hollowplayer

Hi there, i am gonna do oil change myself since dealership charge $140 for it, i bought a vacuum extractor. Just wondering, which way is more effective extractor or drain plug. Thanks!

awryexperiment

I always use the drain plug, the Q5 is really not that hard and you don't even need to jack the vehicle up to get under it.

The extractor method is supposed to be easier but I always thought that the extra work to clean the extractor would balance out the effort of pulling the plug and using gravity.

I am able to change oil in about 20-25 min using gravity through the plug.

mhughett

of course this assumes that you have a dipstick in your engine. My Q5 TDI does not and therefore a vacuum extractor is not an option. However, my experience with my mity-vac extractor that is powered by my compressor has been very good for my prior BMW's that had dipsticks. I could do my E39 oil change in 10 minutes tops and could do it in my work clothes without any mess. This is on a car that holds 7 quarts of oil. As for clean-up, all I did was empty the extractor while the oil was still warm and never worried about cleaning the inside of it. I've had it for 5+ years and had no problems at all.

skl1

Just got the oil change kit with magnetic plug, filter and the proper oil. Been doing it from underneath for over 40 years so see no need to change... plus my shop has a pit which makes it a lot easier. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks...

brutus23079

I'll tell you what my Audi dealer's lead mechanic told me. They used to do oil extraction through the top. However, two of his guys left oil in the engine on different jobs and they subsequently overfilled it. Now they just use the drain plug. As long as you can measure the amount coming out, you wouldn't have their issue.

I still like using the drain plug. I plan to do a mod like I've seen in the various VAG forums where people add some sort of trap door to the front belly pan just under the drain plug area. Then I could easily do an oil and filter change with the Q5 sitting in the garage (just like the extractor folks.)

Steppenaudi

For cars - drain plug. I want ALL the old, dirty oil out of the engine including anything that settles to the bottom when the engine is off. Vacuum evacuation out the top can't do this - it's putting convenience/speed above doing a thorough job.

It also provides a good look at the underside of the engine/suspension area to spot leaks, damage, and any other problems early.

lmariorod

Getting underneath no more for me. (at least on the Audi's) I'll extract and look forward to it for its cleanliness and ease. In fact, because of extraction, I'll do it more frequently, say 6500 to 7500 instead of 10k. When the oil is nice and hot, it takes 15 minutes for both the oil and filter.

I'll get underneath my Pick-up cause the oil filter is also underneath. But with the filter being on top in the Audi, I'm fine with extraction.

Transfer

I wouldn't extract just because I want all that old crap out of there, but that's just me. I don't see any advantage to extracting unless you can't get under the car.

hollowplayer

Nice, i guess i will do the drain plug.

Ganny

I went with the extraction method for my first service (15k) and found it easier and more enjoyable than draining. I was also able to extract what I believe to be all the oil (I got just shy of 5 quarts).