How easy is a D3 V6 3.0TDI Oil change? ...
 

I've always got the local 'Audi competent' dealer to do the oil changes on my 2005MY 3.0TDi.

But since that costs about £200 [Oil alone is £105] and I've recently acquired a VCDS to perform the SRI reset, I've wondered if someone like myself, who just has a tarmac drive without cover to perform work on the car, can do an oil and filter change without much difficulty.

Any thoughts please?

Julian

It's very easy to do if you buy a vacuum bottle for sucking the old oil out through the dipstick tube.

I assume the filter for your engine is on the top of the engine too.

Then it's just a case of resetting the service reminder with Vcds

As delboy says, get a pela oil extractor, get the car up to temperature, drain the oil through the dipstick tube, undo filter housing on top of engine, remove filter and suck all the oil out the filter housing, new filter, fill with oil, reset service indicator and enjoy another 10k miles :)

Costs me, after buying the tools (oil extractor, 32mm socket (iirc)) about £45 to £50 to do an oil and filter change +++

Guys; thanks for your very prompt replies.

However, with years of company cars and for 8 years, a dealer serviced A8, you're talking to someone who last did an oil change on a MK2 Cortina! This was where I undid a nut on the sump and drained out a few pints of black oil, which I replaced at the top with some new golden stuff :D

Are you implying there's some fancy vacuum gadget that successfully sucks old oil out the dipstick filler [wot - all of it]? If so, how much please?

And what oil do you guys use at under £50. Do you need the Castrol Edge stuff or something else?

Thanks - Julian

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PELA-6000-...item2c8ac2989d

Thats the one I use, very robust

I use this one: http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-...&id=31292&ar=3

As for getting all oil out, well you never get 100% oil out even when draining through the plug in the sump, but there is really not much difference whether you leave 1 % or 2% of old oil in the engine, on some engines apparently you can get more oil by sucking it out rather than draining. But it does save time and labour, you do not need a ramp and no need to lift the car, undo undertray. Many garages do it the same way and from what I have heard some models does not have drain plug at all so the only way is to suck it out from the top. I change the oil more often then required in service schedule anyway.

Same stuff that Audi dealers use Quantum Longlife III 5W30 I think not all 3.0TDI engines have the same oil capacity but should be somewhere 5.5-7.5l

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/x2-Quantum...kAAOSwKtlWqe5y or http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quantum-II...kAAMXQfvlSlzmM

That's that same one I've got, it's only 6 litres of capacity and the larger version is quite a bit more expensive, so you fill the bottle, empty some or all of it into a container and then extract the rest.


The only gripe I've got with the lidl version is I couldn't see a rigid section like the peela has, as you can feel where it's going and poke it a round a bit to make sure it's got everything.

I use shell helix oil, but quantum is good oil too.

Oh and if or when you take your car to Audi, this is the method they use to do your oil change, I'm pretty sure they fill up via the dipstick tube as well, I know for certain it's all done via a computer though, they input the amount needed and it fills the engine back up +++

I use the same.

Guys; thanks all of you for your prompt responses.

So two final queries about Oil filters:

1) Do I swap the filter and then do the oil change?

2) Do I need any other 'bits' other than the oil and the filter?

thanks - Julian

Get it all warmed up like alrerady said switch off ....(very important ), undo oil filter housing in the middle of the vee, think its 30 mm socket ( not 100% ) undo it till it just pulls out then let it stand ,this allows the cup full of oil in the housing to drain back to sump .

Vac it out with your sucker , fit your new oil filter and seal ( mann filters are good) , tighten oil filter housing up ... its only plastic , so 3 foot long breaker bar with scaffolding tube over that is not nessasary as with some i come across.

Add fresh oil up to the mark , run it up ,make sure oil light goes out , re check level , should be good to go .