Just took advantage of the electric oil pump priced at £12.99 at Lidl. It is distributed by OWIM which is German so I imagined it would suit VAG engines. Lo behold the pick up tube is 6mm diameter which is too big a bore to slide down the dipstick tube. 

Oddly enough I was looking at oil pumps yesterday not electric though.

 

Found out the superb’s oil filter is removed from below so waste of time getting an oil extraction pump :( 

Best to get vacuum operated oil pump like Sealey TP69 or similar.  Selection of pickup tubes, and quite reliable, I've been doing oil, coolant,  fuel filter and brake fluid changes on 2 household cars for over 10 years and it still works fine.

 

Currently, Roomster has topside oil filter so oil change takes under 20min including the filter.  Octavia has filter underneath so another half hour just to do the filter, still easier than full change from below.

But the pump is immensely useful for brake and coolant fluid changes/flushes, power steering fluid change in the Roomster every few years and some more.  Definitely worth having, despite higher cost.

 

Note this was discussed before, it is better to get the "tallboy" pump like TP69 than ball type like Pela, because you can operate TP69 single-handed e.g. for vacuuming oil out of filter housing, while Pela dismantles itself if you try to operate it one handed. I've had both Pela and TP69, TP69 wins on convenience in use and longevity/reliability.

My experience exactly, I had a non branded Pela type and it was always playing up, moving around when I was using it, scratching the bonnet slam panel, like a cheap garden sprayer I was forever pulling the pump apart, eventually I found that the screwed neck for the pump fitting had fractured just underneath where the seal sat so it would not hold a vacuum.

 

The vertical "track pump" type Sealey one is superb and its surprising how many uses you can find for it once its in your armoury.

1 hour ago, Danoid said:

Oddly enough I was looking at oil pumps yesterday not electric though.

 

Found out the superb’s oil filter is removed from below so waste of time getting an oil extraction pump :( 

 

Not if you do intermediate oil changes and change the filter only on the scheduled ones.

Thanks for your advice,. I will certainly look at the TP69. It is just that the thought of removing the engine tray before accessing the sump plug puts me off. I have measured the dip stick width and it is 4mm. Then I measure the Lidl pick up tube and it is slightly elongated measuring more like 7mm, not the 6mm in the literature. What has happened to precise German engineering? I spoke to OWIM and expressed my disappointment that a German made pump limits some VAG engines from its use which is their home market. They certainly did not field trial the product before marketing it unless the pick up tube was sourced from China!

Are you serious!!!!

 

German made

 

Field trial a product sold on the middle aisle at Lidl

 

FWIW a ductile 6mm copper tube will almost certainly pass through your dipstick tube, the memory of the flexible plastic tubes makes them curl towards their rolled radius and will catch where the dipstick tube enters the engine block, you can work a solid tube through there and if determined a 5/16" fuel pipe will go through the 8mm restriction.

Edited 27 March, 20215 yr by J.R.

I am returning it for a refund as you say JR the coil of the pickup tube is pre-formed and will not straighten and it measures 7mm not the 6mm as specified. I have found a Sealey vacuum pump at my local parts factors for £53 and comes with 4mm, 6mm and 8mm pick up tube diameters. The sensible choice.

They are a lot cheaper on E-bay, the good thing about them is they come with a couple of rigid copper tubes although not one close to the size we need for our cars.

 

Another problem with them is that the flexible tubes are not long enough, even when used with the copper extensions you cannot sit the thing on the ground and have enough length to go over the front panel, down the dipstick tube and into the sump, so you will end up sourcing the bits you need in any case!

 

7mm tubing should go down your dipstick hole if you straighten it and  keep it stored straight, indeed it probably is specially sourced for VAG vehicles because the bore of the 6mm is too restrictive even with piping hot oil.

 

I dont like using flexible tube as you cannot feel by tapping when it has reached the bottom of the sump and there is a risk that it will curl upwards like a snorkel leaving oil remaining in the sump.

I bought one off ebay a year or two back. Looks very much like the Lidl one. The plastic tube fitted all the way down the dipstick hole ok. I tried to suck out the oil on a cold engine. No joy. Tried again with with the engine up to temp and it all sucked out straightaway. I measured the amount I had sucked out and it was around 4.5 litres so got most of it out ok. I do this as an intermediate oil change then change filter on scheduled one.

Just bought a vacuum hand-pumped Siegen, marketed by Sealey, and from the choice of tubes the 4mm was the only size which slid down. 

I found this item attached to the foot stand. I have asked Sealey and sent this picture but had no reply. Any ideas?

I think I may have had one of those also now you mention it, mine will have been put in the drawer with all the other (potentially) usefull plastic washers, bungs, clips etc.

I have got Sealey technical department scratching their heads as to what it is used for. I am concerned as to if it is an internal part forgotten to be fitted during assembly. If you, JR, also had one then it is an accessory which is not listed, not mentioned in user instructions and a mystery to the suppliers

I have solved it, I believe. It fits into the top of the storage tube to stop the tubes from flailing around when carrying

Well done, I dont think that mine has that storage tube, just some recesses on the bottom plastic moulding.

 

It was a Sealey but seems to have dissapeared from my Ebay purchase history.

 

I am talking rubbish, it was a Chinese one, the Sealey vacuum extractor is for brakes.

Edited 30 March, 20215 yr by J.R.