for those who are changing your s3 oil at home

[949]

for those who are changing your oil at home I have a few questions.

what oil weight are you using?
what brand?

also what method and tools are you using to lift the car up?
I know there is a thread about the jacking points but I don't think there is an answer on there yet.

[amd is the best]

Topsider oil evacuation pump (no need for a jack):



Castrol OE Pro (what the dealer uses) and OE VAG/MANN filter:

[Flying Tomatoes]

I use drive on ramps for most all of my cars but I haven't tried with the S3 yet to verify that there is enough clearance.

I'll be switching to Liqui Moly on my first oil change.

[GramCracker]

I'll be using this good-good in a couple of thousand miles:

[coreyl]

Topsider oil evacuation pump (no need for a jack):

This looks promising, I think I have been doing it wrong all these years.

Question - will this pull out any of the metallic bits that you may get on your first oil change? or is pulling the drain plug still your best bet for the first one?


Thanks
Corey

[Flying Tomatoes]

Both the drain plug and the oil pan are plastic. Dealers use a vac to suck out the oil as well.

Yup, I'm aware. Ill still be doing this the old fashion way. Especially the first time to make sure everything cleared out.

[amd is the best]

There is nearly no metal/break-in substances in a modern engine on the first change. What ever small amount of break-in materials would be suspended in the oil and will be sucked out with the vacuum pump, especially with the oil warm (how you're supposed to change it). That's how I feel about it anyway.

[bombdiggity]

Mityvac works nicely. I figured the S3 had the MMI oil sensor but it doesn't.


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[949]

so I am ready to buy an oil extractor like many are recommending.
I took a little time to shop around for which unit might work well.

while I looked around, I saw places like amazon and ECS tuning for the part. I noticed ecs tuning had one similar to the mityvac 7201. the mityvac seems like the unit many people are using and so I decided to ask a question to them directly today to see what the differences are from theirs.
ecs tuning fluid extractor $159.95 (direct from ecs tuning site)
mityvac 7201 fluid extractor $88.60 (amazon price)

I chatted with adam via the live chating help, to find out more information.

my experience with ECS tuning. ( its takes a while for them to get the conversation started )
when i asked him about the items, he said he has no clue what I was talking about. then he decides to look it up. so after he looks it up he says its probably the same.
I did notice the price is almost double with no reviews on the ECS unit. I couldn't figure out what justification there is for the extra price.
also I read somewhere that if you ask for a discount they would do something but after I asked, I got a no go for any discounts as I was going to be buying a lot more from them. this would have been a one stop shop.

in the end, no answers and no discounts. I will save a lot more money elsewhere.

[949]

i thought i would share my experience.

so, I bought an oil extractor and just changed my oil and i am happy i did it early.

the oil change itself was very easy. this is coming from someone who has changed oil on different makes and models of cars for many years with the oil pan and jack. it took only about 14 minutes to actually oil change the car. the clean up is another 15 minutes. not bad at all. I didn't hurt my back with the crawling on the floor. the clean up is nice.

the question some have asked is wether it picks up metal in the oil, well im not sure but I also know that using the plug drain doesn't do it either. that's why there are magnetic plugs. so unless you buy a magnetic plug I don't see a difference if you use a extractor or the drain plug to have it flow out all of the oil. the drain plug does not let all of the oil out because of the baffle in the oil pan and the way the pan on all cars are designed where the oil plug is positioned. you can watch many videos online to verify this.

as for the extractor I skipped buying it from ecs tuning. the customer service is subpar. their extractor did look the nicest but that doesn't equal to quality nor customer support down the road. especially there is no support now. I actually bought one that was even a tad more expensive then the ecs tuning's version. This version allows me to pump manually or use an air compressor. so far the manual pumping works perfectly.

most of the online reviews says to warm up the car but in socal, I thought it wasn't needed so I did it from it sitting all night. the flow was good and wasn't bad at all. I had called audi America and Castrol oil to verify the type of oil they recommend. they both said the exact same thing, which was to use full synthetic oil from Castrol with the range of weights. again both places verified it so I bought the Castrol oil they recommended.



at this point in time there are no aftermarket oil filters so I went to audi and bought one from them. I got a discount which was even lower than ecs tunings oil filter price. minus the wait for shipping. again everyone talks about ecs tuning so i checked there first.








