Sport Cars

How to Do an Audi A4 Oil Change

Three Ways to Raise the Front End of an A4
1. Set the emergency brake. Jack up the front of the right or left side of the A4 with an emergency jack. Position the jack about six inches behind the front wheel well. There may be notches indicating where to place it. Slide a jack stand next to the emergency jack and lower the emergency jack to rest the cars side on the jack stand.Repeat this procedure for the other side so the right and left sides of the car are level with each other. Block off both sides of the rear tire diagonal to the front wheel youre raising. Use bricks, rocks or chocks.
2. Drive the A4s front wheels onto a couple of drive-on ramps, as a second car-raising alternative. Put rubber mats under the ramps in advance, to prevent skidding. If youll be working on an incline, position the ramps downhill; otherwise, the car might not get up the ramps. Set the emergency brake after getting the car up the ramps.
3. Use two jackscrews as a third option. Position them the same place an emergency jack would go. Jackscrews combine the function of an emergency jack with the stability of jack stands--at a price that may not be worth it to you.
Changing the Oil
4. Idle the engine in neutral until the radiator fan goes on. This thins the oil so it drains more completely. Turn off the engine. Let the oil settle into the drain pan for five minutes.
5. Unscrew the engine oil-filler cap, but dont take it off yet. The point is just to let in air so the oil will drain. The engine oil refill cap is on the right of the engine, if youre facing the hood.
6. Slide yourself under the engine. Find the oil drain bolt. It should the lowest lone bolt on the engine. To tell it apart from the transmission fluid drain plug, metal around the former will still be hot from running the engine.
7. Loosen the drain plug counter-clockwise using a crescent wrench. If it refuses to budge, use a closed-end wrench to grip it better. Put a drain pan under the drain plug before unscrewing it manually. Work on the oil filter as the oil drains. The filter should be changed when the oil is changed.
8. Locate the oil filter. It is attached to the engine on the underside. Fit the oil filter wrench on the oil filter. Turn it counter-clockwise, preferably with a socket wrench fitting in the center hole. Once loosened, you can just screw it off by hand. But dont put your face under it, since its full of used oil, which can be hot and carcinogenic.
9. Screw in the drain plug after the oil has drained for an hour. In case you use a torque wrench, tighten the bolt to 29 foot-pounds. Edmunds suggest that you replace the washer each oil change, since drain plug washers are compressible and therefore wear fast.
10. Pull the O-ring seal out of the oil filter cavity in the engine. Clean any O-ring residue left on the engine with a rag. Coat the new seal on both side with clean oil, hold it in place, and screw the new filter onto the engine. Keep screwing until you feel some resistance. Continue an additional 2/3 turns using the oil filter wrench. Dont overtighten, which can cause an oil leak.
11. Pour motor oil in the refill cap opening on the right side of the engine. Pour in the following amounts for the different A4 models:
4.6L for A4 1.8
5.0L for A4 2.0
6.2L for A4 3.2
6.9L for A4 2.7 and 3.0 (p. 323)
For the LongLife Service plan, Audi recommends VW 503 00 or VW 504 00 for its gasoline engines. For Inspection Service, Audi recommends VW 502 00, VW 503 00 or VW 504 00 oil for its gasoline engines. If your engine has a diesel particulate filter, use only VW 507 00. Check the dipstick to make sure you dont overfill. Its orange. Its located on the right side of the engine, a few inches in the front of the engine oil refill cap (if the grill is in the front direction). Screw the filler cap back on.
12. Start the engine again. Idle it in neutral until the radiator fan comes on. Inspect the drain plug and oil filter for leaks. Lower the car off any supports.
13. Reset the service interval display by pressing the Car button, then Service interval display, and then Reset oil change interval.