singleminded
New member
- Location
- Northeast USA
Hello all. I just did the first oil change on my 2015 MK7 GTI. Here are some tips and observations:
This is one of the easiest oil changes I've ever done. The main reason is the design of the oil pan's plastic drain plug.
The plug is quite easy to remove, requiring just a medium flat head screwdriver and very little torque. Because you're using a screwdriver, and because the bolt unscrews parallel to the ground, the old oil flows directly into your catch basin with no splashing or running along the tool or your hand. The removed plug also stays attached to the end of the screwdriver, so no worries about it falling into the dirty oil you're collecting.
Next, there is no guesswork involved in installing a new drain plug. (To be on the safe side, I installed a new plug that I bought at my local VW dealer. But based on appearance I believe the old plug could have been reused with no problem). There's no guesswork because it's obvious when the plug is fully installed. There's no serious possibility of it being too loose or too tight. It uses a corkscrew design with an o-ring gasket in the middle, and a protrusion on the outer surface that slips into a notch on the pan when the plug is fully seated. It just takes a few turns of the screwdriver, and you can't turn any farther. Believe me, you'll know when it's right.
Changing the oil filter is pretty easy too, though not as easy as an all-in-one canister style.
I used a $5 rubber strap wrench like shown here: http://www.harborfreight.com/rubber-strap-wrench-set-2-pc-69373.html This allowed removal of the plastic housing for the cartridge filter, without fear of nicking or scratching it. I did remove the plastic engine cover first. Just lift straight up and it pops off.
A new oil filter cartridge from VW comes with a new o-ring gasket, which seats at the base of the threads on the plastic housing. Replacement of the o-ring was very straightforward -- much less hassle than on my E90 BMW (that sucka never wanted to come off!)
It's obvious how to remove the dirty filter from inside the housing, and install your new filter. Not obvious, to me at least, is the exact function of the long plastic arm that runs through the middle of the filter and down into the engine, where it seats with the help of two small o-rings of it's own. I also do not know how often these o-rings should be replaced. Or whether new ones should have come with my new filter, and perhaps got lost. But I wasn't concerned about it this time, as I was changing the oil at 5,000 miles, and the dealer will do an oil change at the recommended 10,000 miles.
Also making things easy, it's very clear when the filter housing is properly reinstalled. I know there's a recommended torque setting printed on top of the housing, but it's quite clear when it is fully seated. Like the drain plug, it can screw in only so far. I don't think you can realistically over tighten it -- the attempt would take so much torque it would break something, if you could even torque it that much with a common wrench. With a rubber strap wrench there was no danger of that. Plus, I noted that the housing screwed in exactly to the point it was before removal (per the green paint marks on housing and receptacle that were put there by the factory to show their proper/original alignment).
Now, I have no idea how reliable any of these plastic components are. But from a DIY perspective they seem to have been engineered by thoughtful people.
Some other observations:
I put in a full 6 US quarts. That is almost exactly the 5.7 liters spec'd for this motor, when replacing the filter. It brought the oil reading to exactly the top of the dipstick.
I used Castrol EDGE 5-40 with the required VW 502 rating, etc.
I used a funnel with quite a small outlet when adding the new oil. The opening below the oil filler cap has a strange configuration, with a kind of shelf covering most of the hole. It looks like it would cause splashing if you tried to pour in oil directly from its container. So I stuck the funnel outlet to the side of the shelf.
At 5000 miles, the old oil appeared in good condition. No strong odor and it was very slippery and smooth when I rubbed it between my fingers. I may follow the standard 10,000 mile interval from here on, but thought I'd do the first earlier.
At 5000 miles the engine had consumed about 1/4 -1/3 quart. About half that was consumed in just the first 200 miles, so it seems to have leveled off.
I hope the above has been helpful. Fun car, this GTI!
Description of the pics:
The first is looking down into the receptacle for the oil filter housing. You can see I had put a rag around the base of it as a precaution against spillage upon removal. As it turns out there was no need for that. As you can probably tell, the dirty oil remains inside as you unscrew the housing. If you look carefully you can see the green paint mark placed by the factory to show the factory alignment with the filter housing. It's at the 7-oclock position. You can see the corresponding paint mark on the housing in the third pic.
The second and third pics show the filter and filter housing, plus the long plastic arm I mentioned. In the background of the third pic is the new drain plug, the oil filler cap and the new filter cartridge.
The fourth pic shows the "shelf" under the oil filler cap. I stuck my funnel to the left of that.
