My A3 hit 10K and I did not want to wait until 15K for oil change. Got the filter from the local Denver dealer. How hard can this task be? Underside splash guard can right off no problem there.
Drain plug removed not problem. Draining was slow, so I went up top and removed the filler cap and the flow really took off.
But then the plastic oil filter canister stumped me. First, I spun off the drain cap and no oil came out....OK. Now I looked at the hex sided plastic tip and wrongly assume I am suppose to turn this POS counter clockwise with a wrench to loosen it. First attempt I got a sickening plastic crack sound!
WTF is the procedure to get this canister off lads? Thanks way in advance lads for tips on how to proceed.

 

Pick up a 36mm oil filter socket from NAPA ($12.95). With a short extension on your socket wrench, it will loosen the filter cartridige housing with ease. Unscrew the cartridge cover, pull the old filter out, look for the tab on the old seal and pull it out, replace it with the new one, push the new filter into place, fill the cartridge with oil, and replace it, tighten gingerly.

 

Our 2008 A3 20.T is a "2008.5" model. It has a different engine than the 2008 and earlier cars.

The oil filter is NOT the cartridge style, but a canister style (part # 06J 115 561 B) that I had a very tough time finding at local stores. Note that Amazon.com does not list the correct filter for either the 2008 or 2009. You have to specify the 2010 car to find the right filter. Here's the filter on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Mann-Filter-71...ag=kindsyst-20

Note also that on these cars you do not need to remove any plate from the bottom of the car; the drain plug is right there and the oil filter is removed from above. Drain the oil first (remove the oil fill cap first so it flows quickly). Then after about 10 minutes you can remove the oil filter from above and it will have drained out.