RE: My first Audi wrench job!

[Peter Henriksen <peterhe@microsoft.com>]

You've experienced true communion with the Audi Gods at last. Joy.

Anyway, I don't know why some people think that the drain plug should be
tightened by impact wrench. On my 200, my mechanic had to use a hammer
and chisel to get it off. To make matters worse, somebody had just
priced the aluminum pan at something like $500, so I was not a happy
camper. It got off fine and the pan is OK, but no way, no how that car
is going anywhere to have an oil change where they don't use a torque
wrench for the plug (including my garage which is where it usually
happens - witness the stains on the floor).
- peter

>----------
>From: 	Chris Newbold[SMTP:cnewbold@eznet.net]
>Sent: 	Monday, June 24, 1996 8:17 AM
>To: 	quattro@coimbra.ans.net
>Subject: 	My first Audi wrench job!
>
>Well, I took to my Audi with a wrench for the first time
>this weekend! It was just a piddly little job--oil and filter
>change--but I had a small taste of the "joy" every one here
>experiences...
>
>Mind you, most of my "joy" stemmed from an attrocious (sp?)
>lack of proper tools and facilities... :-)
>
>After fighting with a bunch of !%#!&%$@ plastic fasteners I
>got the belly pan off and took to the crankcase plug with
>my trust adjustable wrench (don't laugh, please). Well,
>the last guy under here must have used the impact wrench on
>the thing, because the best I could do was start to round
>off the plug as I bent the jaws of my wrench. I abandoned
>the job and went to the store (in my VW) to buy a ratchet
>handle for my lone 17mm socket.
>
>In the end, I needed a 2' breaker on the end of the ratchet
>handle to get the plug loose. I'm sure this would have been
>easier if I'd had more than 8" of clearance under the car,
>but I don't have a proper jack or stands...
>
>I completed the job without incident (save fighting with the
>plastic fasteners again, breaking one) and topped off with
>Valvoline, 20W/50.
>
>(BTW, I filled by volume, 5.3 qts, and discovered that the
>dipstick was down 1/4 qt. Maybe that's why it's always
>"low")
>
>I've decided that to do anything more serious, I'm going
>to have to invest in a fully-equiped garage and a truck
>load of Snap-On tools... :-)
>
>-Chris (I'm having fun now!)
>