Oil Change Service

This Technical FAQ (How to...) has been carefully compiled by John Handford

I've been meaning to post this for a while as it might be useful to anyone wanting to do their own oil change and service on their TT. Why? It saves cost and you know it's done properly. You also get to inspect your innards for leaks or other problems and get to know them better. This is what it cost me for a service recently:

Audi oil filter: £4.46
Pollen filter : £9.69
5 Litres Motul E-tech 0W-40 503.01 : £32.74 (0.5L left over for top ups)
Total = £46.89

The E-tech oil is supposed to be the best for the 225 engine by all accounts as it's a fully synthetic Ester based oil. The 0W-40 does not thin out as much as the 0W-30 when hot which is better too. I should mention that I've got a K&N pannel filter so no need to renew - it just needs brushing gently. Anyway...

The Bentley manual is a bit lacking on some detail so I had to find out a few things myself.

First, getting the car up on ramps. The standard ramps don't work too well with modern spoilers. A piece of wooden joist on each ramp, with a couple of bent nails to act as hooks onto one of the ramp rungs, give enough initial lift to ensure the spoiler easily clears the ramps (click to enlarge). Could do with painting I know.



Next job is to remove the cover from under the engine. There are quite a few Torx screws to remove.



But the Bentley manual doesn't tell you about these screws that join the cover to the wheel arch liner!



Then the cover will pull towards the rear, disengaging the locating tabs at the front of the cover and fall away.

The oil drain plug is at the back of the sump. Having the car on ramps helps drain the oil to the rear. The oil being warm helps it drain too but watch you don't scold yourself. Draining the oil out via the sump plug is better than sucking it out of the dipstick, like some garages do for speed, as it flushes out any solids and sludge. You also get a chance to find any bits of metal or other signs of damage. Leave it dribbling the last dregs into your drain can.



Next comes the difficult job of removing the oil filter cartridge. The filter is at the front of the engine and hangs down from its screw on mounting. Although I could get a hand up to it, there was no way I could unscrew it in the confined space. Oil filters usually become tight in service. I needed an oil filter wrench but not one that requires leverage room at the side of the filter. The type of wrench needed is a strap wrench with a long turning shaft to turn from well below. I improvised with an old cam belt, a long combination spanner and a T-bar from my socket set. The belt wrapped around the filter and the open end of the spanner twisted the belt tight. The T-bar turned the spanner through the ring end (click to see better). Worked a treat - but I'll get a proper one for next time.



A plastic bag pushed over the filter catches some of the oil that inevitably spills out but this is never completely successful, so some mopping up is required. Kitchen towel is good for this. EDIT: A recent suggestion which may be better is to cut off the bottom of a plastic lemonade bottle and slip it over the loosened filter to the top - then unscrew the filter by gripping it through the bottle. When the seal is broken the oil should be contained. The other sure way is to puncture the bottom of the filter and drain it.

The filter will squeeze out past the pipes below. Next, clean up the filter mounting being careful not to get any dirt into the innards - wipe the sealing rim outwards. Kitchen towel is useful here too.



The new filter needs its rubber sealing ring removing and lubricating with new oil. This helps seal and lubricates for assembly allowing the filter to be correctly hand screwed tight.



Squeeze the new filter up past the pipes but keep it face down at first to avoid any dirt falling inside. Alternatively, if possible, fill the cannister with new oil first, cover the open end with a small clean plastic bag to stop debris falling in and keep the open end upwards whilst raising the filter. Remove the bag just before screwing it on. This will minimise the time the engine first runs with no oil pressure on startup.



Carefully turn the filter round (not if full of oil!) and screw onto the mounting avoiding contamination. Hand tighten only. Rubber gloves help with grip but you don't need it too tight as it will tighten in service. Just get it as tight as you can with your hand - no strap wrench this time!



Your oil should have drained the last dregs by now so clean up and replace the sump plug using a new sealing washer. Tighten to 30Nm - don't strip it!

Next fill the engine with 4.5Litres of oil (less the amount you may have already put in the new filter!) which should come to the full mark on the dipstick. Start the engine but don't rev the engine at all. You don't want the turbo to spin until the oil pressure is up.

If all is OK, before putting everything back in the reverse order, you can spend some time admiring the engineering and checking for any problems. I found a seeping coolant leak from the run-on pump. I took it apart and cleaned it to effect a cure. A busy garage might not have spotted that and would have charged me for a new one if they had.

Don't forget to reset the service indicator:

RESET SERVICE INDICATOR:

*Switch off ignition.
*Press right hand button on dash and hold while switching on ignition.
*The display should now read SERVICE!
*Immediately press and hold the left hand dash button until SERVICE! is cleared from the display (some cars you need to twist to the left as well).

CHECK MILES TO NEXT SERVICE:

*Check distance to next service with Left button (ignition on).
* The display will read SERVICE IN XXXX MILES. (Some cars you need to press the right hand button on dash and hold while switching on ignition. Don't press the left hand button now or you might reset the mileage!)

NOTE: You need to have the doors shut for the above otherwise the open door symbol will overwrite your service indication! The service indicator can't be reset until the countdown miles reaches zero and says SERVICE. If you need to reset the service indication before the countdown expires you will have to use VAG-COM - or wait until the countdown reaches zero.