Quote:
Originally Posted by ThomasR
No. Just because there is no drain means nothing. Many transmissions, differentials, etc have no drains. Just like many reservoirs don't have drains like brake fluid reservoirs, power steering reservoirs, etc but still need to be drained and cleaned from time to time.
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In this day and age it's reasonable to conclude that since the differential (or other similar component) does not have a drain plug that the fluid will is a one time fill - i.e., a 'lifetime' fluid". I agree that one is better off draining/filling their 'lifetime fill' fluids but the reality is that many car manufacturers have moved in this direction, along with the concept of Condition-Based Maintenance - which is interestingly not not at all a recent concept for BMW.
My old 2000 528i's differential and (manual) transmission had drain plugs, however if one looked at the owners manual regarding service it was stated that the fluids did not require changing - i.e. lifetime fill. The car had rudimentary CBC that monitored/advised on oil/filter change also....that car was built 19 years ago.