Did the 20,000 mile check

Fired up the VCDS: No faults. Printed it out. Took some photos of my work. I want a record in case of warranty issues later. Put it up on my ramps.Used my Oil Evacuator and got most of the oil out, then went under removed the belly pan.( T25 for side ones and front one and t40 for the 3 back ones. Make sure you depress the two plastic tabs in the front to remove the pan. I was going to pull the drain plug, but I noticed that the Mahle filters I got did not have a drain plug gasket, so I just left the plug in. I'll get it next time. Used the special tool to undo the filter. Just a little came out, about 1/4 of a pint. Installed new filter, torqued it to specs,( 25nm) ran the engine to check for leaks and put the pan back on.

Changed the fuel filter. I put a lot of paper underneath the filter in case I spilled some and just a little came out. Used a bungy to hold the filter top off so I could remove the filter. I put the new filter in slowly and let it soak in, then added diesel fuel to the outside edges of the filter. Filled it to the top and put the screws back in. Torqued them to 5nm using cross pattern. Be careful removing and putting the screws back in. If you drop one you have to drop the pan and go look for it. You might be dead in the water if you lose one until you get another one because the filter probably won't seal with only 4 screws. Engine started up right away.

Added DEF using the MB hose and 5 gallon jug. Not a drop spilled.

I'll do the tires later. Took about 2 1/2 hours because I went slow and was smoking a cigar.( carefully )

Re-set VCDS for next inspection. I change the oil at 5,000 filter at 10,000. Used the VW Castrol.

Yeah, those plastic tabs on the front of that belly pan are a real hoot. I just finished the 40K, first service I've done on the Passat, since our three complimentary service visits ran out. Some work, but nothing a guy with modest DIY skills like me can't do. I found a lot of these procedures have been made much of on the forum. Didn't find any of them that big of a deal. Very good point about the screws for the fuel filter canister....I finished up wi the fuel filter today, and didn't give it much thought. I used the same method, but since I just got the VCDS HEX-NET I bought working I decided to try it out and run the lift pump to circulate that fuel, so I also did that.

jimbo1mcm said:

I change the oil at 5,000 filter at 10,000. Used the VW Castrol.

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You just don't get it! A 5k oil change is a total waste. But hell it's your time and your money. Many here complain about the high cost of VW spec oil and you just spend this unnecessarily. This issue has been spoken to all over these forums and you still refuse to accept best practices.

MichaelB said:

You just don't get it! A 5k oil change is a total waste. But hell it's your time and your money. Many here complain about the high cost of VW spec oil and you just spend this unnecessarily. This issue has been spoken to all over these forums and you still refuse to accept best practices.

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So what? Seems a little harsh. He's not spending your money.

Philth said:

So what? Seems a little harsh. He's not spending your money.

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As I said "it is his money" you can bring a horse to water but you can't make it drink. As it sez right at the top of the forums Economy - Longevity - Performance. There is no economy, it will not increase longevity, and for performance I highly doubt that a 5k oil change will increase that. To each his own. edit he spends more on the oil than the filter that he changes every 10k

Oh well...

I started doing my first maintenance on my car. I had the dealer do the complimentary service up to 30k mostly so that maintenance procedures would not be questioned if something happened before the bumper to bumper warranty ran out.

So far, I have done what you did including using the bungy cord trick. The most challenging part for me was getting the oil filter back in. It was hanging up and I did not know what it was supposed to feel like. When it finally dropped in, I knew it was right.

I may rotate tires and change the DSG fluid tomorrow. I have a coolant smell under the hood and the coolant may be down slightly, so I may find out more than I want to know. It could be a water pump, nothing, or a loose fitting on a line for the FrostHeater that I installed. I can't see anything from above.

So far, the dumbest thing that I have did was that I almost broke the oil extractor before I used it. I bought the Pela Pro14 oil extractor when I first got my car. I decided to take the cover off of the tank to ensure that I could pour the oil out when needed. I was twisting and prying on the cover and it would not come off. Luckily, I realized that the cover is not removable and you just pour the oil out through the same port that it went in. It worked just like the box that I hadn't read in over two years said.

