^ question:

what does your shop charge for OEM pan and BMW metal pan service?

 

$1000

 

you should ask them about the BMW metal pan conversion. As stated, less labor, more parts but easier to service next time around.

 

I will do that, thank you!

 

I didn't catch the BMW pan option you mentioned when I replied with normal service cost. Just woke up. I will see if I can get the parts for my mechanic, someone mentioned a BMW filter that has a shorter neck thus saving from dropping parts..not sure how it reaches the pan..I am guessing the guys at British America would know...
Thanks again

 

Filter is not part of the pan on the BMW option. So the pan can be removed without removing all of the items that stop one from removing the OEM pan.

To do the conversion you need the seperate filter, pan gasket, metal pan, and shorter bolts. Also the trans sleeve should be changed at this time(especially since yours is leaking).

 

I had my pan swapped to the metal pan (not BMW though, aftermarket) and my sleeve changed just recently. It means you also need to replace most of the fluid and then go through the procedure to check fluid level (you can do this yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it). The pan was only $150 or so but labor came to around $700 (labor rates are $100+ here). They apparently had difficulty removing the old sleeve and it came out in pieces.

If switching to the metal pan, the old plastic pan can be removed without removing the exhaust, frame, etc. by just cutting the plastic neck on the integrated filter and sliding it out. That supposedly saves a lot of time and cost on labor. The neck on the metal plan is not shorter, the filter is a separate piece. The fill level is not different either, even though the BMW pan says to fill it from the bottom (the reason is on BMW's, filling from the side port requires extensive labor to remove an axle that blocks it).

TLDR; yes the shop you are talking to is probably taking you for a ride. I'd find another shop, but replacing the sleeve is definitely a good idea. Not sure about the control arms, no experience with aftermarket, but ripping them out seems like overkill.

 

So...you say the fill level is not different. Does that mean that contrary to what was believed on this forum before, the metal pan does NOT reduce the amount of fluid the tranny can hold?

 

That I'm not able to confirm or deny. It seems about the same dimensions, so I have difficulty believing that the capacity is decreased by the claimed 1 quart or so. The fill level is where the minimum fluid level needs to be to keep things happy and has no bearing on the capacity if the pan is changed.

 

Soooo....it sounds like you are confirming.