2012 Passt TDI SEL PREMIUM 1st OIL CHANGE

Just performed my first oil change on my new Passat TDI at 5,700 miles.
Everything pretty much the same as on my other TDI's; a 2006 Jetta TDI, a 2010 Jetta Sportwagen TDI and a 2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI until I got to the oil filter.
If I can find a contact phone number or email address, I will be contacting VW about the bad engineering involved with the location of the EGR tube. It is with great agony and time that I finally managed to get the oil filter changed. The EGR tube is really in the way and should have been designed to be even an inch longer to stay out of the way for changing the oil filter.
A heads up to the owners of the 2012 Passat TDI.....
If you go to the dealership to get an oil and filter change, you may wish to stand and watch the mechanic actually change the oil filter. I suspect there will be oil changes done minus changing the oil filter simply because of the time and agony involved to change this filter.
VW may have engine failure warranty issues due to this scenario. Of course the records will show that all oil changes have been performed so the dealership will be covered in that respect but the vehicle owner will have to put up with the inconvenience involved.
I would love to watch a quick lube place change the oil filter on this vehicle.
I am ranking this 2012 Passat TDI SEL Premium as one of the finest cars I've ever owned. It is a great vehicle and I'm looking forward to many miles of happy driving.
It's not so happy when it comes time to change the oil filter.
Respectfully Submitted, Ben

mppsinc said:

Just performed my first oil change on my new Passat TDI at 5,700 miles.
Everything pretty much the same as on my other TDI's; a 2006 Jetta TDI, a 2010 Jetta Sportwagen TDI and a 2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI until I got to the oil filter.
If I can find a contact phone number or email address, I will be contacting VW about the bad engineering involved with the location of the EGR tube. It is with great agony and time that I finally managed to get the oil filter changed. The EGR tube is really in the way and should have been designed to be even an inch longer to stay out of the way for changing the oil filter.
A heads up to the owners of the 2012 Passat TDI.....
If you go to the dealership to get an oil and filter change, you may wish to stand and watch the mechanic actually change the oil filter. I suspect there will be oil changes done minus changing the oil filter simply because of the time and agony involved to change this filter.
VW may have engine failure warranty issues due to this scenario. Of course the records will show that all oil changes have been performed so the dealership will be covered in that respect but the vehicle owner will have to put up with the inconvenience involved.
I would love to watch a quick lube place change the oil filter on this vehicle.
I am ranking this 2012 Passat TDI SEL Premium as one of the finest cars I've ever owned. It is a great vehicle and I'm looking forward to many miles of happy driving.
It's not so happy when it comes time to change the oil filter.
Respectfully Submitted, Ben

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Maybe once out of warranty, Mobil 1 L Euro Formula 5w 40 and extended oil changes out to 15,000 k miles with no biodiesel in your fuel, to spare one the agony of the oil filter changes? It's been my observation that VW designs access for service in as an afterthought on their powerplants, compared to Japanese models.

2012 passat tdi oil & filter change

I use AMSOIL European 5w-30, 507.00 oil in this engine and probably could go a year or 25,000 miles on an oil change.
I'm old school and cannot bring myself to go that long between oil changes.
I feel good at oil changes between 6,000 to 7,000 miles.
Thanks for your response.
Ben

Ben,

Welcome!

You are wasting money changing it that early. These are synthetic oils so that "old school" thinking of changing more often is a waste of time, money and natural resources.

Used Oil Analysis (UOA) has PROVEN that the correct oils last longer than the 10K interval, but many stick to the 10K interval for warranty purposes. Scientific proof versus what feels good.

Did you keep your itemized receipts showing the oil and filter used for warranty proof in the future?

Anyone who has owned a TDI knows you NEVER, NEVER, NEVER take them to a quick lube place!!! They do NOT have the oil spec or grade that you need and they WILL screw it up. As well many of us will NOT take it to the dealer, unless we see their oil stocks first.

How about pictures of the bad setup? I have the oil filter housing cap wrench to remove it on my TDI's and the Jeep. It makes the change a LOT easier and works quite well.

So didn't you get the 3 years of free service? So why are you paying and doing this yourself? Did you drop the belly pan and do a full drain or did you do the topside Pella extraction method?

