Having phone the dealer to ask how much the 40,000 mile/4 year service would cost, I've bought a Haynes manual and am planning to do it myself!!! (

On the 110 (not sure about the 90), the filter is a paper element that is held under a plastic dome thing at the front of the engine. Mine was a total b**ch to undo (so much for finger tight!). I ended up gripping it using sandpaper and chain wrench!

In order to drain the oil, you will need to remove the underengine tray - about 8-10 screws.

Fuel filter - there is no auto primer, so you just need to keep cranking and hope your battery does not fail. I pre-fill mine with diesel to help it. Also use the replacement o-rings, I did not swap mine over initially and it leaked a bit, changing them resolved the problem. I always have some spare diesel at home.... so was not much of an issue for me.

Some VW dealers can now supply the appropiate parts given the chassis number (this applies to Loders in Dorchester at least). Where as some dealers (the VW dealer in Salisbury is totally unhelpful).

I take mine for a quick run before changing the oil so it is nice and warm.... but no burning yourself when you take the sump plug out.

When doing the brakes... don't get any air in (like I did... :-( )

Thanks for the speedy reply! I think the 90 is the same as the 110. Good to be warned that the filter cover will be stuck! And yes, I most probably will burn myself, or slip and plough my knuckles into something sharp......

Haynes kind of implies that there's a plastic dome thing underneath the oil filter housing too (I've never taken the undertray off mine, so I haven't actually seen it, but it's labelled in a photo of the underneath in Haynes). It's that cover that they kind of imply you might need to put back on, but they actually never tell you to take off. From what you've said, I guess there's no need to touch it at all.

Is there any danger of damage to the injector pump if I don't fill the new fuel filter with diesel, or is it just that I'll have to crank the engine for ages before it starts?

Thanks again,

Alan

No need to take the underside of the filter housing off, leave that alone.

The oil filter is alot easier to undo if you have the correct tool for doing it. Should be torqued up to 25nm. Ive seen the tools for as little as £5 on e-bay before.

Diesel pump will be fine if you keep cranking it, it will go eventually but takes a fair bit of time. Give it a rest after a few mins of turning, saves burning out the starter motor.

The oil filter is accessed from above - you need to remove the 'TDi' engine cover for that... I'll try and post a picture in a bit. Unscrew the plastic filter cover, remove paper element (iirc is clips inside the plastic cover), replace, new seal, screw back on.

You need to take the undertray off to get to the sump bolt.

Just crank, crank, and crank some more. My brother killed the battery on my old 306 HDi as he did not know it had a priming system (Octy doesn't )

Thanks guys - really helpful info.

Is the "correct tool" for the filter cover a "spanner" of the right shape/size? Is that it standard thing for oil filters/covers (eg Halfords might stock), or is it VAG specific?

halfrauds may do the tool to undo the cap on the filter , you can sometimes undo it with a filter strap but you could cause damage to the plastic , a bigish motor factor could have a cup tool to do it or sets with a multitude of cups , iirc its almost the same size as a 2001 Ford Mondeo petrol filter tool , which i've used at work

a bigish motor factor could have a cup tool to do it or sets with a multitude of cups

After a bit of Google action, you're right - a motor factor near me can order in a Sealey cap tool or set. Only thing is, does anyone know which cap I need for the TDI filter housing? They seem to list them in terms of size, number of flutes & number of steps. On Sealey's website there are at least three that say they fit VAG or VW/Audi...

I could just buy a whole set, but that seems slight overkill...

Thanks again,

Alan

Found this gadget on the Aldi website looks the part for undoing the oil filter top

:ol('http://uk.aldi.com/sunday_special_buys/productnl_4316.html')'> :ol('http://uk.aldi.com/sunday_special_buys/productnl_4316.html')'>Turbo Grip Wrench Set

per set