The BMW E39 engine is in certain years of the BMW 5 series and M5. It is made as a manual transmission or automatic transmission. If you look in your BMW owner's manual, you will see that the transmission fluid is guaranteed for the lifetime of the car, but the transmission fluid should be changed every 30,000 miles to keep the transmission healthy. Changing the fluid in a manual and automatic E39 transmission requires the same process.
Use floor jacks to raise the car. You need to raise all four wheels to make sure the car is level. If the car is not level, you cannot properly add and drain the fluid.
Remove the fill plug on the transmission pan with the socket wrench. The fill plug is above the drain plug. The drain plug is on the bottom of the transmission pan.
Put the oil drip pan underneath the transmission pan and remove the drain plug with a socket wrench. The old fluid will start draining immediately. Let the fluid drain for at least 10 minutes.
Screw the drain plug back on and torque to 70 Nm.
Fill your oil pump can with automatic transmission fluid or manual transmission fluid, adding roughly 3 quarts of fluid. Use Red Line - MTL or Texaco etl 7045e ATF. Check with a BMW dealership before you using other types. Use a clean can that has not been used with any other fluids.
Insert the clear hose of the oil pump can into the filler hole and begin pumping transmission fluid into the pan. Fill the pan until it overflows. Some of the fluid will start coming out of the hole when it is full.
Screw the fill plug back on and tighten it to 70 Nm.
Lower the car. After driving the car check for leaks under the car. If you did not tighten the plugs enough, some fluid might leak.
