[G30M]

as part of the process of diagnosing a sound under warranty, dealer drained front diff oil and found "lots of metal shavings" (asked them to send me the pics, not got them yet)

the forum is not convinced the noise is from the diff, anyway, i'll let the process play out

but i recall the forum has other people draining their diff oil and finding metal shavings and just a normal thing.

anyone else drained their diff oil and find normal metal shavings?

[tracer bullet]

I've done a couple cars, same for transmissions, I'd say it depends on their definitions of shavings. If it's actual shavings, like what you might get if you were drilling something, or looks like fingernail clippings say, that's pretty bad. If it's a little bit of sparkle in the fluid and you'd have to see pieces under a microscope, that's fine (well, I'd call it normal anyhow).

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

I've done a couple cars, same for transmissions, I'd say it depends on their definitions of shavings. If it's actual shavings, like what you might get if you were drilling something, or looks like fingernail clippings say, that's pretty bad. If it's a little bit of sparkle in the fluid and you'd have to see pieces under a microscope, that's fine (well, I'd call it normal anyhow).

This^ shavings are not normal and not a good sign, some glitter is normal.

[///MPhatic]

The newer the diff/trans, the more glitter it'll have. One that has been changed multiple times should not have glitter to my knowledge. Most people just don't know that because they don't change it much. The track rats will know the answer to this question better because of how much they change their fluids compared to the general public (or what BMW recommends).

[G30M]

right, so if you can see it it's no good, if it's just glitter, it's ok

i plan to drain all my oils before warranty is up, and take photos

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by g21

right, so if you can see it it's no good, if it's just glitter, it's ok

i plan to drain all my oils before warranty is up, and take photos

Always a good idea, I do all my own maintenance and repairs and I can't tell you how many times I've brought home a new used car and the diff and trans fluid are just black, have never been changed.