q2quest

In my 26 years of wrenching on various cars I have never seen a filter placed in a less mechanic friendly location and orientation. I love my 4.2, but God *&$% WTF? Thank God it was only hand tight. Impossible not to spill oil all down your arm.

socalclimber

I hear you...it is a tight squeeze that is for sure! Got to love it!

I pull up on wheel ramps and it gives a little more manuevering room, then use very large channel lock pliers to loosen the filter, so I can do the rest by hand. Then, quickly move my hand out of the way before the hot splash of oil hits!

At least the filter is more-or-less horizontal and has time to drain if you only unscrew 1-2 turns, wait 'til it drains, before taking it all the way off.

I have one of the fancy German oil filter tools that fits on the end on many other Audi/VW oil filters of same diameter, but no way to get it on filter on the 4.2.

The older you get, the harder it seems to do stuff that was once easy!

q2quest

When all is said and done, though, I love the heck out of this car.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

If you put a one-gallon ziplock bag around the oil filter and as far over the housing as you can it will catch a lot of the spilled oil.

here is my favorite tool for removing and tightening oil filters. Naturally, you have to only grip the housing (thick lip) of the filter for tightening, and then only a little bit tighter than you can do it by hand...

This wrench has never failed to get off an oil filter (it has wrecked a few in the process, but it dang sure works!!).

http://www.amazon.com/Tools-3369-Fil.../dp/B0002SR558

02 Silver Arrow

my H&R sway bar makes it a pain toget out but I have never more then hand tightened or needed a tool to remove. Never a leak either

q2quest

Yes, I agree. I always snug oil filters by hand and never had one leak. Yet, every oil filter I've ever met for the first time is on there super tight requiring a wrench. I wonder why people feel the need to crank down so hard knowing they have to come back off soon.