putting back the oil filter i used my torque wrench and did it down to 25-26nm. the cap says 25.5nm











after taking out the oil they said that the oil should be 6qt with a new filter. when I took out the oil only 5.5 qts came out. before doing all this I checked the dipstick a few times before and It was a little lower on the dipstick. I thought it was off but it guess the dipstick was correct.



when the oil came out I noticed that the oil is very dark. it didn't look like it was fresh. I cant imagine it would be a good idea to run this for a full 5k miles before the recommended oil change. im very happy to change it before hand.



what I did notice after the change.
the warm up took less time for it to hit 200 degrees. about half the time now. i did measure my warm ups every morning and it would take about 27-29 minutes to warm up. after the change it took about 15 minutes to hit 200 degrees. im going to see what it will do after another oil change.

so far i am very happy with the car, the tools i just bought, the new method to oil change, and the outcome of today.

[will13k7]

nice! thanks for sharing! got me considering changing my own oil too. haven't done that for ages.

[nefkntym]

949, what extractor is that?

[949]

nice! thanks for sharing! got me considering changing my own oil too. haven't done that for ages.

hey no problem.

i do recommend doing it even before the 1k miles if the car is brand new. i seems the oil either broke down faster or it was just not meant to stay in there that long.

949, what extractor is that?

Draper 77057
Expert manual or pneumatic oil extractor.

after researching for the best one i can find i found this model. it isn't sold locally but overseas. im not sure why. the most popular ones in America is the mityvac.
i have never used the mityvac so i don't have any opinion on that brand. this model was considered a professional model.

while i was researching i came up with some criteria's that i needed and some i wanted to avoid.

-it had to be big enough to hold 6qts. obviously the car holds or supposed to hold 6qts and so this is a minimum.
this one holds 10.5qts.

-the hose needed to be strong, clear, and wide. what i mean is that the walls of the hose needs to be thick enough for the suctioning and be clear so i can see if oil is siphoning through. plus the diameter needs to be wide enough so that thicker oil can flow through easier. which makes it evacuate faster. you will notice in video reviews of other models they take a long time to evacuate oil.
this one has a clear tube. the diameter is wide. to support and wider diameter, there is flexible metal coil inside the tube from beginning to the end of the large tube. in other youtube videos they mention that a weak tube will collapse while being used. other makers are using cheap tubing and can cause this issue. i didn't think saving a few bucks here and there to be helpful because you will need to replace those cheaper items and therefore spending the same amount on a better unit. so this unit is a very good quality as i can tell.

- the main unit needs to be clear. the idea is simple. to be able to see how much oil is in the container.
this one is clear as you can see in the picture. plus it has the measurements on the side so you can see how many quarts came out.

-manual and pneumatic. it needed to be at least a manual version. most of the time ill just need to work on one car and if i need to take it to another location then i can just pump it. on some days im super lazy or need to work on multiple cars or even need something to work faster than me just pumping, this unit can do both. it will work with any size compressor to make the job fast and easy.
this unit will work with me pumping the unit or hooking it up to a compressor even if its a small bike compressor as well as a larger compressor.

-quality is one of the most important factors for me. if the unit breaks down after a few uses then it is useless. so far most of the reviews says its a robust unit. only time can tell for me as its an occasional used unit in my house. it does feel like a quality unit and is heavy with metal parts for the attachment on the compressor side. the plastic attachment seems like its in good quality and the O-rings are items i know i can replace myself from the hardware store down the line when they become old.
this unit seems to me like a solid unit so far.

-attachments needs to be all there for many cars. there are three attachments that come along with the unit. they all are push in attachments. no lock down. at first i thought that it would be an issue but after i used it once, i noticed that there is no need to have a locking mechanism for that. plus it makes it really easy and fast to switch attachments to the hose. the one i used for the audi s3 is the small blue metal attachment. its got a metal inner and is covered with a rubber outside. very good quality there. it wont collapse nor will it break in the dipstick tube on the car. it is also perfectly long enough with a few inches to spare to reach all the way down the dipstick tube to the oil pan down below.
this unit have three attachments. one will fit perfectly for the audi s3 2015


this item costed 189.00 shipped. its not a bad price being its a shipped price.
since it was coming from out of the county they estimated about 6 week for delivery.

in my case, it was to my surprise it only took about 2 weeks and was at my door step. when it came i had no clue what it was because i was waiting for a month out not 2 weeks.

[helli217]

hey no problem.

i do recommend doing it even before the 1k miles if the car is brand new. i seems the oil either broke down faster or it was just not meant to stay in there that long.