The fifth pic shows the newly installed drain plug.
This is one of the easiest oil changes I've ever done. The main reason is the design of the oil pan's plastic drain plug.
The plug is quite easy to remove, requiring just a medium flat head screwdriver and very little torque. Because you're using a screwdriver, and because the bolt unscrews parallel to the ground, the old oil flows directly into your catch basin with no splashing or running along the tool or your hand. The removed plug also stays attached to the end of the screwdriver, so no worries about it falling into the dirty oil you're collecting.
Next, there is no guesswork involved in installing a new drain plug. (To be on the safe side, I installed a new plug that I bought at my local VW dealer. But based on appearance I believe the old plug could have been reused with no problem). There's no guesswork because it's obvious when the plug is fully installed. There's no serious possibility of it being too loose or too tight. It uses a corkscrew design with an o-ring gasket in the middle, and a protrusion on the outer surface that slips into a notch on the pan when the plug is fully seated. It just takes a few turns of the screwdriver, and you can't turn any farther. Believe me, you'll know when it's right.
Changing the oil filter is pretty easy too, though not as easy as an all-in-one canister style.
I used a $5 rubber strap wrench like shown here: http://www.harborfreight.com/rubber-strap-wrench-set-2-pc-69373.html This allowed removal of the plastic housing for the cartridge filter, without fear of nicking or scratching it. I did remove the plastic engine cover first. Just lift straight up and it pops off.
A new oil filter cartridge from VW comes with a new o-ring gasket, which seats at the base of the threads on the plastic housing. Replacement of the o-ring was very straightforward -- much less hassle than on my E90 BMW (that sucka never wanted to come off!)
It's obvious how to remove the dirty filter from inside the housing, and install your new filter. Not obvious, to me at least, is the exact function of the long plastic arm that runs through the middle of the filter and down into the engine, where it seats with the help of two small o-rings of it's own. I also do not know how often these o-rings should be replaced. Or whether new ones should have come with my new filter, and perhaps got lost. But I wasn't concerned about it this time, as I was changing the oil at 5,000 miles, and the dealer will do an oil change at the recommended 10,000 miles.
Also making things easy, it's very clear when the filter housing is properly reinstalled. I know there's a recommended torque setting printed on top of the housing, but it's quite clear when it is fully seated. Like the drain plug, it can screw in only so far. I don't think you can realistically over tighten it -- the attempt would take so much torque it would break something, if you could even torque it that much with a common wrench. With a rubber strap wrench there was no danger of that. Plus, I noted that the housing screwed in exactly to the point it was before removal (per the green paint marks on housing and receptacle that were put there by the factory to show their proper/original alignment).
Now, I have no idea how reliable any of these plastic components are. But from a DIY perspective they seem to have been engineered by thoughtful people.
Some other observations:
I put in a full 6 US quarts. That is almost exactly the 5.7 liters spec'd for this motor, when replacing the filter. It brought the oil reading to exactly the top of the dipstick.
I used Castrol EDGE 5-40 with the required VW 502 rating, etc.
I used a funnel with quite a small outlet when adding the new oil. The opening below the oil filler cap has a strange configuration, with a kind of shelf covering most of the hole. It looks like it would cause splashing if you tried to pour in oil directly from its container. So I stuck the funnel outlet to the side of the shelf.
At 5000 miles, the old oil appeared in good condition. No strong odor and it was very slippery and smooth when I rubbed it between my fingers. I may follow the standard 10,000 mile interval from here on, but thought I'd do the first earlier.
At 5000 miles the engine had consumed about 1/4 -1/3 quart. About half that was consumed in just the first 200 miles, so it seems to have leveled off.
I hope the above has been helpful. Fun car, this GTI!
Description of the pics:
The first is looking down into the receptacle for the oil filter housing. You can see I had put a rag around the base of it as a precaution against spillage upon removal. As it turns out there was no need for that. As you can probably tell, the dirty oil remains inside as you unscrew the housing. If you look carefully you can see the green paint mark placed by the factory to show the factory alignment with the filter housing. It's at the 7-oclock position. You can see the corresponding paint mark on the housing in the third pic.
The second and third pics show the filter and filter housing, plus the long plastic arm I mentioned. In the background of the third pic is the new drain plug, the oil filler cap and the new filter cartridge.
The fourth pic shows the "shelf" under the oil filler cap. I stuck my funnel to the left of that.
The fifth pic shows the newly installed drain plug.
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