Oil and Oil Changing

Changing the oil is a very important part of the maintenance schedule, this should be done every 6000 miles or at least once per year religiously!!! The reason for this is it prolongs the life of the engine by getting rid of the old oil, and it therefore doesn't allow a build up of carbon deposits inside the engine. For both Turbo and normally aspirated engines we would recommend using fully synthetic oil only, as this does not break down as quickly as mineral oil and helps to prevent engine wear as result of this. There are many fully synthetic oils on the market but always go for a known brand and don't buy the thinnest oil either, a weight of 5w 40 or 10w40 is more than adequate for all year round use in normal climates, hotter climates will require a heavier oil. Always use a genuine Audi oil filter at every change, as these have an anti drain back valve in them, very important on initial start-up to get the oil up to the top of the engine. NB some UR Quattros have 2 oil filters depending on the age of car.

Changing the oil is a simple, first get the oil up to operating temperature, switch the engine off and then undo the oil filler cap and remove the dipstick, next undo the sump drain plug (19mm) and drain the oil into a suitable container capable of holding 4 to 5 litres of hot liquid. Let this drain for a while to get as much of the old oil out as possible. Then replace the drain plug with a new copper washer, and then unscrew the old oil filter with the aid of a filter removal tool. It is less messy if you let the oil drain out of the block first before unscrewing the filter completely, after this use a drop or two of new oil on the new filters seal and fill with fresh oil then screw onto the engine and tighten to hand tight only as far as you can go.

The next stage is to refill the engine with the new oil, I use a small funnel to prevent spillage down the side of the engine and fill with 3.5 to 3.75 litres of oil, replace both oil filter cap and dipstick, now start the car and let it idle for a few seconds any longer than this then you may damage your cat converter (if you have one) due to excess unburnt fuel entering it. As an alternative you can spin the engine over on the starter motor without the engine firing, to do this disconnect the lead from the distributor to the coil and then ground the coil (prevents frying the electronic ignition), now turn the car over on the starter motor until the pressure light goes out. Switch off and leave it for a few minutes to allow the oil to drain back in the sump and then check the level add oil a little at a time until it reaches the maximum mark on the dipstick. Job now done.

A couple of things that you might like to know, stay away from oil treatments they generally don't work that well if at all and always keep the oil level up to the maximum mark, I check mine every week.

Click to enlarge

Photos will be avaible soon

[Back to the Maintainance]