This isn't necessarily true. Dark brown or even black oil doesn't mean is has broken down or is no longer effective. Certain additive packages in oils can even cause them to discolor and darken very quickly; but this is can be completely unrelated to the freshness or contamination level. Did you send the oil off for analysis?

You did state your warm-up took less time after the change. Did you fill with the factory oil or use something different? ( I did see you went with recommended castrol from somewhere, just wondering if it was same exact oil)

Either way, nice review of the Draper. Looks like a nice unit.

[S3Danny]

X2... Color of oil doesn't mean anything in regards to its capability to lubricate, especially in a a break-in fill.

[sliner32]

That oil filter looks like the same as s4 b8 uses can someone verify

[Benji00]

Going to give this a go this week sometime. Is there any finessing the engine cover off or do you just pull around the corners?

[lamchop]

What other brand of pumps or models has anyone else use? What they like or dislike about it?

[selp]

Does anyone have a part number for the filter?
Also, is anyone using AMSOIL for their cars? they seem to have a good European formula for our cars.

[949]

Does anyone have a part number for the filter?
Also, is anyone using AMSOIL for their cars? they seem to have a good European formula for our cars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tt-VKe8Oaw

[A3_Yuppie]

Going to give this a go this week sometime. Is there any finessing the engine cover off or do you just pull around the corners?

Just pull near the corners and it pops right off, even with my wimpy arms.

[A20V200]

Just got my Topsider today...looks pretty slick. Thanks for the idea.

[A3_Yuppie]

Mityvac works nicely. I figured the S3 had the MMI oil sensor but it doesn't.


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Second that if you are referring to Mityvac 7201. Although I wish it has volume markings like the one 949 bought. However, it has gone up from <$90 when I bought it this January to >$120 on Amazon.com right now.

[Thumper3]

Raising this one from the grave as I just did the 15k service on my S3.

Both the drain plug and the oil pan are plastic. Dealers use a vac to suck out the oil as well.

Yeah, it is a retarded design that makes no sense. I've always wanted an extractor (because who doesn't like tools? lol) but never really got lazy enough to warrant getting one. The S3 with it's plastic plug has encouraged me to start shopping. Was stupid techs crossthreading threads in a plastic pan really that big of an issue? And since the dealer uses extractors anyway, why even bother worrying about it anyway?? And if you're going to use a plastic plug....why design the head in such a way to make breaking it off completely an actual possibility? LMAO Freaking Germans.

There is nearly no metal/break-in substances in a modern engine on the first change. What ever small amount of break-in materials would be suspended in the oil and will be sucked out with the vacuum pump, especially with the oil warm (how you're supposed to change it). That's how I feel about it anyway.

Few issues there. I did an oil change on my 2012 GTI at 1000 miles (right before going Stg1) and installed a magnetic drain plug. I am a curious and scientific guy, so I took a magnetic pick up and stuck it in my brand new drain pan where I had drained the oil. It was coated with metallic goo (microscoptic metallic filings). At every oil change after that (every 3k until trade in at 19k miles) that drain plug had shavings on it.

There is no amount of technology can make an engine NOT wear especially when it is new and all parts are fitting together tight. The internet has made the spread of baseless parts shop guy rumors spread like wildfire. You don't need to break your engine in, they do that at the factory! LMAO yeah, sure they do. They may no longer use the special "break in" oil which was only half the reason you were supposed to drain it sooner for the first change, but that doesn't mean they changed the laws of physics and there's no new miracle metal used in engines.

The issue I find with the warm oil argument is two fold. First, the assumption is that warm oil "flows" better and so you will get more out. But question, aren't we using multi-weight? Generally of the 0-30/5-40 flavor? And doesn't that mean that the oil has a lower viscosity (flow rate) when COLD? And of course, there's the issue of a warm engine having a lot of oil stored in the upper crankcase, channels, and oil cooler lines. Which means you are leaving old oil behind since a drain or an extractor is not going to suck the whole system dry with high pressure. Just thoughts to ponder.

This isn't necessarily true. Dark brown or even black oil doesn't mean is has broken down or is no longer effective. Certain additive packages in oils can even cause them to discolor and darken very quickly; but this is can be completely unrelated to the freshness or contamination level. Did you send the oil off for analysis?

