How To Change ZF BMW Transmission Mechatronic Sleeves + Fluid/Filter 

WATCH FIRST: Zf Trans Troubleshooting/common problems video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aX0bhui8UXA.html Filter and Fluid: click.linksynergy.com/link?id=BZfgVZ7JGM8&offerid=580643.12221977630&type=2&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecstuning.com%2Fb-assembled-by-ecs-parts%2Fautomatic-transmission-service-kit-level-2%2F24117571217%7Elv2s%2F Plug Adapter: click.linksynergy.com/link?id=BZfgVZ7JGM8&offerid=580643.12222008308&type=2&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecstuning.com%2Fb-zf-parts%2Ftransmission-sealing-sleeve%2F24347588725%7Ezf%2F Sleeves: click.linksynergy.com/link?id=BZfgVZ7JGM8&offerid=580643.12221661852&type=2&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecstuning.com%2Fb-genuine-bmw-parts%2Fsealing-sleeve%2F24107536339%2F click.linksynergy.com/link?id=BZfgVZ7JGM8&offerid=580643.12221678040&type=2&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecstuning.com%2Fb-genuine-bmw-parts%2Fsealing-sleeve%2F24107536340%2F click.linksynergy.com/link?id=BZfgVZ7JGM8&offerid=580643.12221665848&type=2&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecstuning.com%2Fb-genuine-bmw-parts%2Fsealing-sleeve%2F24107536341%2F click.linksynergy.com/link?id=BZfgVZ7JGM8&offerid=580643.12221989924&type=2&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecstuning.com%2Fb-zf-parts%2Ftransmission-adapter%2F24347588724%7Ezf%2F

This was by far the most informative, well vocalized, best filmed instructional video I've seen on RU-vid. Good job

Thanks to you I was able to do this + the solenoids on my 335i a few weeks back!! 🙏🙏 ANYONE thinking of doing this - its actually really easy, kinda fun and hugely satisfying when completed. The hardest part is getting the courage to work underneath your car. I used jack stands + a floor jack as a backup and also ramps. My car is running great and that new transmission feeling is heavenly. Thanks brother your content is amazing. You've made a mechanic out of me! God bless you 🙏

Hands down the best RU-vid video I have ever seen about a car repair. This guy is amazing. Really knows his stuff and speaks so well without any hesitation or mess ups. Really well filmed and well explained. Thank you so much you’re a genius buddy

If more people like you existed. Nobody would owe the banks for new cars. Keep it going.

Thank you so much for this great in-depth tutorial with clear HD video. I admit I was a little nervous researching this mechatronic sleeve install, but your video gave me the confidence I need. I have to do this to my N62 after it is now leaking from the mechatronic sleeve. First the starter, oil cooler thermostat gasket, and now this. Thanks BMW..

Just dropping in to give a huge thank you for all of these vids. You explain very well what you're doing, including showing all of the fasteners and clips - which I think is key when doing my own DIYs and not knowing what to expect once I dig into something. I also know how time-consuming doing vids like this can be. Great job!

Damn, yet another great BMW DIY! 👍🏻

Wow! What a video! There's no way to explain the procedure better than you in this video! Congrats! 👍👍👍👍👍

Outstanding video. No ridiculous stupid background music just straight up instruction so that we all can save money.. thank you again so very much. Keep those fantastic videos coming.👍👍👍👍

Great work and very informative. Tells everything you need to do and watch for without all the nonsense inbetween, and hats off to Selena on the great camera work. Awesome video!

Very well produced video. Clear, informative, and (as a non mechanical person) easy to follow. Thank you!

Great clip... I'm licensed in Canada for over 40 years specializing in Auto Transmissions and I don't know any another Auto Tech (including myself) that can do any better. Well done.

That was so detailed i thoight I was watching a BMW tech training video . Reading all data for 30 min was a waste you gave torque specs and all Im impressed

Awesome, awesome ZF transmission preventive maintenance video! You are the best mechanic on RU-vid period. You make me wish I lived near you!!!

Thank you so much for this very detailed video with great lighting, picture quality, camera angles without blocking views, and narration. You've saved me a ton of money.