Philth said:

So what? Seems a little harsh. He's not spending your money.

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Never understood why people get so mad about early oil changes. I do 5k and will continue. I don't complain about maintenance costs. I do my dsg every 30k.....I'm so evil!

Thank you for the details. I have been watching you tube on seeing if anyone has done the DSG and or oil changes on this new MK7 deisels. I have a 2015 TDI Golf Sportswagen. My 10,000 which I just had done and my 20,000 and 30,000 thousand are and will be complementary of the dealer. After that I plan to do all of my own maintenance and even major repairs. I am planning on getting the Ross Tech equipment ($249.00) version. If anyone got any links to things like the DSG oil filter tube drain thing and any other special tools I may need so tackle the DSG oil change etc. I appreciate it. Also I probably know the answer but has there been any repair in depth manuals for this model year yet.( I haven't found any) I like to have things in my tool inventory before things happen.Thanks again in advance for your replies.

Iam not saying if this right or wrong but I know someone that is in the synthetic oil testing business here in Cali and he told me a few years ago that me changing my synthetic oil earlier than 7000 was a waste but that all determines on many other factors too ( climate, driving conditions etc) But the time for the oil change even in gasoline engines is acceptable at 10000 miles. But he did say if you feel the need to feel better about your vehicle then just change the oil filter at 5000 miles. And top off the loss from doing so. I m not saying he is right but after all our talk I just stuck to the filter and oil at 10000 on my other vehicles.

MichaelB said:

You just don't get it! A 5k oil change is a total waste. But hell it's your time and your money. Many here complain about the high cost of VW spec oil and you just spend this unnecessarily. This issue has been spoken to all over these forums and you still refuse to accept best practices.

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Thanks for your opinions. I got over 350,000 on my MB 240d and it's still being used by my grandkids. I got around 170,000 on 2 of my E320 CDI's and they are still running somewhere. Think about all the money I've wasted!!

jimbo1mcm said:

Thanks for your opinions. I got over 350,000 on my MB 240d and it's still being used by my grandkids. I got around 170,000 on 2 of my E320 CDI's and they are still running somewhere. Think about all the money I've wasted!!

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Good for you. Why come here? You already know it all. And I guess if you can afford to own a 240D and 2 E320's and with all the extra expensiveness of ownership a little bit of savings on OCI is peanuts to you. I'm just a poor slob that only owns my Passat and try's his best to economize with good results. If over kill is your thing more power to you. Motor on my friend. Some people just have too much coin to burn and I guess that fits into the grand scheme of things in today's world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPJ64sTa7KI
I owned a 220D and what Scottie has to say is confirmed my me. So go ahead and burn your money on short OCI's

MichaelB said:

Good for you. Why come here? You already know it all. And I guess if you can afford to own a 240D and 2 E320's and with all the extra expensiveness of ownership a little bit of savings on OCI is peanuts to you. I'm just a poor slob that only owns my Passat and try's his best to economize with good results. If over kill is your thing more power to you. Motor on my friend. Some people just have too much coin to burn and I guess that fits into the grand scheme of things in today's world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPJ64sTa7KI
I owned a 220D and what Scottie has to say is confirmed my me. So go ahead and burn your money on short OCI's

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Thank you again for your posts # 1,467, 1,468 and 1,469. I would post more but I am busy changing my oil every 5000 miles.

Embassy_Marine said:

<snip> If anyone got any links to things like the DSG oil filter tube drain thing and any other special tools I may need so tackle the DSG oil change etc. I appreciate it.<snip>

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Tool-wise, there are several common tools that will be needed:
Battery terminals: 10mm wrench
Battery clamp: 13mm socket (and extensions)
Battery tray bolts 12mm socket (3) and 6mm hex wrench or socket (10
Belly pan: T25 and T40 Torx adapters

Then there are the more specialized items:
DSG filter cap: 24mm (or 15/16") socket (and extensions)
http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-13310-P...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00
DSG main drain plug: 14mm hex adapter
DSG snorkel (inside drain hole): 8mm hex adapter
http://www.amazon.com/Capri-Tools-C...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00
{Note that this hex adapter set is for BOTH 3/8" drive and 1/2" drive, depending on size}
Hoppy Flo-Tool
http://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-10704...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

Hope these help!