Exactly, viscosity and texture are the measuring point, not color. Our old 09 Jetta TDI I did the first oil change, drove it 100 miles and then checked the level (European cars are always fun, worrying if someone mixed up quarts and liters for fill level LOL) and the oil was nearly jet black. Modern oils especially synthetics are packed with additives that discolor easily.

That oil filter looks like the same as s4 b8 uses can someone verify

I would guess it isn't, I did the oil change on my B8.5 S4 along with the S3 this weekend and can tell you for sure that those are different.

[S3Danny]

2.0T and 3.0T filters are different.

Just hit 25,000 miles on my S3, changed every 5,000 with extraction pump and Rotella T6. Zero issues at all. I change the oil when the car is hot, but let it sit 10-15 minutes before changing to let all the oil drain back into the pan. The pump is awesome, makes oil changes super quick and with no cleanup. I use it every chance I get now - both cars, tractor, and lawn mower. I wish it held enough capacity for my truck, then I wouldn't need a drain pan for anything anymore.

[esemett]

Has anyone used Eneos oil before? I got my S3 not too long ago. I have always used Eneos on my cars.

I know that Audi reccomends Castrol Edge, but is that any good? Also willing to try LiquiMoly

[MkUrMark]

Synthetic oil tend to be darker out of the bottle and darken within the first 500 miles- It has little to do with wear on the oil

[selp]

Puroil 10w40, with OEM Filter. Still thinking of trying castrol oil, Ive used it on all my other cars..
Do it old school with raising the car and removing the plug. I dont like the extractor, I have a hydraulic jack system, so for me its not too much of a hassle to do it.

[Rob2k68]

Interesting thread - had my oil change at 12k mikes (UK) but thinking about now doing it every 6k as I'm now tuned. Will probably buy one of those oil extractors - it looks like the tube just goes down the dipstick is this right ?

Also could somebody please point me in the direction of the oil filter? I've done a fair bit of DIY mechanics on it so far changed my spark plugs, air intake and fitted CTS intake, outlet and throttle pipes and not noticed it once !!

[Thumper3]

Interesting thread - had my oil change at 12k mikes (UK) but thinking about now doing it every 6k as I'm now tuned. Will probably buy one of those oil extractors - it looks like the tube just goes down the dipstick is this right ?

Also could somebody please point me in the direction of the oil filter? I've done a fair bit of DIY mechanics on it so far changed my spark plugs, air intake and fitted CTS intake, outlet and throttle pipes and not noticed it once !!

Good choice to do oil changes more often when tuned. In addition to all the exceptions and conditions no one reads in the manual for the factory schedule, running a less restrictive air filter and tuning the engine clearly should warrant a change in maintence.

As to the oil filter, it is located on the left side of the engine (if viewing from the front of the car) at the front.

Not my picture, but...





You can see the edge of the filter housing under the engine cover right in front of the dipstick there. 32mm socket to remove the housing the filter is attached inside.

here's another angle...

[bent]

Looks like this is the cheapest:

http://www.amazon.com/Shell-Rotella-...w-40+synthetic

You will need 1.5 of the 1 gallon to make 6 quarts. It says for use with diesel though.

Anyone use?

[S3Danny]

Looks like this is the cheapest:

http://www.amazon.com/Shell-Rotella-...w-40+synthetic

You will need 1.5 of the 1 gallon to make 6 quarts. It says for use with diesel though.

Anyone use?

It's good oil for anything. I use T6 in my S3, SQ5, and F350.

[14S4GWM]

Both the drain plug and the oil pan are plastic. Dealers use a vac to suck out the oil as well.

Not all of them, mine drains from the pan.

[Thumper3]

Looks like this is the cheapest:

http://www.amazon.com/Shell-Rotella-...w-40+synthetic

You will need 1.5 of the 1 gallon to make 6 quarts. It says for use with diesel though.

Anyone use?

It's good oil for anything. I use T6 in my S3, SQ5, and F350.

Well, since it does not meet the required specification for VW/Audi I wouldn't put it in my car. Be a super easy warranty denial if anything ever goes wrong.

[bent]

Good point. So what's the cheapest that will meet warranty?

[Rob2k68]

Good choice to do oil changes more often when tuned. In addition to all the exceptions and conditions no one reads in the manual for the factory schedule, running a less restrictive air filter and tuning the engine clearly should warrant a change in maintence.

As to the oil filter, it is located on the left side of the engine (if viewing from the front of the car) at the front.

