[chittychittybangbang]

Many thanks to fahrenheit351 for taking pictures of the oil change on his 2010 Audi A3 TDI. Once the engine cover is off it's the same thing.

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/8p/A3-TDI-oil-change.htm

It uses the same oil filter as earlier A5 Jetta TDI.

On a separate note, I started a collection of FAQ and "how to" for A3 TDI. The common rail Jetta info is currently with the earlier pumpe duse Jetta info because they use the same body. The new collection of FAQ for the A3 TDI excludes Jetta specific info and will have stuff added to it as it comes up. On a separate note I fixed a forum problem, the FAQ index for A5 Jetta are now back.

 

[pearlgolf]

:thumbsup nice work

 

[cttdi]

Oil Change

Thanks for the oil change info. What do you all think of the oil change method where the oil is sucked out from the top of the engine eliminating the need to remove the plastic or metal skid plate on the bottom of the engine?

 

[Gruppe d]

How is that possible? The top of the engine has the covers and camshafts in the way. Snake something through the holes? Or maybe through the dipstick tube? Is the tube big enough?

 

[Fluid]

How is that possible? The top of the engine has the covers and camshafts in the way. Snake something through the holes? Or maybe through the dipstick tube? Is the tube big enough?

Exactly, you snake a suction tube through the dipstick. It's a real time saver but the mk5 tubes are a little smaller. I don't like it because you don't get to inspect stuff while you're down there.

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Exactly, you snake a suction tube through the dipstick. It's a real time saver but the mk5 tubes are a little smaller. I don't like it because you don't get to inspect stuff while you're down there.

2nd, the oil drains out much faster out the bottom so it's not that much more time to drain it out the bottom. If you suck it out the top how do you know you got it all out? There'll be some left in the corners. too.

 

[fahrenheit351]

excellent

Nice write up....especially love the pictures. J/k

Just a heads up on the MObil 1 ESP 5w-30 oil. Its also readily available at PEP Boys.

Additionally if you go to the Mobil 1 website they have a listing of all their oils by spec and a dealer locator so you can find other dealers in your area that may have the oil you need......

Peace

Miles

 

[dogger99]

What is the cost of changing your oil yourself compared to having it done at the dealer or service centre? It looks to be a lot work to do it yourself.

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Not really much work, especially if you have a basic set of tools and a jack.

The dealers are known for overfilling the oil because I've heard 3rd hand that their instructions call for 5 liters vs. actual capacity of about 4.2 liters. Another common mistake is to overtorque the drain pan plug. The oil pan is aluminum so it can get stripped. Finally, they often don't use VW/Audi 507.00 spec engine oil as required. This is the only engine oil spec which satisfies the engine oil requirement for warranty coverage if there's some problem. I'm sure other engine oils will work but who wants to be the guinea pig?

The person who took the pics also has an Audi which doesn't come with 3 years/certain mileage scheduled maintenance as the VWs do. The dealer will charge you about 2x for oil/parts/disposal fee. If you DIY oil change you pay less for parts even after shipping, and disposal is free at the local auto parts store.

 

[danham]

What is the cost of changing your oil yourself compared to having it done at the dealer or service centre? It looks to be a lot work to do it yourself.

I've always done it myself, but my '06 Audi A3 2.0T gasser had freebies for 50k miles or something like that, so I let them do it and did the in-between ones (half the factory interval) myself.

In really crappy cold weather I even let them do the 'tweeners and was astonished to find that it was within about $15 of doing it myself.

So depending on what your time is worth and whether your local dealer is trustworthy re: the things chitty mentions, it's darn near a wash. Speaking of which, my dealer (Tracy Audi/VW in Hyannis) washes and vacuums the car too [g].

-dan

 

[fahrenheit351]

What is the cost of changing your oil yourself compared to having it done at the dealer or service centre? It looks to be a lot work to do it yourself.

$52.98 here in Central Cali.

5 quarts Mobil 1 @6.99 (used 4 plus a little) = $34.95
Oil filter (from VW) = $14.00
Tax = $4.04
Time? About an hour soup to nuts.

For me I hate waiting around at dealers or co-ordinated being picked up or dropped off. You can spend wasted time doing that or roll up your sleeves and waste time doing it yourself. Either way takes the same time.

Second issue is that no matter how good the dealer is it's not their car. Everyone has horror stories about things being done wrong or not done at all at the dealer. Heck I have horror stories with some of the stuff I'VE done to my own cars......difference is I didn't pay someone to make a mistake and I won't make the same mistake again.

Third.......I like it. I like working with the tools, I like making sure everything on the car is where it should be and functioning properly, and I like looking over how the car is engineered.

Peace

Miles

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Added a DIY video to the writeup.

Fahrenheit351 no longer owns that Audi A3 TDI due to this: http://www.myturbodiesel.com/forum/f7/100-mph-head-impact-2583/ so thanks again buddy for your original writeup!