proclive

I just tried to do an oil change on my moms brand new (to her) 1998 1.8t A4 quattro and I ran into a few problems. One I see that I need some kind of washer that goes behind the oil drain plug. Two I could not get the plug off for the life of me. This thing was on so tight and even after using wd-40 to try and loosen it up it still wouldn't budge. While I was looking for a new wrench and fitting to try and unscrew the drain plug my friend kind of tore the bolt up and now it is semi smooth. It isn't bad enough that I can't get a grip on it, but I just cannot get this thing to budge. I am correct in assuming that Germans do the "righty, tighty" "lefty loosey" thing am I? I can still try and get the bolt off, but I just want to know why the hell this thing was torqued to an insane amount. BTW I hurt my hand from the pressure of trying to get this thing to budge.

[tri]liament

i tried for wayyy too long, and ended up just bringing it to jiffy lube. the next time i needed to change my oil, i was able to do it rather effortlessly. my assumption is that the dealer had tightened it too much, and jiffy lube didn't. since then i've been changing my own oil, no hassles.

wnut

just wait till you get to the oil filter.

Andy_FL

Get a breaker bar for the oil plug. You can re-use the washer if you have to.

Ray Calvo

Socket fits on the 1/2" drive end, then you beat the living bejessus out of the other end with a hammer. Loosens the most stubborn bolts with less effort (and worry) than a breaker bar.

Make sure you use a 6-point (not a 12-point) socket. Impact sockets not needed, but they don't hurt.