Not my picture, but...





You can see the edge of the filter housing under the engine cover right in front of the dipstick there. 32mm socket to remove the housing the filter is attached inside.

here's another angle...

Excellent !! - Thank you ;o)

[Thumper3]

Good point. So what's the cheapest that will meet warranty?

The warranty specification is for VW 502, if the bottle doesn't say that.....don't use it.

Factory recommended is Castrol Edge Professional which you can get in a kit with filter, o-ring and plug from ECS for about $70.

Usually I prefer Mobil 1 just because it is factory fill for so many high performance vehicles including Porsche and the AMG line IIRC.

For the MOST part, modern name brand synthetics are fairly similar, I just stick to the brands I have trusted for decades. No-name oils or off brand stuff might be something to steer clear of though, the 'cheapest' is often not the best choice. If you are leasing and turning the car back in then anything with VW502 is fine. If you're planning on keeping the car for a long time I would personally go with Mobil 1.

[S3Danny]

Well, since it does not meet the required specification for VW/Audi I wouldn't put it in my car. Be a super easy warranty denial if anything ever goes wrong.

I stopped caring about my warranty the minute I drove the car off the lot. T6 is a really good oil, a quick Google search will show it being run in just about anything out there with great results. I also like using just 1 oil across all of my vehicles, I buy it in bulk when it goes on sale and keep it on hand.

If you're super concerned with your warranty then you may want to stick with whatever meets VW spec, although I'm not sure how exactly they would go about proving you were using an oil that doesn't meet their specifications in the event of a catastrophic engine failure.

[Thumper3]

I stopped caring about my warranty the minute I drove the car off the lot. T6 is a really good oil, a quick Google search will show it being run in just about anything out there with great results. I also like using just 1 oil across all of my vehicles, I buy it in bulk when it goes on sale and keep it on hand.

LOL, wow, you sound like such a badass.

It's not about it being a "good" oil or anything else. My snap-On torque wrench is a really good tool, but that doesn't mean I can use it to gap spark plugs or remove trim panels.

If you're super concerned with your warranty then you may want to stick with whatever meets VW spec, although I'm not sure how exactly they would go about proving you were using an oil that doesn't meet their specifications in the event of a catastrophic engine failure.

You don't?

Really?

Wow, well, it's super easy so let me tell you how they will stick you with the bill for an engine or a turbo. First, they note that you never had them do any of the factory services. Then they ask to see the invoices for where you had the services done. In the case of us doing them ourselves they will ask for the receipts for the products used (this is also why I keep copies of the receipts with date and mileage written on them). When you hand over your receipts (if you keep them, a badass like you probably tears them up and burns them LOL without a receipt they can assume you used a non-approved oil) they will point out you used a non approved oil.......and deny your warranty claim.

And all of this has nothing to do with the oil. They don't even have to prove the oil caused the issue in question. The fact that it does not meet the specification is enough.

It's all good if you have the cash laying around to swap an engine out in your S3......but assuming everyone else feels the same way when dolling out advice is irresponsible.

[S3Danny]

LOL, wow, you sound like such a badass.

It's not about it being a "good" oil or anything else. My snap-On torque wrench is a really good tool, but that doesn't mean I can use it to gap spark plugs or remove trim panels.





You don't?

Really?

Wow, well, it's super easy so let me tell you how they will stick you with the bill for an engine or a turbo. First, they note that you never had them do any of the factory services. Then they ask to see the invoices for where you had the services done. In the case of us doing them ourselves they will ask for the receipts for the products used (this is also why I keep copies of the receipts with date and mileage written on them). When you hand over your receipts (if you keep them, a badass like you probably tears them up and burns them LOL without a receipt they can assume you used a non-approved oil) they will point out you used a non approved oil.......and deny your warranty claim.

And all of this has nothing to do with the oil. They don't even have to prove the oil caused the issue in question. The fact that it does not meet the specification is enough.

It's all good if you have the cash laying around to swap an engine out in your S3......but assuming everyone else feels the same way when dolling out advice is irresponsible.

Sorry, not trying to sound like a "badass," just noting that warranty isn't a main driving point for what I do with my car.

T6 is a better oil than most, and it's used for the same thing as "Certified" (AKA "we paid VW to be able to put a seal of approval on our bottle") oil - not for filling the gas tank or hydrating you after a long run.

"Without a receipt they can assume you used a non-approved oil." That's not how that works.