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      11-11-2020, 07:16 PM   #1
Yuille36
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Blood Transfusion

No not literally... But I did change out the fluids in my transmission, transfer case and front and rear differentials today of my X5M. I was very surprised to find out that the rear diff has three fill plugs and three drain plugs, I'm serious.
The transfer case just has one plug for filling and draining, and the transmission
case cross member has to be unbolted and move out of the way to drain and fill it. So we had to use a pole jack to support And for the front diff, a plastic panel needs to have the screws removed to move it out of the way to access the fill plug. The transmission was straight forward, but requires a scan tool to monitor the temps before fluid can be added. Then plug in 6 liters, run the vehicle while it's in the lift, go thru the gears, then topped off. The procedure is a little more involved, but you get the gist of it. I was surprised that the fluid in the front diff was dark, as compared to the rear diff. But the transmission fluid and transfer case fluid was good, but I changed out all fluids regardless of how clean it looked.
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Last edited by Yuille36; 11-12-2020 at 03:35 AM..
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      11-11-2020, 07:25 PM   #2
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Please tell me you put the correct fluid in that QMVH differential. The sides are a completely different fluid then the middle and you could cause damage to it. Typically when those differentials are serviced you only drain and fill the center. At least that's all that is done by Bmw on the 1200 mile service or any other diff service under the warranty maintenance program. The SAF carbon mod fluid that goes in the sides is like $50 for one .5L bottle.
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      11-12-2020, 03:54 AM   #3
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No, I only used Castrol 75W140 for LSD diffs, for both the center and left and right sides of the rear diff. From what I read, the rear diff specified only one fluid not two. This other fluid that you are suggesting, is an additive which adds friction material, in the case your suffering from clutch slippage issues. Like when you do a complete transmission flush, these friction materials are removed, so an additive would aid the transmission that has slipping issues.

And I apologize for the orientation of the photos, they were correct when they were uploaded.

This was a little more involved than I originally thought, with having to unbolt the transmission cross member, to drain and fill the transfer case, as it only has one plug, and you can't get to it without unbolting the cross member. Also loosen a side panel to access the fill plug on the front diff. The transmission bolts are tightened and torqued in a particular sequence. The best thing now, is that I don't have to worry about doing these services for another 4 years. Every fluid has been changed in my vehicle, we also did a complete undercarriage and suspension inspection, and all was good. Then we took my vehicle out, went thru all the gears, did a few hard pulls, brought it back in, lifted it and checked for leaks. Nothing....

Last edited by Yuille36; 11-12-2020 at 04:13 AM..
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      11-12-2020, 08:13 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yuille36 View Post
No, I only used Castrol 75W140 for LSD diffs, for both the center and left and right sides of the rear diff. From what I read, the rear diff specified only one fluid not two. This other fluid that you are suggesting, is an additive which adds friction material, in the case your suffering from clutch slippage issues. Like when you do a complete transmission flush, these friction materials are removed, so an additive would aid the transmission that has slipping issues.

And I apologize for the orientation of the photos, they were correct when they were uploaded.

This was a little more involved than I originally thought, with having to unbolt the transmission cross member, to drain and fill the transfer case, as it only has one plug, and you can't get to it without unbolting the cross member. Also loosen a side panel to access the fill plug on the front diff. The transmission bolts are tightened and torqued in a particular sequence. The best thing now, is that I don't have to worry about doing these services for another 4 years. Every fluid has been changed in my vehicle, we also did a complete undercarriage and suspension inspection, and all was good. Then we took my vehicle out, went thru all the gears, did a few hard pulls, brought it back in, lifted it and checked for leaks. Nothing....
You should be fine because you used a LSD oil that has friction modifier in it. If you look at the parts diagram on realoem.com it does call for two separate fluids. Outer chambers take 75w140 with friction modifier for the clutches and the center takes 75w90 without friction modifier.
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      11-12-2020, 09:31 AM   #5
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Thank you for this bit of information. Much appreciated. If I experience any issue, I will just drain and refill the center ring and pinion section with 75W90.
As the outer sections have 75W140 in them already.
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      11-12-2020, 01:35 PM   #6
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Just to make sure you don't cause yourself problems and expense, apologies if you know but it's here for future searches.

