Tag: oil filter

February 26, 2016 Olivia - the A3, Petrol-head Post a Comment

New Intercooler – and standard service.

I knew it – I heard it, I could see it if I looked in my rear-view mirror, and if I looked at the fuel consumption statistics – something was wrong.

My other (better) half would have said – “what, something wrong again, surely not!” – sarcasm is her first language đŸ™‚

Let’s be clear here, my Audi A3 is a ’52 plate, 1.9TDi quattro sport – the PD130 lump, it’s got 227,500+ miles (yeah, proper miles, not those weird kilometer things!) on the clock – so safe to say, worn in a little bit, and with all things that age – and I’m going to use the Indiana Jones quote here “It’s not the years, it’s the milage honey” – this is ever the case with my A3.

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December 24, 2014 Olivia - the A3 Post a Comment

Standard service

It’s Christmas Eve – I’m not seeing my gorgeous Cath today, and although I am a man, I am ready for Christmas itself, I have a few hours to kill – and it’s that time again, time to make Olivia run a little bit better than she has been over the last few weeks.

A treat, of good oil, and a bit of TLC.

7Dii_iPhone 5s_2927First off – air filter – anyone want to hazard a guess as to which one is the old, and which one is the new one ?

50 points for you house if you get it right, 50 points deducted, if you get it wrong đŸ™‚

To be honest, I think that is one of the worst looking air filters I have ever removed from a car.

Now, I know damn well, since I’ve owned this lump, it’s not had it’s pollen filter replaced, and the windscreen blowers has about as much oooomph as an asthmatic ant, so something quite clearly wasn’t all right there, and I was fully prepared to do a lot of work to get that working, bearing in mind it’s now winter.

7Dii_iPhone 5s_2926However, let’s first do the cheap and simple (sorta) option, and replace a filter.

Again, a test, which is the new, and which is the old ?

Right: No brainer right ?

If only it was that easy.

In VAG’s infinite wisdom, the location for the pollen filter, is under the left hand side of the windscreen – it makes getting at it a bit of a pain, which might not be hugely evident form the following shots

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Above: It looks easy enough right ? Well, it is very tight in there, so tight in fact that trying to get the filter to fit, and clip/click into place when there really isn’t enough headroom to have the filter above the filter recepticle is a little deciveing.

7Dii_iPhone 5s_2930 7Dii_iPhone 5s_2931

Once in however, it is rather neat, and then just make sure you tidy up all the little plastic/rubber edges away to their location, otherwise they look crap, and foul up neat closing of the bonnet.

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Below: All complete.

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To be fair, it is neat and unobtrusive, but the first time you replace this, it’s a definite test of patience, dexterity, and smallness of hands (I definitely fail at that last one)

And – the heaters are now most certainly *NOT* an asthmatic ant, definitely more usable in the winter months now.