WOW Great video and very informative! I did my first transmission fluid change in my BMW X1 2013 with a ZF GA8HP45Z. Everything went fine until I removed the pan/filter to replace it...and then I noticed a small metallic pin, 4,5 inches long and 1/4 diameter with a hand printed label 5x46 004 187...after doing some research and consulting some forum it appear that this pin is a ZF inspection / mounting tool...that was left there by a ZF technician....so it was inside my gearbox below the mechatronic...for 8 years and 96 000 km

This video gave me so much respect for you as a mechanic, I had to and just JOINED, I'm now a proud paying member!!!

Any Diagnostic Questions/Shop Appt. Requests can be done through my website www.shoplifetv.com

This video saved me from needing to call a tow truck. Thank you ShopLifeTV. The most helpful part for me was the need to push in on the plug adaptor to be able to push the white clip back up and in place at about 13:30 in the video. The replacement plug adaptor was slightly different than the original and I never could get the new one to go in all the way. However, the old one was just fine and I was able to get it back in place with your help. Thank you for sharing you knowledge.

this is the BEST "How To" video i have ever seen! ... i am from Kingston Jamaica

Your video gave me the push I needed to do the job myself. I heard horror stories about messing with the valve body. After watching this, the job was done in one hour. 👍 Thanks bro

One of the Best instructional Videos I've ever followed. Thanks! It sure is a PITA to get that plug back onto the plug adapter. At least with my giant hands.

Did this to my 240,000km 4.8is E53 and surprised how much better and smoother it shifts. Definitely worth it.

Life saver yet again! Lol gonna be doing this exact procedure on the exact model real soon just waiting on parts from fcp euro

Great tutorial, was able to fix the leak on my daughters 2010 535i. Has 206000 miles and the transmission feels as good as new. Had a tough time with the electrical connector housing but eventually secured it in place. Thank you

Ive owned my 05 645ci since 11/16. I thought I could rebuild the trans since it had the hard 1-2 shift. I rebuilt two 4L60e and my neighbor's 700R4. The ZF looked intimidating for I left it alone. I babied it the best I could to not be so harsh. Videos started popping up in 2017-2018 but didn't find them til recently!!!!! I watched your video a dozen times before finally ordering the kit from fcpeuro and a programmer to reset the adaptations. You gave me the confidence to tackle this job. Took a few hrs because I was working SLOWLY not to strip or break anything. That plastic cup for the plug is no joke. I saw that you took a pry bar to leverage/push it in. That's what it took to push it in for that slide to click in properly. Other videos state "Constant pressure by hand". No not with my 05 645ci. No space to shove your hand in there to do that! NOT having a hard shift FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE OWNERSHIP is AMAZING!!!!!!!! Thanks again.

Hi All. I just did this job. Not technically challenging but SUPER messy. Wear something that will cover as much skin as possible you will get transmission fluid all over you even being careful. My mechatronic sleeves didn't have that little snorkel at the base. Just round. The kit I bought from RMeuro had the snorkels on the long tubes so I left the old ones in. They looked very pliable and not bad at all. Refilling with ZF orig fluid after reading some stuff that freaked me out enough about alternative fluids. In the long run I figured it was worth the premium. Great vid again and thank you for posting!

Very detailed, thank you so much! Looking to do this one soon, feeling much more confident after watching this. 🙌🏼

ShopLifeTV Just did this last night, I could not have done it without your information and 'tutorial' if you will, you gave me the know how to save $3k or more in money working on my older E60.

While I'm not a "expert" mechanic I can recognize a good one when I see one. Good video with sensible steps not to wordy but covers everything very nicely. Good on yea

Excellent video I just completed this job yesterday with this video on replay and from start to finish it was very helpful.. the instructions was very well explained and my car feels amazing now. I feel like it shifts wayyy better than it did before... my issue was only the transmission oil pan leaking so I did a full oil change and preventative measures by changing all those seals .. I can't thank you enough I just moved to Georgia from NY and can't find a good mechanic.

it must be nice to have a neighbor like this dude. a Lifeline.

Very well done, descriptive and hits all the tricky spots, Thanks!

Appreciate the level of detail you went into for each step, thanks.

Best filmed instructional video I've seen on RU-vid. Keep it up.

Great video! This helped me replace the mech sleeves on my e60 X Drive. Hardest part was removing and installing the adapter sleeve

You put out some good stuff man! Very informative and instructional. Keep em coming. Thank you

Great video, the perfect amount of detail - clear and concise! Thank you!