I think of excessive oil changes the same way I think of excessive, needless, and wasteful water and electricity consumption.
I turn off the water while I brush my teeth.
My dad taught me to take "GI" showers, which I do to this day, even in the dead of winter, when my house morning temp is 60f. My family does this, as well (when they know I'm in the house!)
I've changed all 5 toilets in my house (yes, 5) to low water consumption toilets.

I can afford all the water/electricity/oil/diesel that I choose to use. I simply choose to use less...MUCH less than most people around me.

Somehow, I still manage to remain humble. In fact, I'm very proud of my humility!

Well, over the years I've been all over the place regarding oil change intervals. I'm quite convinced that most of the time, 10K oil intervals will not result in any harm to the engine.

However :

If you take apart a high-mileage engine (or even a low mileage one sometimes) that's had extended intervals, you will see that all the surfaces, for example the top surface of the head(s), are covered in a gold to black crust. This crust consists of solids that have fallen out of suspension in the oil.

In some OHV engines this buildup can cause issues with sticking lifters. My Land Rover had a sticking lifter on the V8, and was fixed by frequent changes with a high detergent diesel oil.

I just took the valve covers off my 140K mile Jaguar XJR, which had oil changes every 5K miles. The surfaces are almost spotless, significantly cleaner than any other engine I've ever seen!

If changing my oil, I would give significant thought to doing it every 5K.

When a manufacturer sets the oil change interval, they are considering many factors. Those factors change when changing it yourself, and to consider acting differently based on a sound assessment of facts is merely common sense (all too rare these days).

Mark SF said:

that's had extended intervals

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Quantify "extended"

Mark SF said:

<snip>

When a manufacturer sets the oil change interval, they are considering many factors. Those factors change when changing it yourself, and to consider acting differently based on a sound assessment of facts is merely common sense (all too rare these days).

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Yes, "a sound assessment of facts" is best in a case like this. But with all due respect, this is an example of advancing a general opinion, i.e., "5K changes are better than 10K changes" based on what you have given: a single anecdote. I'm not questioning your veracity, or the anecdote. But based on contemporary oil performance over large numbers of vehicles, I'm sticking with manufacturer's recommendations*.

*Note: Having stated what I did above, there are always reasons to deviate. I change oil every 5K in our "other" car, an '04 SAAB 9-5. The engine in these cars emerged in the mid-1980's in the SAAB 9000 and over the years, engineering changes to the engine turned it into a sludge monster unless full synthetic oil and more frequent than manufacturer's specified changes were used. So, based upon this well-documented trend over a multitude of vehicles, I change at 5K instead of 7.5K as the manual states....and I use only full synthetic.

MichaelB said:

Quantify "extended"

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Can't be bothered. You know perfectly well what I meant. You ask this just to make a point.

"*Note: Having stated what I did above, there are always reasons to deviate. I change oil every 5K in our "other" car, an '04 SAAB 9-5. The engine in these cars emerged in the mid-1980's in the SAAB 9000 and over the years, engineering changes to the engine turned it into a sludge monster unless full synthetic oil and more frequent than manufacturer's specified changes were used. So, based upon this well-documented trend over a multitude of vehicles, I change at 5K instead of 7.5K as the manual states....and I use only full synthetic."

Yes, I believe the VW 1.8T (the old version in the early 2000s, not the current one) had the same problem. A combination of small oil volume, higher temperatures, and low quality oil.

Mark SF said:

"
Yes, I believe the VW 1.8T (the old version in the early 2000s, not the current one) had the same problem. A combination of small oil volume, higher temperatures, and low quality oil.

