First oil change

So I was going to hit 5K miles before the end of the week and wasn't going to have time this weekend to do it, so did my first oil change yesterday at 49xx miles.

To hopefully keep this thread from going off the rails, lets just go with "I hate money AND the environment" as the reason to change early, so we can skip that debate

I wanted to note something in case it hasn't been discussed - I searched, but couldn't find anything, but may not have been using the right search terms. Anyways, EVERY video I've seen of a MK7 oil change, when they do the filter, a plastic rod comes up with the filter housing and seems to be attached. See the 2nd image in this thread:

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4991

However, when I pulled up the housing on my 2017 Sport, I saw this (not my picture, found in a Google image search):

http://i64.tinypic.com/2h7o0oi.jpg

I couldn't find any way that the rod is supposed to attach to the housing, and I thought maybe it needed to be "indexed" to a certain position to get it to seat correctly, but no position I turned the housing to seemed to make any difference. I just pressed down against the spring pressure and screwed the housing back in. Hopefully that's all there is to it. I drove it today and nothing has blown up yet...

I can't find that part name or number anywhere, so if anyone knows the right term (plastic rod, anti drain back rod, ??) please post so people may find this in a search in the future. ECS Tuning calls it an "oil filter retaining post" and looks similar, but this one is for older generations (not MK7):

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-volkswagen-audi-parts/oil-filter-retaining-post/06j115679e/

Picked up an oil extractor from Harbor Freight on sale and this is now officially the easiest oil change I've ever done. My Subaru with the sealed (non-cartridge style) oil filter and the aftermarket Fumoto valve I put on the pan was still the cleanest oil change I've ever done, but not having to lift the vehicle makes this one the easiest.

I also picked up some regular Castrol Edge 5w-40 (6qts) on sale a month or so ago, making this one of the cheapest oil changes in a long time - came out to $48 with the filter.

I feel like I got everything I could out of the pan. The oil came close to the 6L marking on my extractor reservoir, and it took all 6qts to get back to within the cross-hatched section on the dipstick. But I'm thinking I should pull the plug maybe every other oil change, or every 3rd or something like that, just to be sure I'm not leaving some in there. Has anyone pulled the plug directly after using an extractor? Anything to worry about there?

The retaining post clicks into the filter housing that you have to screw off. Just click it back into place. It is a tight fit so be careful. I am not sure how it could have come off unless it was not put on at the factory correctly.

Sir_Mk7r said:

The retaining post clicks into the filter housing that you have to screw off. Just click it back into place. It is a tight fit so be careful. I am not sure how it could have come off unless it was not put on at the factory correctly.

Click to expand...

Hmm, I tried, but it didn't seem to want to 'click' in...

Does yours look like the one in the picture from the first link, or the 2nd above?

Is there any problem with pulling it back off now to double check (without replacing the filter or o-ring)?

Rahtx: I, too, have a 2017 Mk7 Golf Sport. It's been a while since I did my first oil change, but I remember reading several oil-change threads beforehand and wondering what I was going to find when removed the filter cap -- a rod fitted to the cap or not. Mine had the rod attached to the cap, but none of the threads I read (see below, for example) foretold of a problem if the rod wasn't attached or had to be refitted. In either case, a replacement rod can be purchased (second link below) if needed. Once I realized that, I concluded it didn't matter whether the rod remained in place or had to be refitted to the cap. Bottom line: you are good to go.

Final thought: Next time, Castrol 0W-40. Better product.

Thread: https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30995
Part: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-volkswagen-audi-parts/filter-adapter-valve/06l115678q/

RennWerks said:

Rahtx: I, too, have a 2017 Mk7 Golf Sport. It's been a while since I did my first oil change, but I remember reading several oil-change threads beforehand and wondering what I was going to find when removed the filter cap -- a rod fitted to the cap or not. Mine had the rod attached to the cap, but none of the threads I read (see below, for example) foretold of a problem if the rod wasn't attached or had to be refitted. In either case, a replacement rod can be purchased (second link below) if needed. Once I realized that, I concluded it didn't matter whether the rod remained in place or had to be refitted to the cap. Bottom line: you are good to go.

Final thought: Next time, Castrol 0W-40. Better product.

Thread: https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30995
Part: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-volkswagen-audi-parts/filter-adapter-valve/06l115678q/

Click to expand...

Interesting, thanks for the links and part numbers.

What's the difference between the two oils? It rarely gets below freezing here (and doesn't stay there long when it does), and it's going to be over 85F until at least late October, so I figured 5w would be more appropriate.

rahtx said:

Hmm, I tried, but it didn't seem to want to 'click' in...

Does yours look like the one in the picture from the first link, or the 2nd above?

Is there any problem with pulling it back off now to double check (without replacing the filter or o-ring)?

Click to expand...

I believe so, you have to swap the center cage over if you switch housings. I will provide a link below of the install instructions that show how to insert it. I thought I was going to break it trying to reinstall it. It is a very tight fitment.

http://bd8ba3c866c8cbc330ab-7b26c6f3e01bf511d4da3315c66902d6.r6.cf1.rackcdn.com/ctshw248.pdf

Sir_Mk7r said:

I believe so, you have to swap the center cage over if you switch housings. I will provide a link below of the install instructions that show how to insert it. I thought I was going to break it trying to reinstall it. It is a very tight fitment.

http://bd8ba3c866c8cbc330ab-7b26c6f3e01bf511d4da3315c66902d6.r6.cf1.rackcdn.com/ctshw248.pdf

Click to expand...

Ok, thanks.

rahtx said:

. . . .What's the difference between [Castrol 5W-40 and 0W-40] . . .? It rarely gets below freezing here (and doesn't stay there long when it does), and it's going to be over 85F until at least late October, so I figured 5w would be more appropriate.

Click to expand...

First, what the "0W" criterion is telling you is that Castrol's 0W-40 oil has a greater range of viscosity than Castrol's 5W-50. However, that criterion doesn't pertain only to ambient temperature. More importantly, without getting into a lot of oil jargon, the two oils were created/blended from very different base stocks, each intended to meet different criteria based upon their intended operating environments.

Quoting from another post: "[T]he most important specification for your vehicle (VW502.00) is Mercedes-Benz 229.5 [which pertains to temperature range, composition (PAO, etc.) and durability over time.]" . . . "Look for [an] oil that has all these [specifications], since each specification brings something to the table: MB 229.5; Porsche A40; BMW LL-01 and VW 502.00. If oil meets all these manufacturers' specifications, use it with confidence." Castrol's 0W-40 does; Castrol's the 5W-40 doesn't. One is certainly adequate, the other is state of the art.

RennWerks said:

First, what the "0W" criterion is telling you is that Castrol's 0W-40 oil has a greater range of viscosity than Castrol's 5W-50. However, that criterion doesn't pertain only to ambient temperature. More importantly, without getting into a lot of oil jargon, the two oils were created/blended from very different base stocks, each intended to meet different criteria based upon their intended operating environments.

Quoting from another post: "[T]he most important specification for your vehicle (VW502.00) is Mercedes-Benz 229.5 [which pertains to temperature range, composition (PAO, etc.) and durability over time.]" . . . "Look for [an] oil that has all these [specifications], since each specification brings something to the table: MB 229.5; Porsche A40; BMW LL-01 and VW 502.00. If oil meets all these manufacturers' specifications, use it with confidence." Castrol's 0W-40 does; Castrol's the 5W-40 doesn't. One is certainly adequate, the other is state of the art.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. I'll look for that next time