Engine Drivetrain 2nd Gen S Most liked posts in thread: R56 Manual Transmission Fluid Change

MOM is the donutnation......

 

My $.02
Royal pimple is junk.
Red Line MTF is ok but not the best.

AMSOIL Severe Gear® 75W-90 excellent for OEM. Used to run it its great.
I am now running Eneos (3092300) GL-5 Certified 75W-90 Differential Fluid Gear Oil ** Top quality gear oil recommended by OS Giken

 

I never used Redline but I know people that I respect their knowledge and they said it was like night and day.

I had OEM fluid and went right to Amsoil, then switched to Eneos and my trans is nice and smooth now. Amsoil got rid of the OEM notchyness but not completely. Eneos did the trick with it's included friction modifiers package.

 

The 5-30 is first gen oil and the 0-40 is second gen. Either will work just fine unless you are really pushing the limits of mileage or use.

 

You can drain more out of the R53 if you tilt the car with a jack.

 

I have an R53 with factory LSD and I change my transmission fluid every 40-50k. It's pretty easy to do once you have the car up on jack stands - and give yourself as much clearance as is safe on your jack stands. You'll need either a funnel with a long tube or a fluid pump, along with a breaker bar and a torque wrench. I know MTL works for my car, but check with a knowledgeable source for your year/gen/transmission.

Another "lifetime" fluid, the power steering fluid, should be flushed at a roughly similar interval, but that's a little more complicated.

 

Royal Purple

I backed away from it when I saw that the gear lube they offer is a one-size-fits-all. They also do not list any MINI in their application guide. BTW, the
Redline MT-85 I used is neat. Shifts and synchro's are now smooth as silk and tranny noise is virtually gone.

 

BMW has cases upon cases of the stuff that they ship down to a spot in St Augustine Florida....

They dip it into the "Fountain of Ute".... Instantly becomes "Extended Life"

Dip here....

 

I live in SoCal, a week ago it was raining hard enough to lose my satellite link to Dish Network, then in less than two days it's 95-100 degrees fahrenheit. I believe the reason why I'm over thinking things is because I just had my clutch disk, pressure plate, throwout bearing and flywheel replaced at 53k. I could have gone 50k further but decided to take care of things now while the transmission is down. I still consider the BMW oil to be no different than that of other transmission oil in regards to maintenance intervals, like said it's not really lifetime stuff.

I would love to jump down that well for awhile though! :biggrin5:

 

Just my .02.

I used the Redline MT90 in my 01 TT Quattro Coupe when I had it, and this was suggested by the owner of Automotive Assets in Powell Ohio, the do prep race cars after all. I was talking to him about the issue I was having with the tranny and how the dealership wanted to rebuild and take lots of my money. He said to try it out and let him know. So I bought the Redline from them and did the job with a buddy. And I gotta say that stuff made it like a brand new car. It shifted so amazingly smooth and silky. It was freaking unreal!

I fully intend to make this fluid change shortly in the Mini as I am rapidly approaching the 50K mark, probably sometime around August for me. Damn, I've got a lot of work to do soon! Brakes, oil, trans fluid, brake fluid, ps fluid and a vacuum pump. Anyone wanna make some donations?? LOL.

 

I change my oil every 5k miles.

 

The most important part........ Remove the FILL plug first.

When I end up doing mine, I'll switch over to the magnetic "Dimple" plugs.

 

YesIFit, How did it go?

Removing the fill plug first is a good suggestion. I have the magnetic plug on my engine and want to add one to the trans also. Also, what is the trans fluid capacity?

Also, why the Red Line MTL? How did you decide which fluid to use?

Thanks,
Greg

 

Thanks for the quick response guys! Now to find the Redline MTL. I see Mini Mania has it, but it would be nice to find it here on the East Coast.

Once I get my hands on some, that looks like the next project.

 

Any good independent shop should have some. You won't find it at AutoZone. Look for race cars parked out front. =)

Also here: http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-cooper/redline_70w80_MTL_mini_cooper_transmission_fluid_oil.html

And here: http://www.waymotorworks.com/product.php?productid=16740

 

I've talked to 3 good independent service shops and all said 50K on the tranny lube for a daily driver. Anyone heard different and why? I've got 10K to go.

 

50k is what I heard, too.

 

So.... If I understand this correctly.

We all agree the MINI/BMW "Lifetime" (MTF-LT-4) manual fluid period is hogwash. Whatever lifetime means???

Make the first change at 50K and continue at that period at every 50K for street and sooner if you track?

No one seems to make an equivalent for the "Lifetime" (MTF-LT-4), and the best alternate , or one of the best alternates would be the Redline MTL?

 

I'd also recommend that when doing the change you pickup some of the magnetic drain plugs to put in the transmission as well.