DIY 55k Service 2005 C6

[Mojo57]

Just finished my oil change and cabin filter change on my '05 A6 4.2 Will do the plugs and air filter later this week. Thought I'd add my insight. I normally did oil changes on my other cars but left it to Audi to do this one the first 2 times. Never again. This oil change was easier then any that I have done except for having to remove the splash pan underneath. It was easier to remove than putting it back on so I will bore a hole it right under the drain plug. On the 4.2 has a great perfectly straight down drain that will make that easy to drain. The 10mm bit on a socket works great. I love how easily accessible the oil filter is!! The cleanest oil change I've ever done. My filter did come out different then in the picks. The inner plastic "paper towel" holder stayed in the house. Only the cap and filter came out. Pulled that off the cap then changed the o-ring on the cap and that was it. Took my car a full 9.25 quarts to fill it up. So, with full synthetic and filter I'm looking at about $85 compared to the $150 the dealer charges. With having to remove the pan I'd say its almost worth it to just go to the dealer because it was quite a pita to put back on. Without having to remove the pan I will do it myself. The cabin filters were pretty much just as described. It was a little hard for me to get my hands in there but it was pretty easy once I did. The tab you pull on to open the cover where the filter are is on the bottom. I had to fumble around for that. Also, there's a rubber gasket on the cover that required a just a drop or two of super glue to hold it in place to allow it to stay on when you snap it back in place.

[Mojo57]

Well, did my spark plugs and air filter on the 4.2. A couple more points.

First, the air filter is simply a b!tch! Getting it apart wasn't too bad but getting it back together was a struggle. I had trouble getting the housing to get back together but finally did. It just took a lot of effort.

The plugs were a piece of cake. I did have to remove the coolant tank and did all of them when the airfilter was out.

I did NOT remove each coil pack from the wire though! Instead, I simply worked each one out a little at a time until they were all out on one side. There was enough play in the wires to just pull them up and lay them aside. Removed each plug and torqued the new ones to about 23lbs. Then re-installed the coil pack all as one again. I saw no need to disconnect them. I also didn't disconnect my battery. Car is running perfect.

[uberwgn]

I'm getting ready to do this service on our 2006 A6 Avant in the very near future. To ensure I end up with the correct spark plugs, I pulled things apart this morning and find the following info:

It's a triple electrode NGK:



NGK part number is PFR7W-T:



VW/Audi part number is 101 905 621



The NGK PFR7W-T part number has been updated to PFR7W-TG. The addition of the 'G' in the part number indicates a minor change in electrode material to permit them to stay cleaner over their lifetime. You can also find these plugs listed as NGK 5592. Some business sell the plugs individually while others have 6-pks. The plugs are about $14 each. I see RockAuto has them for $12.xx right now.

Here's the instruction sheet from Mahle, the air filter changeout is kind of a PIA:

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/x...site/mahle.jpg

Here's a Bentley link to the air filter change:

http://forums.audiworld.com/showpost...02&postcount=2

[thomas1978]

great thread, thanks!

[jeguzik]

Getting Ready to do the Spark Plugs, should I replace the coil packs at the same time or is this complete overkill?

[A6Gary]

Overkill, unless you have DTCs indicating that the coils are bad.

[audia6s]

Thank you for posting. Just did everything (minus fuel filter). It was a breeze with this tutorial.

[raj99]

well firstly let me say how great this forum is! Yesterday I just some big time work on my 4.2 C6 and thanks to the forum it really helped out making the job more straight- forward.

I ended up doing the following:
- Spark plug - the old ones were almost black and in such bad shape
- Air filter - same bad shape...needed a change badly
- oil and filter - I was about 2 quarts low and oil was BLACK
- cabin filter - one word 'GROSS' - I doubt they were ever changed...and what a PITA to get to
- valve cover gaskets - I had a small leak and the new gaskets have sealed up real well and no leaks

So I went 100% OEM on all my supplies, like usual. Also genuineaudiparts.com are now my 'go to' folks for my car needs...they just out perform! Shipping was fantastic and I got everything in less than 3 days! I've used Blauparts, ECS, and others in the past...none of them are bad, but compared to GenuineAudi...they aren't in the same league. For price, quality and especially shipping!

As for the actual work...most of it was pretty straightforward. It took about 5 hours to do the work, but there was no rush.

The previous owner had advised me that some major servicing was required and I knew I had to address these things...so was glad that I took it on and got them done. The gaskets were just labor intensive and one thing I realized that is a MUST for this job is a wobbly ratchet. I had one, and if I had not, I would have been screwed. A great tool should you ever decide to do the job.

The air filter was also annoyingly designed, but once you figured out that the screws needed to be removed it was pretty painless.

The only thing I'm planning on doing for next time is possibly fabricating a 'service hatch' for the oil plug, so I don't have to remove the entire belly pan. I was also considering using a Fumoto oil drain valve and replacing the current oil pan screw.

Has anyone done this before, and if so...any regrets? I figure oil changes will be 10x easier.

The only other thing I'm planning on doing this week is the fuel filter.

BTW, I NEVER would have been able to do the cabin/pollen filter had I not seen this thread! Also, I noticed that the previous owner (most likely mechanic) had installed them the wrong way (the airflow direction was towards the engine). So when I installed mine I made sure the airflow arrow was towards the inside cabin of the car...I assume that I'm correct on that? thanks all for this great thread.

[audia6s]

I was thinking about using suction hose next time for oil change instead of draining it from the plug. I wonder if this method will not leave any old oil still in the engine.

[NR04]

Just want to give r1Racer another recognition for his great write-up. I tackled the fuel filter replacement this past weekend and this post was a huge help. Here are some of my own observations.

1) The job took 45 minutes (start to finish including getting tools and jacking up the car)
2) My car has 30A fuse (3.0T must have a higher power pump) The location is the same.
3) It took over a minute for the pump to go dry
4) All three fuel lines have different clamps. Figuring this out took the longest. more info below.
5) At 45K miles, fuel inside the filter was very clean. Still a good preventive measure.

Fuel Lines: As the OP stated, you should never try to force the lines (don't try to yank it). For me, when I gently pushed the lines in, I could feel the seal between the hose and the filter breaking. The line with blue paint has a tab under the rubber that you can't see. I just used non-sharp tool to gently depress the blue paint and the hose came right off. The second line from the rear of the car has clearly visible tabs that you can use your fingers to depress. The third line, located towards the front, was the hardest one to get off. I finally realized, after using a bright flashlight, there is a hidden tab at the plastic rim of the line connector. It is hard to see but if you look very closely, you can see the faint gap around the tab. Comes right off after you depress it (I used a small screw driver on this one).

If I didn't have to spend time figuring out the lines, the job could easily have taken only 20 minutes. If I didn't have this post, it could have taken well over an hour. Many thanks to r1Racer!