How to do an engine oil change on VW Golf TDI with a Pela oil extractor

This DIY shows how to change the engine oil using a vacuum Griot's oil extractor made by Pela and extractor review.  A Golf is shown but it will work on any 2009-2011 and newer VW Jetta TDI, Jetta Sportwgen TDI (JSW or GSW), and Audi A3 TDI.

Introduction

For the regular non-extractor procedure, see 1000q: oil change on Audi A3 TDI.  The original notes and most pictures are from TDI Hoo, many thanks!  He won a writeup contest sponsored by Kermatdi.com and so you can you!  The most common mistake by the dealer is to overfill the engine oil so check the level afterwards.

The big advantage of using an oil extractor is that you don't have to get under the car.  This is safer, faster, and is the factory approved method for dealerships.  I prefer to get under the car to look around and one reason dealerships do it is because time is money.

My TDI is now at 5000 miles, and per my personal preference I changed the oil. This thread is a DIY on how to change the oil, not when to change the oil. It is very simple with an oil extractor. Start to finish will take less than 20 minutes. This is a fast and simple way to change the oil and stay clean. I have tested oil extraction versus draining from the oil drain plug on my .:R32 and less than 1/2 ounce of oil remains in the pan on that vehicle after extraction and then draining through the pan.

Oil extractor review

A Girot's oil extractor is shown here and is made by Pela.  Other than the tall cylinder extractor, the most common Pela is a round ball one.  I bought a generic one from harbor freight and it didn't work at all because the tubing collapses and the cap seal was poor.  I like to try some of their stuff but this one was worthless.  I would avoid using a small mity-vac type hand pump because oil is pretty thick and it'll take forever to pump it out.

507.00 engine oil specs and part numbers

You must use VW 507.00 engine oil for warranty coverage and to maximize the life of the DPF filter.  See 1000q: DPF filter and Adblue fluid FAQ for more details and explanations.  The TSB below gives a list of approved engine oils.  This is a relatively new spec oil so the best place to find it is from the dealer or an online wholesaler.  I suggest sticking to the factory specification oil at least for warranty purposes.  Some common oils that are VW/Audi 507.00 spec are Castrol SLX Professional LL03, Motul specific VW 507.00,Total Quartz Ineo 5w30 507.00, and Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5W-30.  The part numbers for VW 507.00 oil are:
VW# g v52 195 a1 (g v52 195 a1) for .5 liter 
VW# gvw 052 195 m2 (gvw 052 195 m2) for 1 liter
VW# gvw 052 195 m4 (gvw 052 195 m4)for 5 liters

2009 Jetta TDI and 2010 Audi A3 TDI have the CBEA engine.  2010 Jetta, Golf, and wagons have the CJAA engine.  The most noticeable difference is in the oil pump/balance shaft and 2 piece DPF/NOx catalyst.  See this forum thread for more details. The CBEA takes 4.0L of oil and the CJAA takes 4.3L of oil. Just check the level as you're filling and it should be fine.

Parts for engine oil change on TDI

For Audi A3: T15, T20, and T30 torx for the splash shield under the engine
For Jetta/Golf: T25 and T30 torx
19mm socket for oil pan drain plug
32mm or 1 1/4" socket for the oil filter housing cap (may need 3/8-1/4" adapter)
3/8 extension or 1/2" extension with u-joint
torque wrench (see 1000q: torque wrench FAQ for tips on brand and use)
Oil extractor (Griot's, Pela or similar)

507.00 engine oil: 4.3 liters / 4.5 quarts
1 engine oil filter VW/Audi# 071 115 562 c, from kermatdi (case of 10)

oil filter:

There are 2 different engine oil filter types, pictured below.  Supposedly, the meyle/VW filter is made by Purflux and has an accordion element and the mann filter is made by hummel has a straight element.  Both came stock on brand new cars.  These filters are also used in the VW R32 Golf and Audi TT V6.  

Here is TDI Hoo's review of the Assenmacher oil funnel (click to enlarge gallery)

Engine oil extraction procedure on VW Golf TDI (also works on Jetta TDI and Audi A3 TDI)

First, unless you have mechanics gloves, let the car cool for 30 minutes after driving. The oil filter housing is down in a hole with metal surroundings that get HOT.

