Has anyone ever changed their Transmission fluid ?
Yourself or dealer ?

Mine has 107,000 miles shifts smooth..very smooth..

But sometimes at a stop light...it lurches slightly a couple times.

Like it wants to go

Any and all opinions welcome

Michael

 

I'm guessing you're talking about the automatic. I have the 6-speed and I changed my fluid at 75,000 miles. No change in anything that I could tell.

 

I'm at 139,000 (5-speed manual) and never changed it, and would not unless I experienced problems. Maybe when the clutch goes (still original) that might be a consideration. If it were a Ford, the answer would be very different, as their transmissions seem to self-destruct if the fluid isn't changed every 50k miles.

If you are at the 100k mile mark, and the serpentine belt has not been replaced, that for certain is something you will want to do.

 

I own two cars with the Getrag 6-speed automatic transmission: 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman, and 2008 VW Jetta. Changed the fluid and filter on the MINI around 60,000 miles and was told that the fluid looked a little dark but ok. They used Redline fluid. The OE fluid is supposed to be lifetime but I think that 100,000 miles would be the max. It shifts a little firmer after but not too noticeable.

I had the VW dealer replace the Jetta's 6-speed Getrag automatic transmission fluid and filter around 90,000 miles. It definitely went from soft slow shifts to firmer quicker shifts. There's more of a bump feel when the transmission shifts now after the service. Same with the MINI. The Jetta still takes an extra second or two to shift from P to D if the RPMs are high such as when the engine is warming up. The Jetta does shift slower than the MINI even though they have the same transmission.

I believe that very slow smooth shifts are a sign of fluid breakdown. With your other symptoms I suspect the new fluid is cheap insurance.

 

Thank you for all your responses!!!

much appreciated

I am going to have the filter and fluid changed at the dealer

 

I recently bought a 06 R52S with a slippy/slammy transmission after it warms up. I have done three (partial) fluid changes and hoping to see more improvement in the shifting as the system adapts. I am using pentosin transmission fluid I ordered from O'Reillys. I bought a transmission filler adapter tool (ATF-105) online and attached it to a fluid pump. Makes it so I only have to remove the bottom bolt to drain and fill. But there is a very good PDF file, if you are trying to decide whether to do it yourself or not, read the article to help you decide. Good Luck! http://www.*********************/for...atf-change.pdf

 

Is your 2006 a Cooper or Cooper S? If you're talking about the MINI Cooper S models with the 6-speed Agitronic transmission, we have a DIY article on our site that can help you with the fluid replacement under the "tech info" tab at the top of our site. You can review it and see if it is something you feel comfortable tackling by yourself. We also change out the fluid and filter when changing it. We have those items here if needed. Good luck.