Guys Look At This Pic!

[ED.]

I was looking at a transmission drain and fill on e38.org and found this picture. This is from an Audi A8. Man thats a lot of shavings! The magnets on my LS were pretty much empty. Although I could only find 3 of them. What happened to the fourth is anyones guess. Have a look. Kinda creepy....

thanks

[blake918]

Although I could only find 3 of them. What happened to the fourth is anyones guess. Have a look. Kinda creepy....

thanks

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What a relief to hear this! We changed the filter and cleaned the solonoids in the tranny this weekend....sounds like Bicol has inspired trans maintinance in the LS forum! After cleaning the pan and putting the 3 magnets(which were very clean) back in, we noticed that there was a 4th crevice but no 4th magnet. We searched high and low and never did find it. I guess it doesn't exist.

That Audi's magnets are absolutely horrifying. :o

[bicol-ini]

hi, good you did it blake, as for the magnets theres only 3 of them even though theres 4 sort indentation, i gues this is for toyota 4wd trannys and some volvos and jeeps that uses the a340e tranny with some variation and name, anyways, i after i had mine flush, cooler installed, my magnefine filter arrived so i cut the retrun hose and installed my magnefine tranny filter, also you can use these for the return line on power steering,

[blake918]

hi, good you did it blake, as for the magnets theres only 3 of them even though theres 4 sort indentation, i gues this is for toyota 4wd trannys and some volvos and jeeps that uses the a340e tranny with some variation and name, anyways, i after i had mine flush, cooler installed, my magnefine filter arrived so i cut the retrun hose and installed my magnefine tranny filter, also you can use these for the return line on power steering,

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I'm glad we did it! :) I was hoping that this service would lessen the lurch, but I had no such luck....maybe someday we'll figure out the root of this. However, the way that the transmission now feels is just superb. Every shift is nonexistant and super smooth; it's much better than before which is an improvement on excellence. The improvements made to the shift quality were well worth the time spent. I was glad to see a very, very minimal amount of dust(it doesn't even qualify as shavings because they were too small. lol) on the magnets, and my 5k pan drains paid off since the fluid was unburnt and devistatingly red. :D

[ED.]

I wish mine was smooth : (. I didnt add enough fluid so it is slipping. I took the e38 today. I added about a 1/4 of a liter before i left Friday so that brings the total to about 2.3 liters so that should be enough I guess. I swear that 2.5+ came out. I bought a 5 liter drain pan and it was about half full. I 'll check it later. I wanted it to have a break. It is such a good car it really deserves it. The BMW on the other hand.. . I swear it smelled like raw fuel this morning. I am going to check that one out to.

Thanks fo rthe vent : )

[ECUPirate]

How many miles did that A8 have on it? What year was it? Are A8's know to have transmission issues? Should I be worried? I still only have ~15K on my 2002.

I love the car. The transmission shifts wonderfully - it's like it's telepathic or something. It's very eager to downshift, as am I! And then there's the sport mode, which turns the car into an animal...

[akewlguy]

That is kewl!

[ED.]

I am not sure about the mileage. It is a 97 so I am guessing 60-100k? Here is a link to the repair. Pretty smart with what he says. Make sure you can get the fill plug off before you remove the drain plug. I wouldnt thought of that and been screwed : ) Here is the link. The oil in my LS was dark but not in bad shape. The filter looked great!

Audi tranny

Thanks

[nc211]

Good lord Ed, thats' some seriously dirty looking fluid in those photos! On 30k miles too! You goin' 4 wheelin' with the quatro? Hahaha, just kidding.

[ED.]

Wow! I didnt even realize it had only 30k! I just thought he meant you should change it every 30k. Boy, if every car were like a toyota service centers would be ghost towns : )

thanks

[Jacob]

Lexus might be as sophisticated as German cars are but without non-sense complexity, and I hope Lexus stays like this all the time.

And I don’t understand why German automakers say that their transmissions don’t need fluid change; shouldn’t this be based on extensive research? Or what?

[ED.]

