Valvoline Maxlife ATF Review – Transmission Fluid for BMW E39 E46 E38 ZF or GM

Today we’re going to talk about automatic transmission fluid for your BMW – Valvoline Maxlife ATF. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out what is the right fluid application to use in my BMW. If you have an E46, an E39 or an E38, you’re going to have to determine which transmission you have. For most E46 and E39 platforms, you’ll either have a GM transmission, which is usually for cars produced or manufactured from March 2001 and before. If the car is produced in March 2001, and beyond, there’s a changeover date, it will have the ZF transmission.

I’m not here to debate whether or not you should change the transmission fluid in your BMW in the first place. Let it be known that BMW says all of the transmission fluid is a lifetime fluid, meaning you drive the car into the ground and when the transmission let’s go, that’s it, it let’s go.

Valvoline Maxlife ATF Synthetic Review

However, for those of us who want to change the fluid and are looking for something that we can get that doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars, this is the transmission fluid that I’d recommend. This is a Valvoline MaxLife. You can purchase it online, right here, and you can also find it in most big-box stores.

The great thing about this MaxLife is that it’s relatively cheap and it meets a number of different BMW transmission specifications.

If you have an older E46 or E39 produced in 2000th, they have the GM transmission which is also known as the 5L40E transmission. And the SPEC for that fluid is 7045E, according to BMW. So, that’s the minimum requirement SPEC. Fortunately, this says right on here, BMW 7045-E meets the specifications according to BMW. So, we’re good to go with this stuff.

If your car was produced in March 2001, and beyond, you most likely have a ZF transmission. Again, you’re going to have to get under the car and verify the tag on the side of the transmission to see exactly which transmission that you have. The ZF typically takes what’s called a Lifeguard fluid. It’s going to cost several hundred dollars to buy that fluid, and if you’re going to change it out two or three times, which is recommended to cycle the fluid properly through the torque converter, it’s recommended that you not only change the fluid once, but you do it three times, to get all of the old fluid out and the new fluid in. Sounds a little excessive, but some people would argue that that’s the best way to ensure all of the fluid, the old fluid, is cycled out of the torque converter.

If you do have a ZF transmission, 5HP19 is the code for that. The BMW fluid specification is an LT71141, and as I showed you on the back of this container, it also meets the LT71141 specifications.

Valvoline MaxLife ATF Compatibility Chart

Valvoline MaxLife Transmission Fluids Range

We love performance. We love witnessing the Olympic athlete reach his peak level. And of course, we love car performance, especially if we have a personal share in the big roar that comes from under the hood. And tires virtually sticking to the road. It all proves you did things right. Because obviously athletes don’t live off of a quarter pounder diet, and cars don’t fix themselves.

Performance relies on making the right choices. All the right choices, by both athletes and car professionals. Care for the engine, care for the tires. Naturally. But also special attention for the powertrain in between. Why? It’s not just because it connects the mighty roar of the engine to the amazing traction of the tires. There’s more. It’s because a gearbox is the second most valuable part of today’s passenger cars. With replacement costs that easily amount to one-fifth of a car’s showroom price, and yet only 35% of the transmission fluid refills are done with the right product. That means that at least two out of three drivetrains have to settle for lubricants that just might work. Fingers crossed. Today’s cars have become high tech machines, and every single part is designed to perform better than before. Treat it right, and a driveline rewards you with maximum power on the road, driver comfort, and a considerable contribution to smooth gear shifting.

Matching Every Car Type

Neglected at the penalty of premature wear, oil loss, decreased drivability and ultimately total breakdown. A real nightmare to car owners. So what’s holding you back? Is it the annual 1,000 cars you service? And the inefficiency of stocking all of the 30 to 40 different transmission fluids car manufacturers prescribe? The mere hassle of it, Valvoline understands. So we have made it easy for you. Our transmission fluids have been completely redesigned. We have simplified it and now the MaxLife transmission range consists of only three oils. Each of which is a perfect match for dozens of car types. Together, they cover more than 80% of the passenger cars you can expect to see in your workshop. One for automatic transmissions, and two for manual transmissions, so three types of Valvoline MaxLife transmission fluids. We hope this list has made it easy for you.