BMW Transmission Guide

US-market BMWs · manual, automatic, SMG and twin-clutch gearboxes · chassis and model to gearbox, fluid and fill · built 1990 to late 2019

This is the hub page for transmissions in US-market BMWs. Find your car in the E-series lookup or the F and G series lookup, read the gearbox designation, then open the family page below for fluid, service parts and documented problems. Every lookup row comes from BMW parts data with a December 2019 data date, so cars built after that are outside the tables, not ruled out.

How to Find Your Gearbox

Start with the chassis code and engine code, then the build month. Built dates in the lookups are US build windows from BMW production data, not model years. The same chassis and engine can still carry two gearboxes, by option or by build date, so the label on the gearbox settles it. A US E46 325i, for example, was built with two different automatics, the ZF A5S 325Z and the GM A5S 390R.

Question Practical answer
What does a BMW gearbox name tell you? In BMW's older scheme, for example A5S 325Z, the first letter gives the type (S manual, A automatic), the digit is the number of forward gears, the three-digit number is the maximum input torque in Nm, and the last letter names the maker: G Getrag, Z ZF, R GM, J Jatco. In the newer scheme, for example GS6-37BZ or GA8HP45Z, a G comes first, then S or A and the number of gears; the number that follows identifies the gearbox type, not the torque, and the last letter is still the maker, with A for Aisin.
What do the fill figures mean? They are the fill quantity in liters from BMW parts data. For older automatics BMW's technical data gives two figures, a total volume with the gearbox and converter drained and a smaller oil-change volume, and on some rows the parts-data figure matches the oil-change volume rather than the total. Where the two sources differ, the Notes column shows both.
Which cars are missing from the table? The E46 M3 with SMG, the E90, E92 and E93 M3 with the twin-clutch gearbox, the manual E60 M5 and E63 and E64 M6, and the E65 ALPINA B7 are listed at the end of the E-series lookup; the manual F80 M3 and F82 and F83 M4 at the end of the F and G series lookup.

Gearbox Families

Each family has its own page with specifications, fluid, service parts and documented problems.

Question Practical answer
Which automatic families were sold in US BMWs? ZF 5HP (A5S), GM5 (A5S 360R and 390R), GM6 (GA6L45R), ZF 6HP (GA6HP19Z and GA6HP26Z), ZF 8HP (GA8HP series), plus Aisin units in the X1 and X2, the older ZF 4HP and GM THM-R1 four-speeds, and a Daimler hybrid unit in the E72 ActiveHybrid X6.

Fluids and Service

Question Practical answer
Which fluid does each family take? ATF 4 for ZF 5HP, ATF 2 for ZF 6HP, ATF 3+ for ZF 8HP, ATF 1 or Dexron VI for GM5, Dexron VI for GM6. The table below lists the BMW part numbers.
Is there a service interval? BMW's fluid bulletin describes ZF 5HP (A5S 325Z, 440Z, 560Z), ZF 6HP and ZF 8HP gearboxes as lifetime fill with no scheduled oil change. It adds that only the approved fluid may be used after a repair, and that these fluids must not be mixed. The same bulletin says the Aisin automatics in the X1 and X2 need oil changes according to the service instructions.
Where is the approved fluid listed on a GM gearbox? BMW's bulletin points to the label on the transmission oil sump for the approved automatic transmission fluid on the GM5 and GM6 gearboxes.

Fluids by family

Fluid names are BMW trade names. Part numbers were looked up in BMW parts data and are the current numbers at the December 2019 data date. Where BMW's 2024 fluid bulletin lists a newer number, that is shown as well.

Family BMW designations Fluid BMW part number Note
ZF 5HP A5S 310Z, A5S 325Z, A5S 440Z, A5S 560Z ATF 4 83 22 2 344 206 A5S 310Z with a black data plate takes BMW ATF D2, 81 22 9 400 272
ZF 6HP GA6HP19Z, GA6HP26Z, GA6HP32Z ATF 2 83 22 2 305 396 BMW's 07/2024 bulletin lists 83 22 5 A92 866, a number newer than our parts data
ZF 8HP GA8HP45Z, 50Z, 51Z, 70Z, 75Z, 90Z, 95Z, GA8P70H, GA8P75H ATF 3+ 83 22 2 289 720 BMW says ATF 3 and ATF 3+ can be mixed; ATF 3 (83 22 2 305 397) was discontinued 03/2015. The 2024 bulletin lists 83 22 5 A12A00
GM5 A5S 360R, A5S 390R ATF 1 or Dexron VI 83 22 2 305 395 (ATF 1); 83 22 2 167 718 (Dexron VI, 1 liter) Which one applies depends on the gearbox code; see the GM5 page
GM6 GA6L45R Dexron VI 83 22 2 167 718 (1 liter); 83 22 2 167 720 (5 liter) Lifetime fill per BMW
GM THM-R1 A4S 270R, A4S 310R BMW ATF d III 83 22 9 407 858 Later green-plate units moved to ATF 1; see the BMW bulletin
Older ZF 4HP and 3HP 4HP22, 4HP22 EH, 4HP24 EH BMW ATF D2 81 22 9 400 272 Also named in the bulletin for 3HP22
Manual gearboxes S5D 250G, S5D 320Z, S6S 420G MTF LT-2 83 22 2 339 219 (1 liter) Per the BMW manual gearbox oil bulletin
Manual gearboxes GS6-37BZ, GS6-53BZ MTF LT-2, then MTF LT-3 from 03/2007 production 83 22 2 339 219; 83 22 2 339 221 Per the BMW manual gearbox oil bulletin
Manual gearboxes GS6-17BG MTF LT-3 83 22 2 339 221 Per the BMW manual gearbox oil bulletin
Manual gearboxes GS6-45BZ MTF LT-5 83 22 2 156 969 BMW parts data lists LT-5 for 335i-class cars and the M2, M3 and M4; the bulletin table cell for this gearbox is not readable
SMG S6S 420G (SMG), GS7S47BG Pentosin CHF 11S hydraulic oil in the clutch hydraulics; MTF LT-2 in the gearbox 83 22 2 339 219 (MTF LT-2) See the SMG and twin-clutch page
Twin-clutch (M DCT) GS7D36SG BMW DCTF-1, then DCTF-1+ 83 22 2 446 673 (DCTF-1+, 1 liter) DCTF-1, 83 22 2 148 578, was discontinued 12/2017
Aisin GA8F22AW; GA8G45AW ATF 6; ATF 7 83 22 2 355 599 (ATF 6); 83 22 2 413 477 (ATF 7) X1 and X2 gearboxes in the table

