jobondur

I’m going to write up the procedure I used in order to change the oil in my 2008 Audi Q7. As with all DIY tutorials you’ll find in forums, take this advice with a grain of salt. I am not a trained mechanic, just a guy who is somewhat handy and prefers to do the regular maintenance on my own cars. If you see anything that is incorrect or know of any tips or tricks, please feel free to add them. That being said, here we go.

Tools you will need (see picture 1):

1. 25, 30, and 40 Torx sockets or nut drivers (star shaped)
2. 36 mm socket
3. 18 mm box end wrench (you could substitute a socket for this but I prefer a wrench)
4. Ratchets for the above sockets (I used a ¼”, 3/8”, and ½” drive)
5. Extensions for the above ratchets
6. Torque wrench
7. Oil drain pan large enough to hold a minimum of 8 quarts of oil
8. Funnel
9. LOTS of rags for cleaning up oil
10. Big piece of cardboard for floor
11. Ramps or jack and jack-stands (optional but very helpful)
12. 7.5 quarts approved motor oil (I used Castrol Edge Synthetic 5w-40 since that’s what my Audi dealer uses)
13. Oil filter (I used Mann HU932/6n)

Procedure:

1. OPTIONAL - Drive the car for 5 minutes to warm up the oil (it drains better if it’s warm)
2. OPTIONAL - Put the car up on the ramps or jack-stands. Make sure to set the park brake and chock the tires. Always be safe when doing this and don’t rush. I actually did everything without lifting the car but it was quite tight. Next time I will put the car up.
3. Put down your cardboard to keep from ruining your garage floor. You will likely spill oil.
4. Remove all the torx screws from the belly pan (see picture 2) on the front of the car. There are a total of 16 screws in there. 14 of the screws can be removed with the 25 Torx socket and the 2 back ones can be removed with the 30 Torx socket. Once all screws are removed take a look at them. There are 3 different styles of screws (see picture 3). 10 screws have coarse threads and go towards the front and sides of the panel. 4 screws have fine threads and go in the middle. The 2 in the back have a washer on them and require a 30 Torx socket.
5. Once all the screws are out, slide the belly pan to the rear of the car and then remove it.
6. Using your 18 mm wrench, loosen the drain plug without removing it. The drain plug is on the driver's side of the car about even with the front wheels (see picture 4).
7. Position your drain pan to catch the oil and remove the drain plug by hand.
8. Once the oil has drained sufficiently, replace the oil drain plug and tighten using the 18 mm wrench. Torque to Audi spec of 30 Nm (22 ft. lbs.)
9. Use the 40 Torx socket to remove the center plug from the oil canister. This will allow you to drain some, but not all, of the oil in the canister. The oil filter canister is located very close to the drain plug (see picture 5).
10. Once the canister has drained sufficiently, screw the center plug back in and hand tighten.
11. Use the 36 mm socket with an extension and ratchet to loosen the oil filter housing. Unscrew the housing from the base and then remove it from the car. Note – this is the hardest and most annoying part of the whole job. I ended up taking the filter element out of the canister and then snaking the pieces individually out towards the front of the car. Even then it’s tight and you will spill a decent amount of oil so be prepared. There is also a hose that is poorly routed, you can gently push it to the side a little but don’t be too forceful with it.
12. Now that the filter and canister are out, remove the rubber o-ring from the canister.
13. Apply oil to the new o-ring and place it on the canister.
14. Torque the center drain plug in the canister to the Audi spec of 25 Nm (19 ft. lbs.).
15. Thread the oil filter and canister back into the base of the engine. Note – I did this by inserting the filter element into the base of the engine and then snaking the canister back into position. Then I put the two together and threaded it back into the engine.
16. Torque the canister to the Audi spec of 25 Nm (19 ft. lbs.).
17. Fill the car with oil. Start checking the dipstick after 6 quarts and fill to the level indicated on the dipstick, not to the capacity. Mine took a little under 7 quarts.
18. OPTIONAL - Lower your car and drive it around for 15 minutes. Then come back and check the filter canister and drain plug for leaks.
19. Reinstall the belly pan on the car.
20. Reset the service indicator using VAG-COM. Note – if anybody knows a way to do this without VAG-COM, please tell me.
21. Kick back and have a cold one.

So that’s my process. I think I explained it in a high level of detail but like I said before if anybody feels the need to change or add something, just post it. If it wasn’t for the absolutely horrible placement of the oil filter by Audi, the job would be pretty quick but be prepared to let out some curse words in German the first time you do this.

Hope this was helpful and will save someone some time and money. Input???

coupegt87

curious... what's the going rate for the oil change from Audi ?

jobondur

It cost me a total of around $55. My Audi dealer wanted $140. It cost me $10 for the filter and roughly $45 for the oil. I always stock up at AutoZone or Advance when they do their oil change specials (5 quarts of synthetic oil and a filter for ~$30).

The first time you do it expect it to be a pain in the ***. After the first time it won't be too bad. But Audi definitely didn't engineer their cars with maintenance in mind (or should I say non-dealer maintenance). Whichever engineer designed the placement of the oil filter and the battery should be fired.

jobondur

It cost me a total of around $55. My Audi dealer wanted $140. It cost me $10 for the filter and roughly $45 for the oil. I always stock up at AutoZone or Advance when they do their oil change specials (5 quarts of synthetic oil and a filter for ~$30).

The first time you do it expect it to be a pain in the butt. After the first time it won't be too bad. But Audi definitely didn't engineer their cars with maintenance in mind (or should I say non-dealer maintenance). Whichever engineer designed the placement of the oil filter and the battery should be fired.

uberwgn

Autozone's $30 special is starting today. It includes M1 0W40 which of course is 502.00 compliant. Don't know if they'll have the filter though.

(This $30 special is for 5 qts + BOSCH filter)

chickdr

You could also get a topside oil extractor and save yourself the issue of having to get to the drain plug. I used one on my Z4 and it went very smoothly. All work was done from the engine bay. Not sure if you can get to the oil filter canister from the top or not....

Sherblatz

I pay $95 at a Euro specialty shop. Not worth the hassle to save $40 IMHO.

Jimbo

jobondur

I actually have an oil extractor and I don't think I would use it because draining the oil is actually pretty easy and the oil extractor won't do quite as good of a job getting all the oil out and will take quite a bit longer. The filter is the part that is annoying. And on the 3.6L you can not get to the filter from the top, only from the bottom. I think you may be able to get to it from the top on the 4.2L though???

Netopr

Isnt changing the oil on a cold car better than warmed up? By doing this, you make sure that all the oil is already on the bottom of the pan. Now if you start it and warm it up again, dark oil will re-circulate through the engine, leaving more oil in it than with a cold engine....

jobondur

I see your logic but that's not the case. Per Edmonds and other various sites "Your engine and its oil should be warm when you get started, but not hot. Let the car sit so the exhaust system cools off some, but don't allow things to go stone cold." Edmonds

This is because warm oil flows much quicker and easier than cold oil. So you get a better drain.