6 Spark Plugs, 2 Air Filters, 1 Oil Filter/Washer, 8 Qt's Oil, 1 Inner HVAC Filter, 1 Outer HVAC Filter

$275 total in parts, 5-6 hours - start to finish with tool / garage clean up

Bought all my parts from ECS tuning.

Now how much are the dealers charging for this service?



Duck tail removed. It was easier then I thought. Removed 2 fasteners then slide the tail forward and it comes off the car. 1 electrical connector needs to also be unconnected.


Bumper removal. Did this while the oil was draining.


New filters installed


This bracket on the drivers side connected to the car with one little bolt needs to be loosened so you can get to the spark plug.


Cool little fasteners holding on the heat shields covering the coilpacks. 2 heat shields per side. I just used a small 6mm socket (I think) to remove these fasteners. Once the heat shields are loose, slide them towards the rear of the car to remove them. It's like playing tetris back there to get anything in or out.


Spark plugs. Old vs new.


You will need a swivel and patience to replace at 3 out of 6 spark plugs. Having meat hooks for hands did not help at all getting in and around back there to get to the heatshields, coilpacks and plugs. BTW before you start buy yourself a set of locking 3/8" extensions so your spark plug socket does not accidently come off deep inside the coil pack tube. Spark plug torque is 30 nm / 22 ft-lb http://www.sears.com/craftsman-3-pc-...p-00943355000P


No I did not drive up on these ramps. I just jacked up the car and slid the ramps under the rear wheels. Then worked on one side at a time with a jack stand under car when the wheel was removed.

 

But you didn't get a stamp. In this case, probably a $1500 stamp, that will add more than $1500 in value to your car when you go to sell it.

You took a big risk doing this yourself, because dealers can and will void your warranty for any reason.

You also didn't invest $1500 building good will with your service department.

Finally, isn't your time more valuable? $250/hr after tax is such a pittance.

 

Not worried about any warranty issues. Document your service and parts purchases and you are good to go. Dealers have to prove you didn't have a clue what you were doing. Plus I have a great dealer great service department, great techs that are true car guys. Most are fellow Audi and VW club members. Plus when I pop in for a weekend visit I bring them doughnuts once in a while

Oh I can do w/o a stamp. I keep better maintenance records than any stamp can provide.

I am going to have the service department do the PDCC fluid bottle change, PDK fluid change and the AWD controller fluid change at 60K.

 

Way to go!

 

Nice job! Awesome documentation and pics. I'm sure will be appreciated by many. There's a lot of DIY guys that love working on their cars. Nothing wrong with that!

 

Thanks for the write up! Is a break bleed coming up too?

 

So if all these services aren't covered under warranty, what is?

 

Well done and I am sure you did as good if not a better job than the dealer would have and took better care not to scratch your bumper or tail and torqued everything correctly. I have a VERY low opinion of dealer techs and I will do anything to keep my car out of the service department. Thanks for the great pictures and writeup.

 

Your humor was not lost on me, especially after that other thread where that guy was going on and on about getting his oil change "stamps" lol.

OP, Awesome work on the service! Feel free to post more pics of anything that was tricky!

 

Great work CSK!

Your plugs look great. Nice and dry with a cocoa/coffee color dusting.

Can you post pictures of the dirty engine air filters? How'd they look?

Yeah, I fully expect to pay +$1,500 when I need this done in late 2017.

 

Nice work! Thanks for posting.

 

I am sure you did a better job than the Porsche tech guy. You are my hero! Can I bring my car to you for maintenance?

 

Awesome! Thanks for the great photos.

 

Very nice write up. Thanks- it's cool for mento see this even if won't be doing my own service

 

...cool for me to see this even if I won't be doing my own service. I know my limits.