Thank you. very much appreciated! Planning on doing this next week

The best video I have seen for this procedure for sure. THANK YOU!!!

Excellent video. You explained everything in detail and made it very simple. This was a very informative video.

Man it's a great video many are appreciating it for sure. Thanks from SJ CA

Thanks my friend, excellent explanation

great DIY, straight up. doing mine next week got everything in from FCP. Keep up the good work!

I have to agree with all the posts. Great DIY video. Clearly explained with what to lookout for. Great job.

I wish I could meet up with a couple e46 e90 owners mobb out and pull up to his shop. Just to thank him for his wisdom on these bimmers.

I did this whole service with the solenoids as well, by myself with jack stands lol. It was rough as fuck but I feel accomplished especially since I just got into DIY work about 2 years ago. A little tip, if you have a push button start and for some reason your car wont start afterwards, make sure the mechatronic is lined up perfectly and the gear selector is in place because your car wont be able to start if it doesn't know that it is in park or neutral, took me an extra whole day to figure this out.

Thank you for this!! Very clear and informative

love the way you teach brother :)

A timeless video and very to the point and articulate. 2 thumbs up.

Thanks for this vid, Ankur. One of the best tutorials. I completed this job this weekend, with all the seals and solenoids. Car has 103k miles and driving great after the change. Very easy to follow step by step. I didn’t reset adaptations.

Thank you for this DIY. Just finished this service as per this video instructions. Perfect!

Excellent. ..... great job being very thorough. It’s all about details. Thanks

Thanks man ! I have the same issue with my e60 now I know what to replace. I will be contacting you soon for parts

great detailed video and explanation of how to do this job. The best Ive seen yet! Very thorough. Thank you!

Great video. As always, this was a valuable learning tutorial.

Fantastic video. I followed it to do the service on my 2007 Z4 Coupe E86. Same transmission; fewer support brackets.

Awesome!!! Well detailed!!! Keep it coming...

Great video shoplifeTV. Thanks for making this video and sharing.

Thank you, you are a very good teacher, you make it so easy to understand, you show everything thank you so much!

Excellent Video by the way, so impressed.

Thanks for making this a much less scary operation.

Excellent DIY video! Thank you!

Please place this DIY video as a sticky in bimmerfest E60 forum. It would help a lot of BMW 5 Series owners. I always wondered why ZF transmissions are so finicky in BMW and not in Hyundis or other cars, is it the engine stressing it or the temperature. ZF transmissions are very sensitive to temperature. It would be very helpful if you could identify the particular transmission as BMW E60 has a couple of models and the v6 and v8 engines use different transmissions. You video is the first video I have seen which clearly explains this unique DIY process. My expensive two volume Bentley manuals provides only 8 pages to the BMW transmission and that only to identify fill and drain plugs etc complete nonsense. Your video is a life saver for all BMW owners who want to keep their vehicles beyond the ridiculous 50k miles limit. You would be amazed how many times my BMW dealer has offered to put me in a brand new vehicle. Well What is wrong with my present vehicle which you happily sold me a couple of years ago. :-) I understand BMW loves selling cars, but look at Toyota they don't say their cars are only good for 50K...

Great video. Explains procedure thoroughly. Thank you.

Dam great video man, really appropriate the step by step.

This process fixed transmission problem on my BMW x5 e70, great video, keep in mind that without reset you will not see any changes, you must do the adaptations reset.

You definitely know your ish man! Great video.

Great how to video! I had P041072 Trans Malfunction error , 104k miles E92, did this procedure and no issues after 3 days of driving. Fingers crossed. Additionally , I took the computer off the valve body (6 or 7 short bolts) and checked the solenoids resistance, all ohms matched each other. Bummed the adapter seal was not cracked or broken but maybe it was leaking a little.

Informative video. The adapter that came with the kit is slightly different from the original one. It has a small notch on the bigger side and it could not go in snug. So I used the rubber rings with the older adapter. There were no visible cracks or warping on it. I still get the thud down changes between 3rd and 2nd gear as well as hesitation on up shift from gear 5 to 6. It only jumps to 6 when I ease off the gas a little bit otherwise there is that continuous hesitation to shift up but it can't get there an it turns into a pulsing kind of motion. Oh I don't get any engine light or codes. I didn't not clear the gearbox with the INPA.

