no

 

does anyone have any pics of the fill plug? just for FYI before I get under the car..

 

I have a couple pics in the write-up I did a while back. http://www.totehmoon.com/blog/?p=650

This was on a 2008 MCS. I think the only difference for an MC is the torque on the plugs.

 

awesome, nice write up

 

Interesting.. to me that's half saying the fluid is better.. you want lower viscosity when it's cold, hence we have fluids like 0w30, but we still want the proper visosity at operating temp. I'm gonna try to compile the data today to update the first post, but i wanna add fluid options. im seeing numbers from 70w80 to 75w90. not too big of a deal, but i guess the OEM fluid for the non-s is gl4 75w90

 

It's under the driver side so if you crawl under there the fill is exactly the same as the drain.
Torque is same on both drain and fill.

 

thanks, i found a few writeups online w pics

 

this is probably the best one if you haven't seen it yet.

http://www.totehmoon.com/blog/?p=650

 

i have it in the OP

the process is identical to what i do in the evo and many other cars as well, the idea of was just originally shrouded in mystery by mini but it's exactly the same process. Amsoil even sells pumps with various lengths of tubing for this very purpose.

 

Nice. The funny part was my funnel end hole was too much bigger for my tubing so I had to punch a tiny hole in a small styrofoam cup and funnel the oil down

It worked so that's all that mattered!

 

bumping this:

was there any change in the manual transmission between 2007-2013?

 

i'm assuming not, but this thread is worth another bump. seen a lot of odd usages for trans fluids out there

 

So is this Red Line MTL 75W80 v.s Amsoil MTF 75w90 more about the viscosity difference between the two? Since I live in SoCal I'll probably go with the Red Line MTL 75W85-90 in about 30k. Really smooth since I used the Red Line 75W80!

 

i would say not really - viscosity ratings are definitely important and a focus, but i think it's more about the film strength of the oil. thicker oil also tends to protect better, in general. happy with amsoil here though - i've noticed they're not typically the smoothest-shifting oil available, but smooth shifting does not equal best protection.

 

I guess in about 30k miles I shall see if Red Line was the best choice, magnetic drain plug will tell the story. I don't foresee any issues running RL 75W80 because it's so much smoother than I can remember, I figure if the shifting is ultra smooth then the RL is properly lubing the transmission.

 

yeah. like i said it'll probably be fine. i changed my '08's mini trans fluid at 92k for the first time (i was the second owner) and there was little to nothing on the drain plug. i was just saying smooth shifting doesnt necessarily equate to best wear protection, that's all.

 

MINI's and well as BMW's have tags (stickers) on the bottom of the transmission that tells what fluid to use. Look for the tag, mine was orange for MTF-94, I think some are green. You may require different fluid if you have the limited slip differential than a transmission that doesn't. The drain is on the bottom and the fill if half way up the back side and no you don't have to drop the transmission to fill it.

 

good info.

 

I know this is an older thread, so I asked amsoil about this issue and their response was:
"Our Manual Transmission and Transaxle Gear lube 75w-90, product code MTG, does not meet the required BMW specifications for those vehicles."
I'm curious to hear from those who have tried it and what the out come was both short term and long term. I have two Mini's one needs typed off after removing the axle the other is fine but has almost 190,000 miles on it and I wish to keep it running as it is my daily driver.

 

i ran it in my 08 mini with no issue, 100k miles, but not that many on the fluid.

I now run redline GL4 75w85 in my non-s. Figure if it's good enough for the evo it's good enough for the mini

 

Also don't forget that the 07 and newer cars that have a OE mechanical LSD take a different fluid than the ones that don't have the LSD. And this LSD fluid is hard to find and get the real specs. on it.

 

I hadn't even considered my clubby has the "Differential lock 25%" when I look up the vin and the hatchback does not.

 

good point - mechanical diffs may require different fluid, so it is definitely worth checking the manual. That said, a lot of transmissions have differentials housed in them, and they still take a GL4 fluid. This is because GL5 has additives that eat away at copper, which is used in synchros

 

So why would you consider using a product that does not meet the specification requirements set forth by BMW/Mini? Just find a product that does

 

again, i've had no issue running amsoil, redline 75w85 and 75w90.

these gear oils, as long as they are classed GL4, are very, very similar. they may have different mixes of additives, but I've yet to see anything showing that BMW transmissions particularly need a special additive. i'd venture that most OEM fills are worse in quality than some of the boutique aftermarket fluids