Remove the plastic engine cover. It just pops off from rubber ball-socket snaps.  Nicely done.  You will see this: (picture from the non-extractor engine oil change writeup)

Here is where the rubber ball snaps were.  The location of the oil filter housing cap is shown with a red dot below.  The oil filter housing is located just above the fabric covered hose.  The cap has a 32 mm 6 sided bolt head.  Edit by myturbodiesel.com - you may have to use a 3/8 extension and 32mm or 1 1/4" socket to loosen the filter cap.  A 1/2" extension may not fit through the gap and won't work without a u-joint.

Once loosened the filter comes out with the housing. I suggest covering the hose with a towel/rag to keep the dirty oil from messing up the off white woven heat shield.  Always loosen the filter first because removing it lets some oil in the housing drip into the oil pan.

Lift up the oil filter slightly so that most of the oil will drain out of the housing and off the filter.   Put the oil filter back down and let it sit unscrewed for a while to drip dry some more.

Here's the old filter in the housing.  If the tip broke off, retrieve it.

Note the small O ring on the filter extension. VW uses this same filter on a number of engines (including my .:R32).  There is debate about whether to leave it on. It won't hurt anything to leave it on. Note that it came on the extension, installed from the factory. But it really is there to be used on housings that are underneath the engine and is used to replace a small O ring on a separate drain plug in some filter housing covers (those that hang under the engine, not on top). The hole that the filter extension goes down into has a bottom and no entry/exit point for the oil. The oil from the engine enters the filter housing from the side above the tip where the O ring is on the the extension. And the extension is solid, so no oil goes throught it anyway. Oil goes up through the center of the filter, gets filtered, and goes out the larger hole in the outer concentric ring in the bottor of the TDI metal filter housing. Here's the filter housing in the TDI. Note the deep well on the left side in the bottom where the oil goes to the engine. It holds a few ounces of oil:

Here's the very similar metal filter housing in an .:R32 (from under the engine). The right side is where oil returns to engine in this example:

See that the hole the filter tip extension goes into is indeed, a dead end in both metal oil filter housings. That hole is 3 cm in diameter and the filter tip extension is a bit more that 1 cm and fits loosely in there. The O ring doesn't contact anything. The 3 cm hole contacts tightly the horizontal flat plastic "disc" on the end of the paper filter where there are 4 holes to let oil percolate up through the filter.

End of dissertion on why small O ring is not necessary (but certainly not harmful to leave on).

Now, continue the procedure:
Use oil extractor to suck out the oil from the filter housing. Wipe out any remaining oil with a disposable rag. Then put the oil extractor hose down into the dipstick tube:

I removed a bit more than 4 liters with the extractor (each ring shows a liter on the extractor). When it is finished draining, the extractor makes a noise similar to sucking the last bit of a milkshake through a straw. Very satisfying.  Each line on the Griot's extractor (made by Pela pumps) is one liter. Pela makes a smaller one, too.


Change the large O ring on the filter housing (always make sure you remove the old o-ring).  Then coat with clean oil.  Some like to pour oil on the new filter after putting it in the housing to minimize oil starvation after starting the car.  Reinstall the filter housing and torque to 25 Nm (18 ft lbs).  It's stamped on the housing.  Do not overtighten the cap, let the o-ring do its job.  Here is a picture from the other "regular" oil change writeup.


Refill with 4.0-4.3 litres of VW approved oil (507.00) and check the level on the dipstick.  My dipstick showed exactly full using the 4.3 litres.  Note that Mobil 1 ESP 5W30 and the Castrol come in 1 litre bottles, which is different from typical American oil containers that are usually 1 quart (900 mL). The CBEA takes 4.0L of oil and the CJAA takes 4.3L of oil. Just check the level as you're filling and it should be fine.

When done, snap on the engine cover. Replace dipstick and oil fill hole cap. Don't forget to check the oil level after starting the engine, then turning it off and checking the level at least 3 minutes later (per the Bentley). I like to wait 15 minutes, or better for me, check it the next morning.  Check for any oil leaks.

Edit by myturbodiesel - In addition to what the original author does, I suggest checking the oil under consistent conditions.  Just always check it warm or check it cold.

Take the used oil to your local recycling center.  If you can't find the local drop off earth911.com can search for a local waste disposal.

Hope this helps some folks, at the very least after your free routine maintenance expires.

TDILow3 made an oil extractor storage sleeve using some PVC piping to keep the tubing clean. Here is a .pdf showing the project:

Here's a video on an older car using the extractor:

Mobil 1 ESP 5W30 is available at Pep Boys.  If you have any other tips for changing the engine oil on a VW Golf TDI or see an error?  Please comment here: myturbodiesel.com.  If you need more help, search the site or join the forum: