[BilboBaggins]

Hi! I've got a 2002/09 330ci with the 5 speed manual transmission. I did some research and apparently the correct fluid spec is MTF-LT2. Should I get it straight from BMW (23€/lt)? I have also heard the M539restorations guy on Youtube praising liqui moly stuff so am also considering their TopTec 5200 (16€/lt). About 1.3 liters of fluid is needed, right?

 

[shanneba]

Not sure what you may have locally but the Important Links thread at the top of this forum has answers for many general questions over the years-
Here is the one on Manual transmission fluids
Manual Transmission Fluid | E46 Fanatics Forum

 

[BilboBaggins]

Not sure what you may have locally but the Important Links thread at the top of this forum has answers for many general questions over the years-
Here is the one on Manual transmission fluids
Manual Transmission Fluid | E46 Fanatics Forum

Thanks! I did stumble on that thread during my research. So the original BMW fluid isn't necessarily the best choice then? Would any of those listed in that thread work?

 

[BilboBaggins]

Btw i was wondering, should I change the diff fluid too while I'm at it?

 

[TüftlerMatt]

Hi! I've got a 2002/09 330ci with the 5 speed manual transmission. I did some research and apparently the correct fluid spec is MTF-LT2. Should I get it straight from BMW (23€/lt)? I have also heard the M539restorations guy on Youtube praising liqui moly stuff so am also considering their TopTec 5200 (16€/lt). About 1.3 liters of fluid is needed, right?

I'm going to put LM Top Tec 5200 in my 5-speed this weekend, so I can follow-up with some initial impressions. It's not sold over here in the US, so I ordered some on eBay from an UK seller that would ship it to me. If I had not been able to get the 5200, I would have gone with the BMW fluid. That being said, I have Redline MTL in my E30 and it has been great. I'm going with LM this time to see if there's a discernible difference.

I would also recommend doing the diff while you're at it! I like to do the transmission and diff fluids while the whole car is off the ground, to keep everything level, so may as well do both while its up in the air. For the diff, I used Liqui Moly's 75W-90 gear oil.

 

[BilboBaggins]

I'm going to put LM Top Tec 5200 in my 5-speed this weekend, so I can follow-up with some initial impressions. It's not sold over here in the US, so I ordered some on eBay from an UK seller that would ship it to me. If I had not been able to get the 5200, I would have gone with the BMW fluid. That being said, I have Redline MTL in my E30 and it has been great. I'm going with LM this time to see if there's a discernible difference.

I would also recommend doing the diff while you're at it! I like to do the transmission and diff fluids while the whole car is off the ground, to keep everything level, so may as well do both while its up in the air. For the diff, I used Liqui Moly's 75W-90 gear oil.

That's awesome, thank you! I guess I'll wait and see how yours turns out. Btw how much oil did you order? Think we should be able to get away with 1L.

There's a channel I watch on YouTube called m539restorations, guy only does BMWs. He claims he uses TopTec 1100 ATF on all his manual bimmers, and that it performs better - smoother than MTF 5200. Check it out here:

 

[Dayen]

D4 ATF (1 Quart) - Red Line 30504

D4 ATF (1 Quart) - Red Line 30504

www.fcpeuro.com

 

[TüftlerMatt]

That's awesome, thank you! I guess I'll wait and see how yours turns out. Btw how much oil did you order? Think we should be able to get away with 1L.

There's a channel I watch on YouTube called m539restorations, guy only does BMWs. He claims he uses TopTec 1100 ATF on all his manual bimmers, and that it performs better - smoother than MTF 5200. Check it out here:

I'll keep you posted I ordered 2 liters - I think it is around 1.3 total, as you mentioned earlier?

I actually have TopTec 1100 ATF in there now! I saw that video with Sreten and thought I would test it this winter to see if it would help in colder temperatures. It has been shifting better when cold, but now that it's warming up and I can drive with the windows open I am hearing what I think is a slight whine in 1st and 2nd gear. I'm making the switch to the 5200 to see if it helps with that noise.

 

[BilboBaggins]

I'll keep you posted I ordered 2 liters - I think it is around 1.3 total, as you mentioned earlier?

I actually have TopTec 1100 ATF in there now! I saw that video with Sreten and thought I would test it this winter to see if it would help in colder temperatures. It has been shifting better when cold, but now that it's warming up and I can drive with the windows open I am hearing what I think is a slight whine in 1st and 2nd gear. I'm making the switch to the 5200 to see if it helps with that noise.

Oh wow that's quite a coincidence haha. Looking forward to your hear about your impressions!

 

[Alex323Ci]

with different climates some find some fluids to be better and some worse.

the type of wear of the transmission also can help determine what’s better for you.

with all that said, I will say the a Pentosin brand is very good. and it’s what BMW uses in some transmissions.

 

[TüftlerMatt]

The LM Top Tec 5200 is in, but I've only driven it around the block so I'll hold on any first impressions until I can get out for a longer drive today.

I thought this was interesting though. On the back of the bottles are a few variables LM rates for each fluid type and from top to bottom they are (With the ATF on the left and the MTF on the right):

• Fuel economy
• Gear changing
• Resistance to ageing
• Noise reduction
• Wear reduction

 

[applehugger]

After watching Sreten's videos, I switched to LM TopTek 1100 ATF in my E46, E60, and E83.

It's a really fantastic fluid that continues to deliver excellent performance in cold weather. It is also more affordable than other ATF alternatives. FCP Euro and ECS Tuning both keep it in stock in the US.

My E60 has the most miles on the fluid - about 1 year and 7k miles, and I have not noticed any degradation in shifting performance or increase in noise. All of my transmissions took about 1.5 bottles, but the LM bottle design makes it very difficult to get the last 25% out of each bottle.