I dont understand the deal with German transmisions at all. They are so complex to compared to all the other trannys out there. My 740 has the Adaptive transmission which remembers how you dirive. I still dont even know eveything about that. To say they need no fluid make sme wonder. My BMW has the lifetime fluid and I am sure with 75 on the clock it could use some. Checking the level is a pain. You have to do it digitally using the temp. Weird.

thanks

[nc211]

One of the reasons why germany lost wwII. They over-engineered thier tanks "specifically the engines" and once they got on the battlefield, a little spec of dirt would find it's way into the engine and seeze them up instantly, not to mention runing out of gas. When BMW first introduced the 4.0 V8 they said they would run the engine at redline for 100k miles "fresh oil being injected obviously", then blow sand particles through the intake to see what would happen. They said nothing, not even skipped a beat, which I think is b/s. Now, I know the first couple of years of the V8 had some serious flaws that required the whole engine to be replaced. Sounds like to me another case of over-engineering. Nice cars for sure, awesome road machines and increadible driving machines, but I don't buy that whole "lifetime" fluid thing at all. I've always wanted a late 80's 325is stick. I think they're awesome cars. Maybe someday I'll find one in somebody's garage with low miles as a toy.

[blake918]

My 740 has the Adaptive transmission which remembers how you dirive.

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So does your LS. ;) Lexus calls it "intelligence" instead. I thought Lexus were a pita to service! They have nothing on Audi in that arena!

Sounds like to me another case of over-engineering. Nice cars for sure, awesome road machines and increadible driving machines, but I don't buy that whole "lifetime" fluid thing at all. I've always wanted a late 80's 325is stick. I think they're awesome cars. Maybe someday I'll find one in somebody's garage with low miles as a toy.

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I agree! I drove a 745('04) and 740('98) recently. They were nice cars and drove great, but they were entirely too complicated. I have nothing to say about iDrive. I couldn't even find the power lock switches on them; I felt like less of an idiot when the owner couldn't find the lock button either. I noticed on the 740 the OBDII port is in the center console in front of the gear shifter...easy access for frequent usage. lol

[ED.]

The Idrive you have to get use to. Everyone hated it at first but I just saw the pics of the new S class and they have somethign just like. It is the way the worlds going. With BMW engineering I dont know. My BMW guys would probably pick a fight but I dont know enough about that to start anything. I know the motorcycles used direct drive instead of chains when they first came out. Somethign about the desert and sand getting lodged. The M60 V8 BMW used in its years, 93-96, came in various models like the early 5's, 1st and 2nd generation 7's, and the eight series and had problems with American gas. Sulfur contenet was too high which caused premature wear in the cylinders. 97, my year, was when they changed the 4.0 liter V8 to the 4.4 M62. The new motor came with higher torque. My 7 is pretty easy to use. I cant wait to trade it for a Lexus though. Either a 98-00 LS or an RX. This wont be for a while but I like to think a lot. I also didnt know the Lexus had the adaptive tranny. I just reset mine on my BMW. Apparently disconnecting the - battery cable for 30 mins will give you smoother shifts because it erases the mwmory. I havent noticed a big difference. Still shifts hard than the LS.

Thanks

[lexusdr]

I had a '98 528i before totalling it last month (and hence now I'm a Lexus owner). I never believed in the "lifetime" transmission fluid but could NOT find ANY BMW dealer that would do a flush-at any price. "It's sealed" "You'll just stir things up" To their defense, I had 90k on the clock at the time of the accident with no tranny problems.

any link with an exchange of money is veiwed as a buisness, please do not post it again.

Edited June 23, 2005 by SKperformance

[nc211]

I saw a new Infinit M45 this weekend, it looks like it's got an i-drive knob in it now too. Man, that car is beautiful! Probably the best looking Infiniti ever made. That will be a serious contender with the new GS model, no doubt. I would have a tough time between the two personally. I would buy it over a BMW 5 series for sure. But due to funds, I'll just have to stick with pictures. :cries:

[ED.]

When I go tmy car inspected they said something about a trany seal leaking or something but I havent really put much thought into it. They didnt really see it as anything so.. . Anyway, that new M45 is really nice. I posted a message at RoadFly about how nice they are. The wheels and Quad exhast set it off. I think it has the bottom trim black instad of all body colored which kinda sucks. I think I would take that over the new GS. Infintis have always been a good car. We had a J30. The only problems we had were the fuel injectors. Unfortunetly we sold it to my Aunt and thats when it happened. The car had 2 bad injecotrs but she got them fixed and now the cars runs great. I t was too small for us. Thats why we updated to the BMW/Lexus market. I always thought the LS was a better car the the Q45.

