fuel filter change-simple job

I have not seen may how to's on this site but here goes.
1) Obtain fuel filter got mine from local auto parts place for about $37 U.S.D.
2) I removed the air tube between the air box and intake. Probably not necessary, but, provided lots of room.
3) Removed the clip from the top and pulled the plastic clip off of the filter (I used plyers, but, probably could do with hand)
4) Removed the hoses from old filter, took a little twisting, but, they came off easy enough.
5) Lossen the screw that retains the old filter, mine was a phillips head and was pretty loose.
6) Install new filter into clamp and tighten screw.
7) Install the plastic top and retaining clip.
8) Install the intake line from the fuel tank.
9) I put my vacuum pump on and pumped until fuel came out the outlet (no sputtering or cranking on the restart)
10. Replace outlet tube to engine.
11. Reinstall air tube.
12. Start and check for bubbles. (had a few at first, but, they went away soon enough)

No reason for anyone on this list to pay to have this done, it does not get any easier.

BEC
96 Passat
98 Jetta (wifes)

cheater on #9 use a pump? come on, you have not lived until you have diesel fuel in your mouth:] just joking, I should have thought of the pump last time. talk about motor breath.

You need not bother with a pump or your mouth. All you need to do is pour fresh fuel into the new filter after it is in place; pour it into the center connection until it is full. Very easy.

I'll be changing mine in about a month.
Question: there are two metal hose clamps on the individual lines that go into the top of the filter. How do you get them off? Are they reusable? Thanks

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1998 Black Jetta TDi
Bilstein HD Struts/shocks
TDi Tuning Box from HS Motorsports

My dealer used hose clamps that were the crimped-on type. I don't know how the dealer gets them off, but they are not reusable. What I did was to use a Dremel tool to cut thru part of the clamp. Then you can peel it off. I replaced the clamps with "normal" worm-screw type hose clamps.

The beauty of owning a used car, never saw the original clamps, already had the worm drive clamps. My Jetta probably has the original clamps, I will cut off and replace with reusable clamps. Why the discrepancy between the Passat and Jetta manuals on the interval for filter change? Passat says 30K and the Jetta 20K. Same motor. Thoughts?

BEC

Actually, a filter that starts to clog will not suddenly leave you stranded. It will probably take several hundred miles from when you first notice a decrease in power, until your power is so low that you can't get the car to go over 30 MPH.

You can conceivably keep a spare filter in your trunk, and just keep driving on the one you have until you can't go any more, rather than change it after a set number of miles.

You don't have to worry about an "old" filter's filtering abilty. It will just keep filtering until it gets totally clogged with dirt.

20,000 miles.