2012 Passat TDI SEL Premium First Oil Change

Hello TomB,
Thanks for the welcome to the TDI forums. I am looking forward to communicating with other members.
Yes, all service on my vehicles is well documented.
Your advice about not changing oil so often is well received and I will consider changing my thoughts on all this. I'm a long term AMSOIL dealer and have been told by fellow dealers that I'm crazy for changing oil so often for the exact same reasons you've mentioned in your reply.
I use the 32mm socket to loosen the oil filter housing cap. The problem comes in when it's time to remove the cap with the attached filter. The physical space to get the cap between the cylinder head and the EGR tube is really not sufficient. If VW would have made the EGR tube just an inch or so longer, this would not be an issue. There is also a wire harness that gets in the way and must be forced out of the way to make clearance for the filter removable. Unlike previous TDI filters, the new oil filter housing cap has the anti drain back stem with its two "O" rings attached directly to the cap now instead of being part of the filter itself.
Yes, I did get the three years free service. I just prefer doing the routine services myself as I've had a couple of really bad experiences at my local VW service center. I don't like the idea that I'm treated like I don't know what I'm talking about along with absolutely no communication or permission to enter the service area to speak with the mechanic.
My oil change was done with the belly pan removed and drain plug removed for a full drain. The extraction method is of no interest to me as I feel there's always some old oil that remians. I am approaching 70 years of age but as long as I am physically able to perform these services, I will continue to maintain this peace of mind.
Thanks again and I really appreciate your reply and advice.
Ben

Great! Sounds like you are more a veteran here than initially indicated.

Wow! My dealer will get the guy that will do the work and you can talk to him directly. Again sucky dealerships giving VW a bad name.

Hmmm. The filter cap/filter/o-rings sound pretty much the same as my 05's.

Absent pictures am going to have to remove the cover and look now.... See what you started! LOL....

Wow! You were not kidding. That harness is all in the wrong place. If it was not there it would be so much better.

Here are the pics. Sorry about having to click but faster and easier than the photo tool on here.

https://picasaweb.google.com/mtbarr...key=Gv1sRgCPy06ar_zcCiygE#5723910114128635698

https://picasaweb.google.com/mtbarr64/20120324_passat_oil?authkey=Gv1sRgCPy06ar_zcCiygE#5723910172007168066

If you do your own oil changes, how do satisfy someone (like a buyer) that the work was done right or that you actually changed the filter? I paid for the routine service in the purchase price and had all the work done at the dealer. At the very worst, I can show a buyer receipts from the local dealer outlining all the work done.

Hello TomB.
If you think the wire harness is in the wrong place, wait until you try to get the filter cap out between the EGR tube and the cylinder head. I had to take the wire harness out of the hook bracket and push it hard to the right while attempting to get the oil filter cap through the space.
Great pictures you took. Thanks. In the pictures you can see the wire harness that branches off and goes left, (facing the car), which shows the wire harness I spoke of in my second post about chafing. That harness rubs and vibrates against the aluminum lip of the upper oil filter housing and on my vehicle, had already started gnawing through the jacket that is wrapped around the harness. Not good when the wire insulation wears through and allows the conductors to come in contact with the aluminum housing.
Thanks again for the great pictures.

Wow - that's way down in there.

Hello DougParkGuy.
Your point is well taken and appreciated.
I guess I'll just have to wait for that special buyer or dealer who will look me in the eye and tell that I'm telling the truth with my service log book and the receipts for oil and filters.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Ben

Hello VeeDubTDI.
Yes, it is way down there with very little room to work.
Thanks,
Ben
1951 John Deere Model R Diesel, (John Deere's First Diesel, 2 Cylinder, 416 cu. in.)
1985 Mercedes 300SD, Diesel, 58,000 miles
1999 Ford Super Duty, F250, 7.3L Diesel, Crew Cab, Long Bed, 215,380 miles
2011 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI 9,800 miles
2012 VW Passat TDI SEL Premium, 5,800 miles

Just keep your receipts for the oil and filters. It is then their burden to prove that the work was done wrong or the filter was not changed. As long as you have the receipt it forces it back in their court. If you have no receipts it is in your court.

I tear-off the square top of the filter box and label with a marker "10k", etc. to boot (ditto for fuel, DSG, etc.).

I would love to watch a quick lube place change the oil filter on this vehicle.

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I love a good horror movie.

What is the oil filter cap? Is the oil filter 2 or more pieces? I guess I am not following the actual problem here? I assume it is pulling the oil filter cap straight out of the vehicle is the difficulty but again, I am not sure.

The filter is literally just a paper fiber filter. The oil housing holds the filter in place. The cap screws into the housing.

Ok, got ya. So the difficulty lies in actually removing the cap and then extracting the paper cartridge filter from the housing? Is it easier to get the new filter in and the cap back on?

That is sure to make a black oily mess getting the used filter and cap out of there, all over all the stuff around it.

Would it come out any easier if you lift the entire cap/filter assembly up enough to disconnect the filter from the cap, then pull the cap/post out followed by the filter?

I have changed the filter on my kids' Jettas, and I was looking at those pix and wondering why there's no oil drain screw....then I realized that it's like the Hyundai, and I'm looking DOWN into the engine, not up. Well, assuming that one drains the oil first and that lets all the oil out of the filter housing, it might not be too bad.

