SeeksAR

I had planned a quick (30 minute?) Sunday retreat under the car for the first oil and filter change yesterday at 3K miles. I've been changing my own oil on my cars for years. Like to make sure it's "Done right". I had picked up 8 quarts of 0W30 Mobil 1 synthetic and a couple of filters 2 weeks ago.

But the plan went awry when I couldn't find the owner's manual to check on the location of the filter and drain plug (just to be safe). I wasted 2 hours of turning the house upside down and calling/visiting all the places where I might have accidentially left the owner's manual (and registration!) on my original hunt for the 0W30 Mobil 1.

I was already scheduling my Monday AM to stop by the DMV to report my lost registration, when I sat in the car one more time and saw the manual right where I had left it. I was quite embarassed to admit to my now-peeved family that the book had been neatly tucked into the slot under the steering wheel the whole time.

Quickly turned to the "Oil Change" page to find it just says roughly "...be careful, use the right kind of oil, don't overfill, and you should probably go to the dealer because they know best..." No pictures. No how-to. Just "7.3 quarts for the 2.7L, and don't overfill" Argggg!

Well, DANG the torpedos! Get the rhino ramps off the shelf, put the suspension at Level4, and git on up.

...now on my back thinking "where's the filter & drain plug???? Why isn't there an access hole in the plastic undercover? Do I really have to take this thing off?"

hah! keep going!...incredulously wondering about all those fasteners to get the belly pan off.

"Honey, time for dinner...." argggg!...I mean "Yes, Dear, I'll be right there."

Excellent meat loaf...back under the car...yes, I guess I really do have to undo all these fasteners, even the 4 in the wheel wells....

Hmm...these last two near the front are mighty big size Torx bolts. Hunt through tool box and garage for all my Torx drivers but can't find a size #30.

15 minutes later, reached for the gnarly-toothed nasty giant pliers. I was surprised to find the bolts were in pretty tight...the jaws slipped off the head once and handles snapped shut, crushing my finger. "Arrrggg! EXPLETIVE! " was heard in the kitchen loud enough to bring the kids runing to the door to check if Dad would need stitches again. (Yes, there was a precedent from some years ago...)

Finally, I got the bolts off...chewed up the bolt heads a tad. The rest was a piece of cake. Filter and drain plug are nicely located together in the front corner on driver's side. One bucket catches oil from both. The OE filter was on surprisingly tight; not your average hand-tighten amount of torque. Only took 7 quarts to top off.

So the moral to this story is to read RMcQ's thread below, BEFORE you start the job. Buy some big-arsed TORX bits (yes, you need a size #T50) BEFORE you start. It would have saved me an hour of wasted time and bruised knuckle.

And if you haven't been able to find your owner's manual, try checking that convenient storage slot under the steering wheel.

https://forums.audiworld.com/allroad/msgs/32838.phtml<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/allroad/msgs/32838.phtml">https://forums.audiworld.com/allroad/msgs/32838.phtml</a</li></ul>

RMcQ

They get easier once you are used to the procedure. It is still the most involved of any car I have ever owned.<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/allroad/msgs/32838.phtml">https://forums.audiworld.com/allroad/msgs/32838.phtml</a</li></ul>

ar2002

You did an excellent job of documenting your fun; thanks for the read!

Just be sure to get the cover fastened to the inside of the wheel wells, not the outside like I tried to do on my first oil change.

dan farmer

It's a T50 (not hex) on mine. T30, too, for the normal-sized Torx.

SeeksAR

Thanks. I stopped by the hardware store today but the largest bits they had were T47. It almost works, but still a little bit of play.

manomanyaudis

I didn't think there could be a more poorly engineered set up than under my 100, but I was wrong.

SeeksAR

Yes, caught that one, thanks. Tucked pan behind wheelwell covers.