[s-cars] DIY Oil Change Question

[Tom Green]

I'm just posting here, Randy, instead of filling up your in basket on  
oil change.  Igor is to this list what
E.F Hutton is (or was) to investing.  Everybody advises use quality  
synthetic, which makes me wonder
what a not-quality synthetic is.  :-)   I think that 5W-40  
recommendation or even 5W-30 is good for this
time of year in your locale.

I don't use ramps because the car is too low to get on them.  I have  
a down slope that starts out the back
entrance of the garage and I just park the front wheels on the break  
which gives me extra room.  The pan
is more forward than you might expect, so that gives me room to  
maneuver.  It's too difficult on the level
drive.   I put new fasteners on the entire pan.  After 10 years you  
tend to have a mix of odd stuff even if
all the fasteners are there, and having new one piece fasteners and  
rubber captive washers and receptacles
helps a lot.   It can be frustrating trying to get a loose dzus pin  
to start while holding and moving the pan slightly
to line the holes up.  The new pins will be captive in the pan right  
where you need them.

My procedure is to put the pan in place making sure it engages all  
the slots in the bumper cover and inside the
cover and fender liner on the sides.  Then I fasten one rear corner  
of the 5 metal fasteners, then move to the front
fastener on that side, pivot the pan around that fastener until I can  
feel the pin engage the clip, and fasten it.   You
may have to push up quite a bit to get the pan in position in front,  
since it tends to sag if the are not fastened.  It is
common to give up on them and not fasten the front because they can  
be difficult, but they secure the front of the
pan from anything that might cause it to come loose, and at speed it  
will depart the vehicle quite dramatically.  The
front of the pan also holds the bumper cover up out of harms way as  
well, so it is less likely to catch on something.
Then, move to the other front fastener, then the two remaining rear  
metal fasteners.  The two plastic fasteners on
each fender liner will then be a simple task.  If you can get these  
pins lined up in this manner one time, the procedure
will be easy to repeat, but never accept less than 5 metal pins  
securely fastened.

I like the Mann 719/30 filter as an equivalent substitute for the  
Audi 06A 115 561 B oil filter, probably because it
has that 2Jahre/30,000Km band on it.  Must be good to last that  
long.  :-)  The suppliers send the Mahle OC 264
sometimes which is a long life filter as well.  I buy those 26X31 mm  
copper sealing washers in quantity where they
are cheap so I always have one.  Or, a fumoto is handy.  I like to  
fill the new filter with oil before installing  to minimize
that no pressure interval.  The best part of doing this yourself is  
you get to look everything over underneath while doing
the oil change, checking boots for tears, hoses for leaks, etc and  
wiping off some things to keep them clean so you will
recognize a new problem.  You can't expect someone else to do this  
when you are only paying for an oil change.

I'll leave the oil to you.  We have different needs in the south  
where there is not much winter to deal with, but we have
to protect for that 80F weather year round.

Tom  '95 S6
           '95.5 S6 avant

Randy sends Kudos:
> Date: Sun, 01 Oct 2006 20:15:15 -0600
> From: Lewis Consulting <lewisconsulting at sasktel.net>
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] DIY Oil Change Question
> To: 'Igor Kessel' <KBATPO at comcast.net>
> Cc: 'S Car List' <s-car-list at audifans.com>
> Message-ID: <0J6H00CRVKXLBSP0 at bgmpomr2.sasknet.sk.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
>
> Igor replied:
>
> Randy,
> the most frequent mistake that almost everyone I know did at least  
> once is leaving the old filter
> gasket on the oil sump flange. The new filter comes with its own  
> gasket. The subsequent mishap known
> as "double gasket" will create an Exxon Valdez spill on your garage  
> floor at the first start up.
>
> Don't forget to smear some oil on the new filter gasket before  
> screwing it on. This will prevent the
> scenario above at the next oil change.
>
> Hand tighten the new filter. IME it exactly equals to the required  
> "turn
> 3/4 turn after the gasket touches the flange".
>
> If you want to eliminate dealing with the drain plug and renewing  
> Aluminium o-rings for good get
> yourself a Fumoto T-207 valve.
>
> The AAN takes approx 5.5 quarts. Fill it up with 5 quarts, start it  
> up, run for a minute, shut it
> off, wait a few minutes, check the level. Top off to the MAX.
>
> Use only quality oil filters. I buy strictly OEM, which are made by  
> Mann and Mahle. The reason is
> the lack of the antidrain valve in the cheap aftermarket filters  
> like for example in the Fram 2870
> and the like. You don't want to start your engine dry in the morning.
>
> I personally firmly believe that no turbo motor should ever see  
> anything but quality synthetic oil.
> I use Mobil-1.
>
> --
> Igor Kessel
> two turbo quattros
>
>
> Thnks Igor.... That is good stuff, appreciate your help !!
>
> Randy