oil change

[jjrho]

hi, have a 2016 lp580-2 ... has anyone done oil change at home ?
I always like to do earlier first oil change, just a habit ... probably at 3000 miles or less....
I have a lift at home; I know there is multiple drain points but I figure if I can drain at 3 or 4 main areas and drain 90% or more, I'll be happy with it; filter looks like easy change from Top right ?, then I have to manually figure out what to put back or may consider measuring what I drained out and replace...

any advice on home oil change ? is there a reset mechanism, etc or is this a dealer programming for oil changes reset ?

any advice, comments would be appreciated; and even re: oil weight; 5-30 vs. 0-40 maybe, as long as it meet the requirement, of VW 504.xxx rating....?

jim R

'16 580-2
300 miles

[Chainless]

I would like to know as well as I don't like other people handling my car if it's not necessary.

[doltmo]

REVISED POST - UPDATED AND CORRECTED

First of all, this may not be something you want to do yourself. It will require putting the car up on a lift. There are a total of 57 fasteners that need to be removed to gain access to the engine oil drains. Then there are a total of eight different oil drains that require five different tools. Budget 2 to 3 hours for the first time you do this.

Tools required:
Torx T30 driver and/or bit
8mm hex (Allen) bit
13 mm socket and wrench
8mm 12-point spline bit
10mm 12-point spline bit
12mm 12-point spline bit
32mm socket and wrench
extensions for socket wrench
Flat-blade screwdriver
suitable oil catch can(s)
9 quarts oil that meets VW 504/507 spec (Castrol EDGE 5w-30 Professional LL03 or Mobile1 5w-30 ESP Formula)
Oil Filter (MAHLE OX 350/4D)

The 12-point spline bit (along with a typical fastener) looks like this. I found a set of these at my local auto parts store.




So, here we go...

Once you get the car up on the lift, you will notice that there are two covers under the rear of the car.



Remove the front cover first. It is held on by 21 Torx T30 screws (shown in RED) and 2 snap-in fasteners (in GREEN).



Four of the T30's are in front of the rear tires, 2 on each side (see picture) and the screws that are used here have a larger diameter flange. Don't mix them up with the other T30's.





The snap in fasteners are removed by gently prying up the center section with a flat-blade screw driver. Once the center tab is extended, the fastener can be removed (see picture).





The rear cover is held in place with 8 T30's(RED) and 7 snap-in fittings (GREEN). All of the T30's are along the rear edge of the cover.



Your dealer might be able to access the oil tank drains through the large hole in the metal cover under the transmission, but I found it necessary to remove this panel to get easier access. This is held in place by 13 T30's (RED) and 6 10mm spline screws (shown in BLUE).



There are five oil drains on the engine - 4 under the block (Drains #1, #2, #3, and #4) and a fifth (#5) near the transmission.



Drain #1 requires an 8mm Allen hex, drain #4 is a conventional 13mm hex (hand wrench or socket), and #2, #3, and #5 need a T30 TORX.

Here are closer shots. You may need to push the electrical cable out of the way to gain access to #3, like I've done in the photo.







Drain #6 is in the bottom of the oil cooler in front of the left-hand (driver's side for us in the US) rear wheel. This requires a 12mm spline bit.



Drains #7 and #8 are in the oil lines that exit the oil tank near the left-hand rear axle half-shaft. #8 is in the "U" bend that goes inder the axle, #7 is above it. Both of these require an 8mm spline bit. #7 will require an extension on your socket wrench to reach.



There is probably a preferred order in which you should open these 8 drain plugs. Keep in mind that #8 will drain the oil tank, which contains most of the oil in the system. Plug #1 will drain most of the oil in the sump. The other drains are isolated low points in the oiling system that will contain less oil.

Drain #7 requires some special treatment. Oil from this drain will spill all over the rear chassis member. I set a small container (an oil bottle cut in half) on the chassis member directly under the drain to collect the oil. You will get less than a cup of oil out of this drain, so the oil bottle bottom works quite well.



Make sure you don't lose the crush washers used on several of the drains. The T30 drains on my car didn't have washers, only the larger ones. These crush washers should be replaced periodically, but can generally be reused several times. Use care in tightening the drains. I don't have the torque specs, so use your better judgement on how tight to make them.

Double-check all oil drains to make sure all are reinstalled and torqued.

Reinstall all covers, making sure all fasteners are installed and tight. Lower the car to ground level.

The oil filter is at the rear of the engine and requires a 32mm socket wrench and extension. Remove the rear engine cover to get access to the filter - it has 8 quarter-turn fasteners.



The filter elements snaps in to the housing (although it takes quite a bit of effort to remove it!). Replace the large rubber O-ring in the cover with the new one provided with the filter.



Once everything is buttoned up and the oil filter is reinstalled, add 6 quarts of oil via the dip-stick opening. A small funnel (like the top half of the oil bottle you cut in half) is useful here. Screw the dip stick back in, start the engine and run it for 30 seconds or so, making sure oil pressure builds up. Shut off the car and add the remaining 3 quarts. Drive it for a while and check oil level with the dip stick. Replace the rear engine cover.

Late additions:
1. You can use a "top side" vacuum oil extractor to suck most of the oil out of the oil tank before starting the oil change. This will reduce the amount of oil on your shirt when you drain the tank from below.
2. Before installing the new oil filter, saturate it with new oil. I put the dry filter in a cut-down quart brake fluid bottle and cover it with oil. This will reduce the time required to attain oil pressure when you start the car the first time after the oil change.
3. Depending on how well you drain the system, you will need a bit more than 9 quarts to get to the "full" mark on the dip stick. Don't be surprised if you get a "oil level low" warning during your first 30 minutes of driving. No need to panic. Top it off when convenient.

[jjrho]

Wow, awesome write-up n pics.... gonna do mine so... got 1200 miles.... was at the track too so....

Anyway, what do u think of 0 to 40 W M1 oils ? 5 30 seems light for hard drivi g....... esp rating ?

Still doesnt justify a $800;oil change..... im doing my own on first one.... tnx

[Ferruccio]

Great post @Doltmo, thanks, even though i will prob never do this myself

[lowpue]

Great post @Doltmo, thanks, even though i will prob never do this myself

This convinces me I will never do it myself!!! :-) I just did checked the oil in my car and just doing that I had to remove about 10 fasteners. It looks like I am in the fill region of the dipstick so I need to add. The owners manual says I need Castrol SLX LongLife III 5W-30 (VW 504 00) which is different from what is listed in this thread.

[breakskeet]

This convinces me I will never do it myself!!! :-) I just did checked the oil in my car and just doing that I had to remove about 10 fasteners. It looks like I am in the fill region of the dipstick so I need to add. The owners manual says I need Castrol SLX LongLife III 5W-30 (VW 504 00) which is different from what is listed in this thread.

The SLX Longlife III has been renamed to Edge Professional LL03. Same oil. Different name.


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[Andrew@rsc]

Great Write up

Thank you!

[DoctaM3]

WOW!! Awesome write-up. Although I doubt I will ever do this myself, this is very useful. Another reason why I love this forum!

[Gone]

Very nice explanation.
Doltmo, how were you able to re-set the oil service indicator monitor?