My wife's E46 is a similar paper-in-plastic-cup design, cept it sits right on top of the engine, with no obstructions of any sort.

I too would be paranoid about them leaving the old filter in place during the procedure. One of many reasons I prefer to do my own maintenance on my cars. Plus you don't have to get to the dealer and wait for 1-2 hours to get her serviced.

Will see what they'd say at me VW service center when it is time to do it. Asking to see old filter is moot, they can show anything to you ... Either way they gotta be cool after you ask to see them yank it out or show you the old one, and not put you right on the top of their "pain in da butt" sh1tlist.

r11 said:

My wife's E46 is a similar paper-in-plastic-cup design, cept it sits right on top of the engine, with no obstructions of any sort.

I too would be paranoid about them leaving the old filter in place during the procedure. One of many reasons I prefer to do my own maintenance on my cars. Plus you don't have to get to the dealer and wait for 1-2 hours to get her serviced.

Will see what they'd say at me VW service center when it is time to do it. Asking to see old filter is moot, they can show anything to you ... Either way they gotta be cool after you ask to see them yank it out or show you the old one, and not put you right on the top of their "pain in da butt" sh1tlist.

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The 2nd and 3rd paragraph pretty much sums up my attitude toward oil changes, which is why I've done my own for over 40 years. It's not only worth a good savings in money to do the change, but I can be sure everything actually gets done, and no one has decided to put 200NM of torque on my drain bolt. I can't even imagine why someone thinks an oil drain bolt is a head bolt on a D9 Caterpillar, but they're out there.

Even if you did the oil drain first, there is residual oil in the filter/cooler combination (see all those fins on the side). You would have to unscrew the cap enough to break the vacuum and then more oil would drain out.

I suspect this will be messy, so you probably have to put paper towels around the area before opening it. Try to lift off the cap with filter in tow since it sticks on there. I use an old newspaper baggy for the 05's to put the whole assembly in when I lift it out of the housing.

I am always amazed at the number of posters that think VW dealers will rip them off without any hesitation. I guess those posters must work for companies that do rip off their customers and so expect to be treated that way.

No disrespect to any VW dealers, it will most likely boil down to an overworked and underpaid mechanic that will simply give up on trying to get the cap out and simply leaves the old filter in place.

We want to see babies hit 1/4M miles one day and most of us are rightfully paranoid about doing the maintenance the right way, that's all.

A whole lot of us can go on and rant about general decline of quality of service in USA in last 10-15 years. My favorite recollection is me and a few buddies in my car, driving in NYC (west of Central Park), the day after a local shop did the brakes for me, approaching an intersection at about 40Mph. I see the light changing to yellow, apply the brakes and see no reaction from the car. We all lived, but it teaches you quickly.

DogParkGuy said:

I am always amazed at the number of posters that think VW dealers will rip them off without any hesitation. I guess those posters must work for companies that do rip off their customers and so expect to be treated that way.

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Cynicism comes from experience. Many of us have encountered sucky dealerships and sucky techs. Many on here know MORE than the standard VW tech.

About 15 years ago VW was going to pull out of the US market. They got rid of all their long-time techs and gutted the service departments. Some never recovered from this.

TomB said:

Cynicism comes from experience. Many of us have encountered sucky dealerships and sucky techs. Many on here know MORE than the standard VW tech.

About 15 years ago VW was going to pull out of the US market. They got rid of all their long-time techs and gutted the service departments. Some never recovered from this.

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TomB has a good point...

2 different folks had synched their phones to the car phone application while taking my car on test drives before I was the owner. The local dealership had no idea, after fiddling around with my car for 15 minutes with the motor running, on how to delete their smart phones synch off of my phone system.

Sometimes, the manual is very poorly written, or has references to other books in the owners manual notebook, in the glove compartment. They really need pictures at times to describe what needs to be done. Needless to say, I figured it out myself after getting into the Bluetooth section, which can only be done if your own cell phone is synched up already to the cars phone system.... it's the only way to get into the Bluetooth Sub Menu.

If the VW dealership can't fix their own cars of something like this in the menu, imagine them following a precise routine on something with German Engineering through and through.... it's hard to trust them, really, really hard.

Is the drain plus easily accessible? Any obstructions or panels you have to remove to get to it? Would love to see detailed write up with video or pictures for oil change. Thanks.

What does the free 3 year maintenance cover? Is the dreaded adblue covered or is that more $? the adblue and biodiesel limitation are the two things that have kept me from ordering a new Passat. BTW, I'm converting back to B100 in a couple of weeks in my B4....

I don't understand the Ad Blue problem. It allows better emissions, better economy, and it's a cheap fluid. What's not to like? If I buy another diesel, I would prefer that it uses Ad Blue.