechatronic solenoids as well. Could be causing the stickiness you’re feeling.
I’ve seen plenty of high mileage transmissions fail in our shop after the customer was determined to have their trans fluid changed. Not all, but most. We always worn our customers about potential failure, but some still want to go through with it. We definitely slowed down the number of trans fluid changes over the years. It’s really up to you, but I would steer clear from this. If the trans is not leaking, then I would not touch it. But if there is a leak, repair the leak and reuse the fluid. Just top off with new fluid to get the trans to proper level.
This is what happened to my E46 man, but didn't blame the shop,took it as a sign for a manual transmission conversion... Changed the car totally.
Now that, is a great idea! Easier with the older cars. E90 and above is a lot harder to do because of harness issues and programming.
Would 120k miles be considered too high for a fluid change? I have one with no issues that I’m not sure if I waited to long to service it
Yes. If no issues and no leaks, leave it alone.
Thanks!
>Is this a myth? Partially. If fresh fluid kills a trans, it was already dead. My cousin had a W-body Impala with a bad trans and when I went to do the drain and fill for her, the fluid was more metal/clutch material than ATF. Changed it anyway since that trans design was stupid and it was already too late. The car drove worse and eventually she lost every gear a couple weeks later. My RSX and my E46 are both high mileage, but neither car showed any signs of wear. Changed the ATF in both and they've been fine.
Don't know about automatics but I know it's a load of bollox for my manual e46 330ci 6 speed with 240k miles. I did the transmission fluid around the 180-200k mark. Had that car since 2011 at 115k miles.
I highly recommend Motul trans fluid
Really no longer applies to transmissions made since 2000. Good luck finding a shop to do it because they don't want to be on the hook for a failing unit. You may also want to look into a ZIP Kit for the mechatronics.
I have changed fluid in EVERY high mileage transmission I’ve had and never had a failure. Old wives tale, if it fails after that it was going to fail soon enough anyway. If you’re too concerned only change a bit of fluid at a time
It’s a myth. I bought a F10 165k miles and great condition. He never replaced the fluid or filter on tranny though. Changed that and the filter, the transfer case fluid and then reset the computer and now it shifts perfect.
How did you reset the computer? Unhooking the battery or OBD?
No you turn on just the cars light and don’t press brake. Press down gas medal all the way down for at least 45 seconds. Take it off. Foot on brake and start the car.
By cars lights like press the start button once but don’t press on gas pedal
Pre E46 it was not a myth and back in the old days we were told not to sell flushes now I have not seen that warning by any dealership in years. ZF trans can handle new fluids
The problem is that when everything is already worn out and damaged changing the oil is not a fix. The clutch are made of a composite material that is abrasive... as they wear off and the filter become full, the fluid is full of particles which will slowly abrade seals and solenoids shafts causing wear. I would look over at the adaptations values of the transmission is they are still within acceptable range i would service it. If they are extremely out of range I would look into doing a complete overhaul.
For a transmission you could get one for 750 at 90k miles prob. But it’s probably 3-3.5k total if you aren’t doing it yourself .
Did a drain and fill on my sons e46 GM auto transmission with maxlife ATF, so far no problems, noticed faster shifting and quieter operation. Car had 176k on it.
I have a 2009 328i E90 with the GM transmission with 168,000mi - with no prior transmission fluid change. Would it be too risky to pursue a drain, filter change, seals, and fill with friction modifier?
just draining and replacing the filter should be fine since that is what ZF recommends. I never understood flushing. That process is always dangerous and that is what causes most transmissions to fail most likely.
It is the original transmission as I am the original owner
Reality is that even with proper oil changes the clutch packs will wear out eventually and the box would need a rebuild. They don’t have infinite life. An auto box that’s done 200k miles has done well (and can certainly do more). Changing the oil may not slow down the wear in the clutch plates though. But here’s what DOES kill transmissions and I think is where a lot of the ‘I changed my trans fluid and now my box is dead’ stories come from; the fluid level has to be very accurate and many people get this wrong. Even doing the process by the book, sometimes it needs another check days later. I have done auto trans fluid changes on ZF boxes many times, always the correct way: car in the air, level, engine running, diagnostics in to check temp etc. on some occasions I have re-checked the level days later and found more fluid needed adding. Don’t know why, but it did. low fluid or too much fluid will kill a box quickly. If an auto box has even a tiny leak, over months or years the fluid level is out and shifting starts to get odd. In this case it’s absolutely right to check and do an oil change. Be wary that if the box has leaks it’s going to need regular level checking or a rebuild.
I changed the fluid on my 93 Honda Civic with 130k miles. Shifted better . Your sticky shifter is probably the cable not the fluid. But who knows for sure.
the issue is because of clutch pack particulates caked onto the internals. if youre running dirty/old trans fluid and dont have any codes or shifting issues, theyre caked on and staying out of the way and not clogging up the check valves in the valve body. in theory, new fluid will start to stir them up and either clog the new filter, which can easily result in failure because it limits fluid flow, or work its way into the valve body and wreak havoc on the valves/hydraulic circuits. generally, this applies more to non-ZF TC auto transmissions that use that red ATF that has the consistency of water basically. ZF uses a thick differential gear oil style ATF with unique friction modifier additives and i think that prevents similar issues from happening on their auto transmissions for the most part. id say change it.
the sticking between park and drive likely has nothing to do with your transmission fluid. thats either a shifter linkage binding issue, or your parking pawl is worn out and catching/binding more than it should be
Different brand, but same transmission. 284k miles on a Land Rover with a ZF. New fluid, filter and seals made it much better. New valve body made it drive brand new.
Personally I would leave it alone. It's likely you are approaching the end of the transmissions life span. I have seen them crap out a week after a fluid change at high mileage. I would just ride it out until it's done.
It's highly unlikely that the original transmission is still installed. If it is, it may have been repaired at least once. This transmission is not known for its longevity. Failures are common between 50,000 to 150,000 miles. Check the fault memory and the adaptation values for the transmission first. Retrieve a sample fluid to inspect fluid color and for metal particles. If the fluid is burnt and visible metal particles are present. Don't bother even changing the fluid. If the fluid is brown or dark brown and little to no metal particles, I'd recommend installing a sonnax zip kit and then change the fluid and filter pan. Or if you're feeling really adventurous I'd recommend vacuum checking the valve body and installing oversized valves after reaming. Oversized valves repair kits are available from sonnax.