NickK3

Dealer just told me I should not use the oil drain plug to drain oil in a 2010 A4. “The oil drain plug drain plug isn't designed to be used to drain the oil – you should use a pump.” … Really?! And “You should not leave a dipstick in the (dipstick) tube, you should replace the cap.” again... Really?!

I know a pump is convenient, but necessary? Anybody else hear this?

jfo

I think you're the first!Sounds silly to me. I've had my dipstick in for over 2 years, my dealer has seen it with no comments other than it's a good idea. There are many others who have added a dipstick and no one else has reported this. I also have changed my oil oil a number of times using the conventional method with no issues and have never heard of this idea.
There have been some reports of dealer tech's cross threading or otherwise damaging the plug socket and having to replace the oil pan. Perhaps this dealer has experienced this. In any case , as long as you take the usual care when inserting and tightening the drain plug, you will be fine.

jagtoes

Never heard of this . I had just recently gone to using a vacuum extractor for oil changes that will accept it. I was skeptical but to test it I 1st used it on our 330K mile Volvo. Vacuumed out the oil then pulled the drain plug. No different then doing a standard oil change. All of the oil was drained and it also removed the oil from the filter. I will use this on the kids Audi instead of the PITA removal of the plastic shields. Even with a lift in my garage it's still a pain. By the way this system doesn't work in my 5.3L GMC truck.As for the dip stick it is not a problem leaving it in. The early design Audi dip sticks had plastic tips and plastic guides which after time disintegrated and fell into the oil pan.The replacement we bought was all metal with a plastic end.

av_audi

A do recall some folks claiming that using an oil extractor was the Audi recommended way way back when the B8 came out. But I don't recall anyone saying using the oil drain plug was a no no. Why would they put one? I also don't recall anyone saying not to add the dipstick.

gunsmoker

Some dealers use oil extractors, others don't. I can see how it's less productive to do it through the drain. I friend did that and he said there was a gasket that he did not change and oil started to drip from there. I believe he tightened it more, but you can easily get into trouble with this aluminum oil pan and the weak tread. That and needing a VAGCOM to reset the reminder light. It's too much hassle for $80 at the dealership in my opinion.
About the dipstick, you don't need one in at all times. If you have oil consumption issues and a dipstick makes you feel better about it, have a dealership fix it instead. It's like carrying a second spare tire - you can, but it's unlikely that you would need one.

dscline

In other news, the turn signals weren't designed for you to signal when you want to turn. Apparently it was just a mis-communication when they were originally creating names for the various devices in a car.

Moviela

While I do appreciate your wit, the drain hole in the engine is still there for use during machining of the part and for draining excessive debris that might not be removed through the vacuum hose.

The nature of the synthetic oil means it can sneak out the tiniest crack. The machining of the hole is designed to be an interference fit with the plug. The plug is usually treated with a micro-encapsulated sealant to insure a fit tighter than the usual class 2 thread. They now replace the "screw" N 908 132 02, not just a fifty cent ring seal if they don't have a vacuum extractor.

Draining from the bottom does not remove more oil. There is a much larger quanity of oil in the passages and gallies that never drains. It is, however, insignificant when adding five new quarts. The "old" is not "worn out" but it's additive package has been depleted. The new additive more than makes up for it.

In the engines I have seen apart those that neglected the oil (using a non approved type, running too long, or too many miles)show excessive wear to the plastic chain tensioners. It also causes them to break ruining a perfectly good day.

I see no problem with leaving a dipstick tool in the engine, except it might be damaged by prolonged exposure to the heat and oil and it might not seal the crankcase properly leading to emmission and drivability problems.

The dipstick is not missing because Audi was out of dipsticks. There is now a better way to measure the oil in the engine electrically.

The tube is still there to allow a dipstick to be used as a diagnostic tool, and to allow extraction of the spent oil.

dscline

My point was that the dealer's statement, as worded, was incorrect. The drain plug was certainly designed to drain the oil. Now, if he had said "it wasn't intended to be used for routine oil changes", THAT could be plausible. But to suggest that a "drain plug" wasn't designed to be used for draining is silly, to the point of being humorous. I myself use an extractor, simply because it's easier (and based on the volume it sucks out, it's doing a sufficient job). But I feel quite confident that Audi would not have included a "drain plug" into the design of of the oil pan unless they felt that there might be at least an occasion where there was a need to have a port with a removable plug that could be used to drain the contents.
The fact that there's apparently a specific procedure in place for cases where the "drain plug" is used in lieu of extraction proves that it was, indeed, designed for draining the oil. Even if that is considered only the back-up method.

But I'm not so sure I buy the premise that you don't want to break the "seal" because synthetic oil can seep through the tiniest crack... I use synthetic in my motorcycle, which also has an aluminum oil pan, and in six years of changing my own oil in that same bike, I've never even had any evidence that I need to change the crush washer, much less the bolt. Never the slightest hint of oil seeping out. In fact, I've never, ever, had to add oil between changes, nor even been able to discern that the oil level has gone down measurably in the year between changes on my bike (sadly, much unlike my B8). Although I've never even looked at the plug in my current A4, I can't imagine any good reason to need to change it if you remove it to drain the oil. I would have to assume it's steel, not some kind of putty that is deformed by the mere force of removing it. I would also assume that the oil pan in the B8 is aluminum like it was in my B5, so the oil pan threads are going to get damaged much easier than those in the bolt. Sure, maybe you could drop the bolt, and maybe it could land in such a way that a thread could get dinged. Or maybe they don't think they can count on someone wiping the threads clean before re-inserting it. Maybe there's some logic that says the bolt is cheap, so just replace it anyway (though you could just as easily drop & damage a new bolt when taking it out of the package). I would imagine that 99.9% of the time, replacing the bolt is overkill. But hey, at least it's something else they can charge you for when you go in to get a change.