Thanks

[SRK]

The Germans have a history of blaming North American fluids for the various troubles their engines and transmissions have had. The Japanese have never claimed these things.

In the sixties and seventies Mercedes cylinder heads were eaten away with corrosion. The problem, according to them - "Prestone". Of course the fact that Mercedes used copper inserts in the head gasket between iron and aluminum couldn't have been a factor.....well in boats it would be.....

The Lexus V-8 was designed over a period of years in the eighties. Toyota spent a billion dollars to develop it. No problems. BMW copied the engine, but instead of sticking with the iron cylinder liners cast-in-place like Toyota, they copied their pals at Mercedes and went with high silicon aluminum bores. Like Vega. The engines wore terribly, like Mercedes and Vega. High sulphur in the gas causing bore wear? I don't think so. More like bad engineering.

The Turbohydromatic GM trans line with three forward gears used 3 check balls in the valve body. The German solution for three gears was 35 check balls, of varying size, material, and density. Hmmmm. So much for engineering.

[blake918]

The Idrive you have to get use to. Everyone hated it at first but I just saw the pics of the new S class and they have somethign just like. It is the way the worlds going.

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At least Lexus is smart enough not to copy that distracting contraption. Lexus and the American lux makers are pretty much the only one's not copying. One thirty minute go with that contraption is all I needed to know that I never want to buy anything that remotely resembles that.

The new S class is ugly in and out! Maybe it's better in person?.?.?.

[ED.]

I know my 12 cylinder has silicone cylinders and as a result they harden up over time. The only problems BMW had with the M70 V-12 were the banjo bolts coming loose. I have never had this problem with mine becuase I have never really checked. It bursn oil anywya so I figure what the H. Here is a link to the BMW V-8 thing. Pretty interesting. We test drove a 95 once with 75k miles and apparently it had a new engine put in but when we drove ti as soon as it got up to operating temp it was shakin like crazy. We ran away form that one.

The new S class is very ugly Blake you're right. I think the current one looks awesome. I'm gonna call it and say in a couple of years they will do a facelift just like BMW did.

M60 V-8

Thanks

[lexusdr]

Speaking of ugly cars, Chris Bangle needs to be fired. I have always been a BMW fan but after I totalled my '01 528i, I could NOT stomach ANY of the offerings. They all have the crazy headlight shapes and big butts (I want big butts on my women, not my car!! :D

BMW PLEASE listen to your loyal customers and fire Bangle!

any link with an exchange of money is veiwed as a buisness, please do not post it again.

Edited June 23, 2005 by SKperformance

[ED.]

His brother must work for MB! LOL. Although the e class is still nice. If I wasnt die hard M5 I would really like the E55. The last gen M5 was so nice.

thanks

P.S.-I thought in 2001 BMW had the 525 ,530 and 540? Am I mistaken?

[ECUPirate]

I, for one, like the 'new' 7 series. And the 5 series. And especially the new 3 series. When the first 7s came out, I was disgusted. Who would dare mess with such classic design. Now I'm convinced it's one of the hottest looking cars on the road. A big 745iL w/ 19 or 20" stock rims looks tough. I'll certainly admit that the interior is convoluted, though. However, I haven't driven one enough to learn the gadgetry. It may be just fine once you learn how things operate. I do like my gadgets.

The current S class is sweet. The next-gen S class has potential. I wouldn't write it off just yet.

Everyone should just go buy an A8. Audi's on the warpath.

[blake918]

I, for one, like the 'new' 7 series.  And the 5 series.  And especially the new 3 series.  When the first 7s came out, I was disgusted.  Who would dare mess with such classic design.  Now I'm convinced it's one of the hottest looking cars on the road.  A big 745iL w/ 19 or 20" stock rims looks tough.  I'll certainly admit that the interior is convoluted, though.  However, I haven't driven one enough to learn the gadgetry.  It may be just fine once you learn how things operate.  I do like my gadgets. 

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I'm all for new gadetry, but not at the expense of taking excessive amounts my attention from the road which iDrive does. The knob is clumsy and imprecise, and 600 menu options make for a really undistracting experience. I've grown to love the exterior of the big 745 also, but the interior(although roomier than any LS400/430) w/ iDrive is a deal breaker. I think the 645 is stunning, and there is a M variant....it's a shame that they put iDrive.

Audi's on the warpath.

You got that right!