Great Video. I’m having trouble with the megatronics sleeve getting passed the 2nd Oring lol it’s been tough trying again today . Appreciate the knowledge

Thanks my friend, first rate video, as usual.

Awesome video! Perfect instructions.

Absolutely instructive video. Thank you very much.

Excellent, detailed and easy to follow.

Awesome video! I am going to be doing a fluid and filter change very soon on my 08 335xi and this will definitely help. I bought a ZF branded filter and replacement pan bolts. I went with Pentosin ATF1 fluid. As i am almost at 100,000 miles i am also doing the front and read diff fluid and also the transfer case fluid.

Super good tutorial. well explained and demonstrated!

Very knowledgeable, if only I lived over there right now haha. Thanks.

Perfect video,me who never did a automatic transmision...I change fluid,zf fluid and those plastics like you did.I can tell you my transmision is working so fu... good no hard sifting,it shifts like ther's only one gear.It's so better then before.And i diden't have problems.Thans for videos!!! my e90 i like new!

I'm glad I found your channel!

Best DIY tutorial on RU-vid!

Excellent video as usual... Thank you

Great video. Clear, excellent pace and explanations were very understandable. Superb camera work too. The lighting and shots were almost always in focus, which helps because we're looking at the bottom of technical equipment and it's easy to loose orientation from front to back. The Cameraman (er, woman?) was always on top of your explanations. Keep up the great work! What part of Los Angeles by the way?

Well done !! This is probably the best and most informative video I have found to date on HOW to change the seals on a bmw mechatronic auto gearbox and refilling the trans/fluid its given me enough confidence to tackle the problem I have with my E63 645ci the cluncking when moving off and changing down to first gear ,,,, can you please let me know if the E63 is the same type of gearbox ?. Thanks Dave

Good vid. You have to rev the engine a little for all the gears to thoroughly pump he fluid throughout the trans. 👍

bruh this man is goated 🐐 😭, i had a couple places try to charge me $6k-$8k to do this🤦🏽‍♂️😭

Thank you so much for your video. Having problems with my wife X5 E70 2007 and hope the service fix the slipping on 3 and 4 gear. Sometime have to control with slow RPM in order to avoid the transmission malfunction warning. Going to do the service tomorrow. Thanks for your information and hope to fix it with this kit.

13:17 **great tip here. constant pressure on the sleeve with the pry bar so you can push the locking tab.**

u the best bro keep them coming ..good videos

Wow perfect mechanic

great job on the explanation bro. I am getting a 2010 X5 with a hard shift and I want to try and do that job myself. I am getting it for a great price so I hope I am not making a mistake.

Great video. Now I know how to stop the clunk on my XK8!

great job thank you

I have a 2007 335i and was getting the 2 to 1 “bump” and the slipping 5th gear error (Yellow gear with !) I was told by a local Indy shop that I should try to do the sleeve and the 4 seals between the Mechatronics and the Trans and I would have a 50/50 shot at that taking care of the error. Well that did fix it...I happened to do a valve body swap on my daughters VW Beetle and though that might be the issue with my 335i and IT WAS. I just installed a rebuilt RevMAX valve body and my 335i is shifting great again. I used my old computer from my old valve body and everything went back together great.

Thank You From Puerto Rico.. Great Videos

I wish I lived closer to you. I was just in LA last week. I live up in Central California. I have an E90 335i. I have been noticing when it downshifts from 2nd to 1st, when coming to stop lights, and stop signs and such, that it clunks a little, and you can feel the downshift and feel the clunk. You can feel it more than you can hear it. This has been happening for the last 4 months or so. However, just last night on my way to work, I got a message on the idrive system saying "Transmision Malfunction" Drive moderately, continued driving possible. Reduced acceleration. After work, I drove home, with no issues, the malfunction warning never came back. The clunk although it's not all the time, just sometimes. Especially after long freeway driving, and then coming to a stop, is when it's at it's worst. Otherwise, I don't have any other problems. Car has 145,000 miles on it. I have no idea when the transmission was serviced last. About 3 months ago, I got a quote for a service, which included filter, and fluid change, for 1800 dollars! I was taken back by that. I find that quite expensive just for a fluid change and filter. Thinking about DIY, but I don't know yet. Anybody else have their transmission serviced? What did you all pay?

Thanks fot that, man!

Great vid bro

This video was super helpful