Common Questions

What transmission does a US BMW E46 325i have?

BMW parts data lists three gearboxes for the US E46 325i: the ZF A5S 325Z automatic, the GM A5S 390R automatic, and the Getrag S5D 250G five-speed manual. In that data the ZF unit is listed on 325i cars built 09/2000 to 02/2003 with the M54 and 09/2002 to 01/2005 with the M56, and the GM unit on cars built from 03/2001 (one type) or 03/2002 to 05/2005, so the build date alone does not settle it; check the label on the gearbox.

What transmission is in a US BMW E90 335i?

For the N54 335i sedan, BMW lists the ZF GA6HP19Z automatic or the ZF GS6-53BZ six-speed manual. The 2010-2011 N55 335i sedan is listed with the GA6HP19Z automatic and with the GS6-45BZ or GS6-37BZ manual.

What transmission does a BMW F30 328i or 335i have?

BMW parts data lists the ZF GA8HP45Z eight-speed automatic for the F30 328i and 335i, with the Getrag GS6-17BG manual on the 328i and the ZF GS6-45BZ manual on the 335i.

Do BMW automatic transmissions have a fluid service interval?

BMW's fluid bulletin describes the ZF 5HP (A5S 325Z, 440Z and 560Z), ZF 6HP and ZF 8HP automatics as lifetime-fill gearboxes with no scheduled oil change. The same bulletin says the approved fluid must be used after any repair, and that lifetime fluids must not be mixed with other types. It also says the Aisin automatics in the X1 and X2 need oil changes according to the service instructions.

What fluid does a BMW ZF 6HP automatic use?

BMW specifies ATF 2 for the GA6HP19Z, GA6HP26Z and GA6HP32Z. The BMW part number in the December 2019 parts data is 83 22 2 305 396, and BMW's 2024 bulletin lists 83 22 5 A92 866 for the 1 liter container.

How much transmission fluid does an E90 335i hold?

BMW parts data gives a 9.5 liter fill for the GA6HP19Z automatic, 1.6 liters for the GS6-53BZ manual, and 1.2 or 1.6 liters for the N55-era GS6-45BZ and GS6-37BZ manuals.

Recalls and Service Items

Documented problems sit on the family pages, and only where a BMW service bulletin, BMW training document or NHTSA recall backs them. An NHTSA recall search on sample US model years from 1998 to 2019 (October 2026) found three recalls whose component is the gearbox itself:

  • NHTSA 01V196000 (filed 06/2001): X5 4.4i, listed by NHTSA under model year 2001. Wear on the contacts of the gear-position switch could drop the automatic into its emergency program while parked or in neutral, leaving only the lower gears and reduced power. Dealers replaced the switch. See the ZF 5HP page.
  • NHTSA 05V504000 (filed 11/2005): listed by NHTSA for the 2006 X5. Some automatics were built with a wrongly made parking pawl guide plate, so the park lock might not engage. Dealers replaced the guide plate. The recall text does not name the gearbox, and BMW parts data lists the 2006-era X5 with both the GM5 and the ZF 6HP.
  • NHTSA 08V595000 (filed 11/2008): about 2,500 2008-2009 M3 cars with the double-clutch gearbox. Under hard braking the software could drop several gears at once, and the engine could stall at low speed. Dealers reprogrammed the engine and gearbox control units. See the SMG and M DCT page.

BMW's maintenance list for the E90, E92 and E93 M3, the E60 M5 and the E63 and E64 M6 schedules manual gearbox and SMG oil changes, unlike the lifetime fill on other cars. See the six-speed manual and SMG pages.

Sources

  • BMW Service Information SI 24 05 96 (143): automatic transmission fluids, enclosures for each gearbox family, edition 07/2024.
  • BMW Service Information SI 23 02 96 (142): manual gearbox oils, edition 02/2019 and 07/2024.
  • BMW Service Information SI 28 01 08 (001): twin-clutch gearbox oil, edition 02/2019.
  • BMW service documentation: transmission designations (breakdown of the BMW gearbox designation and maker table).
  • BMW technical data: transmission filling capacities for the 23, 24 and 28 groups.
  • BMW parts catalog data, December 2019 data date: fluid table, US model types, US catalog entry and production dates, and fluid part numbers.

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