Expert: John Kingery - 6/12/2008

Question
CAN i use"PENTOSIN ATF" for my transmission

Answer
1.  I wouldn't change the fluid except after a rebuild.  BMW made these such that they couldn't be changed (OK, at least changed easily).  Most have never had oil changed. Changing now, if it hasn't been changed before, is almost guarenteed to bring on problems.  Better to leave it and wait for it to fail, vs. driving a failure now with new ATF.

2. Having said that, I would only use BMW ATF. I don't usually go strictly with the manufacturer's parts, but let's face it:  The BMW engineers know more about this transmission than anyone else.  Go with what they developed it with.