Mines going in to main dealer tomorrow to get this done.
80k miles showing and I'm the third owner.
No shifting problems or issues.
In the uk our cars have 3 yrs warranty but after that & if not extended then bmw do run a goodwill scheme. At my mileage I wouldnt expect any goodwill unless a major component failed such as the engine or the gearbox. What I do know is that full bmw history and mileage are relevant in any decision. For this reason I would only recommend getting a change done by a bmw dealer on a car under 100k and with full history. Chances are if the box fails over 100k bmw may show little goodwill if any at all. Under 100k there is the remote chance they may offer to help with cost. I have asked then the dealer to do the work because if someone else does it and the box later fails at under 100k bmw will simply tell me to go away because I wouldn't have given their network the maintenance business and importantly they may claim it was changed incorrectly.
They wont be doing a torque convertor flush. I have asked them to drain ATF from sump, remove and replace pan filter, replace gasket, replace o ring and the bolt. I shall be asking them to clean out bottom of sump and also to produce to me the old parts so I know it has been done properly. If I still have the car 100k I may decide to do a simple d.i.y. drain refill that way more of the old ATF , (a fair bit in torque convertor isnt replaced), will be replaced / diluted with more new stuff.
I had been indecisive re getting this done and on the fence, however, I recently noticed minor ATF leakage around the gasket, hence I booked it in before any level drop cusues damage or premature failure.
Despite using bmw dealer I am very nervous re getting this done as I know most dealers arent asked to perform this and thus they technicain doing mine may have never had to do a drain and refill. I have printed off the ZF guide to the correct drain and refill procedure and there is a correct set of actions required to shift through gears at speicific temeratures so as to ensure the fill is done correctly. I really dont want to irriate the dealership, (as this can be counter productive), but I am hoping I can speak to the technician allocated to my car prior to the work going ahead.
Busy day tomorrow, I'm having to work through the night then to bed in morning, hopefully d.i.y. changing my Final Stage Resistor as well as taking my car to dealer in afternoon for the ATF change and an oil inspection, ( supplying own oil). Also need to get a puncture repair urgently as I recently found a screw in my tyre and it is losing air, (fortunately screw is in centre of tread pattern not edge so should repair okay).
Fwiw I believe the 3.0i has the GM tranny whereas mine has the ZF - I need to check this though. Afaik the ZF5HP24 seems to be more probe to failyre than the GM unit though I have no figures to back that up- just my interpretation having spent a fair ammount of time reading up on various bmw and specifically X5 boards.
With varous auto worries as well as turbo concerns on the diesels, (where available in world), it seems the most worry free used E53 experience may be with a manual shift 3.0i and no NAV.
Link below gives the most accurate stats on pros and cons relative to changes with OE fluid or others - best data that I have seen online though by no means conclusive as too many factors that cant be documeted, (e.g. not being able to attribute failures post change to bad drain/refil procedure)
click for link
click for X5 discussion here link here
bmwland chat here