How to change the Oil and Filter in an Audi A3 BKD

Article Date: 02/04/21

Tools needed for Oil and Filter Change

• Vehicle Jack
• Axle Stands (Do not risk your life)
• Oil Catch Can / Bowl (4 Litres or more)
• 1/2" Ratchet
• 32mm Socket
• 1/2" Universal Joint
• 1/2" Extension Bar
• 19mm Spanner or Socket
• T20 Torx Bit
• T30 Torx Bit
• Torque Wrench (Optional but recommended)
• Pliers (Optional but recommended)

• The tools needed to carry out an Oil and Filter change on a BKD Engine in a VW Golf MK5 or Audi A3.

** AFFILIATE LINKS **

All the tools I use to work on my car are part of my Halfords 200 Piece Ratchet and Spanner Kit - I complemented this kit with the Spanner Set.

This is the kit I use when working on the car, as it covers pretty much all the jobs the home mechanic will do. If you can afford it, I highly recommend them. Plenty of mobile mechanics use the kits and they come with a Lifetime Warranty too. (It's best to buy them for Black Friday), Halfords knock the price down. If you want to read about the above tool kits, here's the non affiliate links

• Socket Set
• Spanner Set

Consumables required for service

• Oil (The engine is 3.8 Litres of Oil maximum) - I used to use Mobil1 5w/30 ESP (it was approved to VW 507.00 spec) - OEM Oil is called "Quantum"
• Oil Filter
• Sump Plug and Washer

If you need to buy any of the parts, you can use the following AFFILIATE links to buy them SUMP PLUG and WASHER for £3.25, OIL FILTER only for £9.48 or the OIL and FILTER kit for £36.98 on eBay

 

 

 

Steps to replace the Oil and Oil Filter in an Audi A3 and VW Golf MK5 (BKD Engine)

First, take the car for a quick 5-10 min drive to heat up the engine. You will never replace the all of the old Oil, but a warm engine helps the Oil flow and will get out as much as possible. By the time you get out the tools it should be cool enough to work on.

• Jack up the car, and whilst your working under it, stick an Axle stand under it. Only remove the Axle stand once you're out from under the vehicle and ready lower it to drain the oil
• Loosen the 3 x T30 at the rear of the underbody guard
• Loosen the 8 or 10 x T20 screws at the front - If stuck, undo the rear screws first it will help you find what's holding it on. Apologies on screw count, I generally do this job on autopilot so forget
• To remove the underbody cover just pull backwards, it slides out

• Place your oil catch catch under the car before you take out the Sump Plug.
• The sump plug is pictured with the yellow arrow. It requires a 19mm spanner or ratchet to remove it
• When the plug is almost out, remove the Axle stand, remove the last few threads and let the oil drain - Bonus points if you're a derp like me drop the sump plug and washer directly into the Oil catch hole
• Lower the car using the jack to get as much Oil out as possible, leave it for 5 - 10 mins to empty, and set about doing the filter

• Whilst the Oil is draining under neath, pull the cover off the engine bay
• The socket size for the Oil Filter cap is 32mm, due to the location and angle, you will need a Universal Joint and an Extension bar on your rachet
• Remove the cap on the Oil Filter by turning it anti-clockwise

• Once the cap is removed, pull out the old filter
• If the peg doesn't come out attached to it (probably won't since the earlier versions were detachable) use your pliers to reach down and pull it out from the centre of the pot
• It should be pretty obvious when you look in. The end of the peg will be sticking out, just in case I've attached a picture of where it will be

• After you remove the plug (if it doesn't come out), insert the new filter using a suitable version for your car. The one I'm using is made by Crossland (Part Number : 501 44 0288)
• Insert the new filter with the peg facing down into the hole underneath. Push it until you hear the O-Ring seal, there will be a small amount of resistance before it inserts, it will then make a small click
• Replace the O-Ring on the filter cap, the new filter should come with one. If not, just use the old O-Ring. Use some old engine oil to lubricate it.
• Put the Oil Filter cap on with your fingers first, this will prevent your cross threading it

• Setup your torque wrench to 25 Nm of torque. This is enough for both the Filter and Sump. It's been a while since I used my torque wrench, so forgive me if the figure above is incorrect. My torque wrench goes up in 0-14 Nm increments, so I believe the picture to be correct. Regardless of the picture above, the value you need is 25 Nm
• The Oil Filter cap on the BKD needs to be tightened to 25 Nm of torque
• The Sump Plug and Washer on the BKD needs tightening between 25-30 Nm of torque. As long as it's in this range it's fine.

Final Steps

• Top up the engine with Oil of your chosen brand - Normally I use Mobil1 ESP, however the Oil I received was an Xmas present so I received it free
• The vehicles maximum oil capacity is 3.8 Litres
• You will need to reset inspection warning with VCDS (VAG-COM) or manually

I previously wrote an old guide (slightly inaccurate) for my Golf which you can download as PDF if you'd like to read it