I used 5w40 last time bc i live in a hot climate.

About the gas, yes use unleaded and 91 or higher octane

 

I've used Castrol Syntec 5W-40 for a while now since that is what the dealer recommended and it is also advertised to meet the VW/Audi motor oil requirements (I live in NJ so climate varies from hot to cold). I also used Mobil 1 5W-40 once, and have a friend with an older A4 with around 100k miles on it and he always uses Mobil 1 so probably either of those would be a good choice.

 

so is the filter easier to access from the hood or underneath the car?

 

Filter has to be done from the hood. It is recommended to move the coolant res out of the way, but ive done it without moving that and it works. Res is easy to move though, and you dont have to drain it or anything.

 

Since we are on the topic of oil changes.
Does anyone know how to reset the oil service light?

 

Try this depending on year:

Turn off the ignition
Press and hold the button on the left side of the display while turning the ignition on
Service OIL will be displayed
Pull out the button on the right side of the display until the service prompt is cleared
The display should now read ---

If the above procedure does not work, outlined below is an alternative procedure:
With the ignition off, push the right button
Turn the ignition on and then pull the left button
This should clear the warning message --- I have a 1996 so only have read about this. To reset that Service message, hold down the service button. That's the one with the picture of a wrench on it. While holding it down, turn on the ignition. Let go of the service button and press the "Mode" button just to the right of the service button. It should clear the display.

 

so i finally did it today and was successful...
actually the filter is accessed from underneath on my wife's 2001 A4. for some reason i thought she had an '02 but it is indeed an '01 so i guess i poasted this in the wrong forum altogether.
the oil change in general was very easy. but putting the cover back on the underside was the biggest pain. other than that it was a breeze tho.

thanks again for the tips everybody.

 

Sorry to jump on someone elses thread, but got a quick question since were talking bout the subject.

Someone recommended to use a large oil filter. Would the Mobil M1-301 be ok?

Also, for an A4 Quatro 1.8 with 65K miles, wold Mobil 5-30 synthetic ok too?

Thanks.

 

The mobile 1 is a good filter.. another that is good and fits is the Purolater Pure One PL30001.

 

5W-30 i'd say is a good starting point..