I have a BMW Mini Cooper about 5 1/2 years old with only about 25,000 miles. I don’t go to the dealer as they are 80 miles away. I’m trying to find out if and when I should change the automatic transmission fluid?
All you have to do it to open your glove compartment, take out the booklet containing the manufacturer’s Maintenance Schedule, and see what it specifies. You should be aware that most service procedures have both an odometer mileage factor and an elapsed time factor. (Something on the order of "Every 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first)
If a transmission fluid change is specified in your Owner’s Manual, it is likely that you are now overdue, based on the elapsed time, rather than on odometer mileage. This is not something that should be overlooked, as it has a direct bearing on both the function and the longevity of the transmission.
It is possible that there is no transmission fluid change listed in the manufacturer’s Maintenance schedule for your car, but most transmission experts agree that the fluid (and the filter, if so equipped) should be changed every 30,000 miles or so. On an elapsed time basis, that would probably be about every 2.5 years.
Incidentally, since it appears that you do not use the Maintenance Schedule that came with your car, I would suggest that you compare it to your service invoices to see what other maintenance procedures are behind schedule.
There is an old saying regarding car maintenance:
“You can pay me now (maintenance), or you can pay me later (repairs)”
Repairs are invariably more expensive and less convenient than maintenance that is done on a timely basis.
Check your onwers manual for interval of time first. I have a feeling though that the transmission fluid has no specified replacement interval.
I have checked my manuals. The problem with the mini is that you must rely on the console display to tell you which service to perform. Unfortunately with a low mileage car, this doesn’t really work. Also the manual does not break down into detail what each service is and the service intervals. Had this been in the manuals I would not have asked the question.
The problem with the Mini is that many independent mechanics don’t work on them or have a clue. My mechanic promised to get back to me twice on when this should be done and if he could order the oil. He never did.
Call the dealer’s service dept.