Tips To Keep Your Six Speed BMW Transmission In Great Shape

If you have recently purchased a manual transmission BMW, then you may have noticed that the vehicle is a six gear vehicle instead of a five gear model. While the car will drive very similarly to a five speed car, there may be a few things that you should do differently to help keep your transmission in great shape. 

Pay Attention To The Shift Light

Many newer manual BMW vehicles have a gear shift indicator light that tells you when you should shift. These lights optimize the fuel efficiency of the vehicle by informing you to shift when the engine revolutions start to increase. Keeping the engine within a low RPM range helps to reduce fuel and keep the engine from being overworked. If you are used to driving a five speed vehicle, then you may use the speed of your car to guide your gear changes. For example, you probably know that you need to shift into third gear when the speedometer reaches between 15 and 20 miles per hour.

If you continue to use speeds to guide your shifting habits, then you are likely to shift too late when you operate the six speed vehicle. When a gear is added to the transmission, this slightly shortens the amount you will need to use each gear. This is especially true when it comes to the higher gears. You will also need to get used to changing from fifth to sixth gear. Typically, this gear will be used on the highway when you drive at relatively high speeds.

In most cases, it is wise to keep engine RPMs between 2,000 and 3,000. Your gear shift indicator light will help you to keep the RPMs in this range, so make sure to pay attention to it so you know when to upshift and downshift.

Add The Right Gear Oil

Your manual transmission will need gear oil to lubricate all of the moving parts of the transmission. This lubrication is extremely important, especially if you will be shifting more with a six speed vehicle. The first thing you should know is that gear oil is different from transmission fluid. Transmission fluid is thinner and it is unable to retain as much heat as gear oil. This means that you should not make the mistake of using transmission fluid instead of gear oil. Also, when you pick the gear oil for your vehicle, make sure to opt for a synthetic variety.

Synthetic oils are much more stable than natural oil products. This means the fluid will last longer and protect your transmission longer before it breaks down. Keep in mind that you will need to invest in a transmission flush on occasion so that new gear oil can be added. Speak with your BMW mechanic about the best timeframe for the service. 

For BMW repair, contact a company such as Sterling Service Inc


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