In repair instructions the fill plug in the chambers is not a traditional level plug setup. It takes an exact amount which brings it below the level of the plug, I.e. if it's trickling out it's over full

As previously posted the outside chambers are not meant to be serviced but levels are:


0.95 litre In centre chamber
0.54 litre in left chamber
0.58 litre in right chamber
All +/- 0.02 litre
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      11-12-2020, 02:50 PM   #7
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We let the excess fluid trickle out until it stopped, then we cap it off. So we didn't overfill the fluids.
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      11-13-2020, 01:08 PM   #8
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Only my opinion but that's over full and warned against in bmw repair instructions.. I will try and upload for you tomorrow, the fluid should be drained and the specific quantity put back in which is then filled below the fill plug, it's not a level plug. Unusual I know but I would hate a fellow enthusiast to come unstuck
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      11-13-2020, 02:55 PM   #9
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Rear Diff Service. Open photo for full view
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      11-13-2020, 02:59 PM   #10
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Rear diff replace including outer chamber filling. Again open photo for full view
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      11-15-2020, 11:04 AM   #11
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When it was filled, we then rotated both wheels for about a minute, and let any excess fluid naturally drain out on it own. I am not worried about it, in the slightest, as my tech knows what he's doing. But thanks for your concern, much appreciated.
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      11-15-2020, 11:50 AM   #12
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No worries my friend glad your happy, like I said just fellow enthusiast concern!
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      11-15-2020, 05:50 PM   #13
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The one thing my tech said to me, is that you don’t want to overfill these things. So he let just a little out of the drains bolts before he buttoned everything up. At the time I was saying to myself, he’s waisting my expensive fluids out. It only costs me $35 a liter.😩 I’ve been using Benz Elite Automotive in Fairfax Va for about 12 years now, and I trust the work absolutely. But I will say the information that you’ve provided me did concern me a lot. But I stand by my shops work and I’m extremely confident that I will not have any issues moving forward. But I will be the first to admit that we didn’t follow your instructions to the letter, and that alone concerned me.
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      11-19-2020, 09:20 AM   #14
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All my fluids looked pretty clean except for the front diff, which was dark. I was expecting the rear diff to look dark due to the clutch packs, but not the front.
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      11-19-2020, 12:38 PM   #15
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Mind to share how much your shop charges you to change both diffs, Tran case and transmission fluids? I assume they also allow you to bring in your own fluids since you've been their long time customers.

I've just moved to DMV area and all the Indy shops here I reached out to were quite expensive and won't work on the job if I bring my own parts/fluids. I know it's hard to believe but end up dealership is the cheapest route and allowing you bring in your own parts as long as they are OEM parts.
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      11-19-2020, 02:16 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Silververtu View Post
Mind to share how much your shop charges you to change both diffs, Tran case and transmission fluids? I assume they also allow you to bring in your own fluids since you've been their long time customers.

I've just moved to DMV area and all the Indy shops here I reached out to were quite expensive and won't work on the job if I bring my own parts/fluids. I know it's hard to believe but end up dealership is the cheapest route and allowing you bring in your own parts as long as they are OEM parts.
Benz Elite Automotive in Fairfax, VA charged me $520, for the (F) & (R) Diffs, Transfer Case and Transmission. My shop doesn't mind if customers bring their own parts/fluids just as long as their the right parts.

Because if their not, it delays the job. They would have to order the parts then wait for them to arrive, which only delays you even more.

If your looking for good quality work, at a fair price that won't kill your wallet give them a call at 703-370-1221. These guys work on all European models like Audi, Mercedes, BMW and Porsche. I've been taking all my cars there for years.
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      09-04-2021, 01:37 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yuille36 View Post
Benz Elite Automotive in Fairfax, VA charged me $520, for the (F) & (R) Diffs, Transfer Case and Transmission. My shop doesn't mind if customers bring their own parts/fluids just as long as their the right parts.

Because if their not, it delays the job. They would have to order the parts then wait for them to arrive, which only delays you even more.

If your looking for good quality work, at a fair price that won't kill your wallet give them a call at 703-370-1221. These guys work on all European models like Audi, Mercedes, BMW and Porsche. I've been taking all my cars there for years.
For labor only, I got quoted $68 for the front diff and $68 for the rear diff, BUT $473 for the Transfer Case!

That doesn't sound right does it?
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