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The TDI's don't have any of those issues so why deviate from the factory recommended interval?
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=2340534&postcount=27

MichaelB said:

The TDI's don't have any of those issues so why deviate from the factory recommended interval?
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=2340534&postcount=27

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With all the turbo failures on the new CR Passats and lack of a large number of high mileage vehicles to analyze we can't really say what issues they have yet. I'm an engineer for Subaru and we have found some really interesting things with longer oil change intervals. It can greatly reduce the life of a turbocharger and cause an engine to consumer oil faster than it should.

VW and most automakers try to keep the ownership costs lower by going to extended maintenance intervals. Take a look at early 90's honda and toyota cars. Some of the most reliable and longest lasting vehicles on the road. They had much shorter intervals than the cars they are selling today. I'm sure technology with lubricants has helped some. But the basic design of their engines hasn't changed that much. Our cars have a lot more going on than most petrol engines. They are subjected to more stress from emissions equipment making me more nervous about saving one oil change a year for me. I don't make a long commute anymore so my short trips and and fairly low yearly mileage also contributes to my 5k oil changes. If your a road warrior you might be just fine 10k. I'm not ripping on the guys who follow VW guidelines. At the end of the day its your money and your car.

VW was paying for the first 3 years/30k of my services. I'm sure they would rather pay for 3 than 6. They really only care that our cars make it past the warranty. After that they would be more than happy to let the dealer get fat on labor and make coin off selling you new parts. You can change your oil every 20k for all I care. I'll stick to wasting a little extra money. If it saves one repair to the engine over the life of the vehicle it actually saved me a lot of money. And if it doesn't then well I just skip going to the casino a couple times and call it even.

Why are we comparing CR TDI OCIs to engines that are completely different, and were filled with totally different oil???

MichaelB said:

The TDI's don't have any of those issues so why deviate from the factory recommended interval?
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=2340534&postcount=27

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I suggest you read post #16, and if you still don't know the answer to that question, I'll summarise it for you :

To keep the engine cleaner inside.

Mark SF said:

I suggest you read post #16, and if you still don't know the answer to that question, I'll summarise it for you :

To keep the engine cleaner inside.

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Cleaner maybe, less lubricated for sure. Which is more important for longevity?

tdiatlast said:

Why are we comparing CR TDI OCIs to engines that are completely different, and were filled with totally different oil???

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The VW 507 oil isn't all that different from synthetic petrol oil. It can be used in gassers. The majority of an engine design is the same and is also lubricated the same. The way the oil breaks down and gets contaminated is slightly different but the same principals apply.

If your cooking old oil in your turbo you get the same results. Nobody is comparing gassers to diesels. We are simply stating what oil does inside an engine when it gets old and dirty.

gncc600 said:

If your cooking old oil in your turbo you get the same results. Nobody is comparing gassers to diesels. We are simply stating what oil does inside an engine when it gets old and dirty.

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Mark SF was using a Land Rover a VW 1.8T and a Jaguar (all gassers I assume) and an unknown or old spec oil as an example. Who sez we are cooking old dirty oil in our TDI turbos? Just you. We could be cookin' clean new oil just as well if we are truly cookin' anything. Can you site one case of a coked up CR TDI using VW spec 507.00 oil due to 10k OCI's?

Sorry to bring this back on topic, but... I'm at 20K now too. Did the oil change last week, and doing the fuel filter and rotating the tires this morning. Bought the Rosstech connector and about to download and install the software so I can prime the pump, so this is a very timely post for me.

Rico567 said:

Tool-wise, there are several common tools that will be needed:
Battery terminals: 10mm wrench
Battery clamp: 13mm socket (and extensions)
Battery tray bolts 12mm socket (3) and 6mm hex wrench or socket (10
Belly pan: T25 and T40 Torx adapters

Then there are the more specialized items:
DSG filter cap: 24mm (or 15/16") socket (and extensions)
http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-13310-P...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00
DSG main drain plug: 14mm hex adapter
DSG snorkel (inside drain hole): 8mm hex adapter
http://www.amazon.com/Capri-Tools-C...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00
{Note that this hex adapter set is for BOTH 3/8" drive and 1/2" drive, depending on size}
Hoppy Flo-Tool
http://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-10704...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

Hope these help!

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Thank you...purchased today.