VW Tiguan: DIY oil change service
I own a 2019 Tiguan TDI which was due for service. It had covered around 11,000 km in a year. A routine service on these TDIs generally includes the following:
- Engine oil
- Oil filter
- Air filter
- Cabin air filter
- Fuel filter
Other maintenance items like the coolant (checked and found to be in good shape) and brake fluid (already flushed and changed a month ago) were not needed.
I decided to undertake this job on my own considering my ASC experience only a month back was below average and my usual FNG mechanic had also been slacking quite a bit for the past couple of months.
I ordered the parts beforehand just like I had done last year. Here’s the parts used:
- Engine oil: Fuchs Titan 5W40 fully synthetic oil
- Oil filter: Mann Hummel HU 7020 Z
- Air filter: Mann Hummel C 30 005
- Cabin filter: Used a cheap Mahle charcoal activated filter
- Diesel filter: Mann Hummel PU 8014
In hindsight, I should have tried to source a Mann cabin filter, but it was unavailable with the distributor. The Mahle filter doesn’t cost much and it honestly shows.
With the parts sorted, it was time to check my tools repository and determine if I had everything necessary to service the car. I already had a ½ inch ratchet set, but the torx bits that hold the fuel filter top, air filter and even the underbody shield were used from a friend’s Stanley ¼ inch ratchet set. In a nutshell, here’s what you will need:
- A ½ inch ratchet set. You will majorly need the 32mm socket (for the oil filter cartridge), 19mm socket (oil drain plug) and 13mm socket (for undoing the drain plug on the oil filter & 8 bolts holding the underbody shield)
- A ¼ inch ratchet set. As already mentioned, you will be using the torx bits (T20 or T25 majorly) for undoing the air filter box screws, fuel filter cover screws and sump shield screws.
- A small flathead screwdriver for prying off old oil seals from the oil filter housing
- A metal pan to collect the old drained oil
- A couple of rags
- Torque wrench (optional)
If you aren’t well versed with using ratchets, I suggest having a 19mm ring spanner handy to tighten the oil pan drain bolt. Using a ½ inch ratchet offers tremendous torque multiplication & the last thing one wants is to overtighten and strip an oil sump drain bolt area.
Steps to be followed
Air filter
Removing the air filter is simple. It is held in by torx T25 screws. However, before removing the air filter box cover, disconnect the MAF sensor connector. Pull up the grey tab on the sensor connector, and wiggle the connector while pulling it upwards.
With the sensor connector undone, loosen the 8 T25 screws holding the filter cover. The screws don’t come off completely. They stay as is in the top half. The cover can simply be lifted away and set aside.
The old air filter was in very poor shape. I think I will need to dust it clean around the 5,000-6,000 km mark henceforth.
Also ensure that you clean the airbox thoroughly before putting a new filter in. The slotted mesh you see underneath here is called the snowgrate. It’s essential in European countries with cold weather. Although it isn’t needed in India, I retained it.
The new filter goes back in only one way. The sealing lip should sit flush with the airbox periphery. Simply install the top cover and tighten the screws back. It is prudent to use a screwdriver attachment with the T25 bit instead of a ratchet. The housing is plastic after all and the last thing one wants to do is damage it by overtightening.
Fuel filter
The fuel filter isn’t too tricky either. The cartridge cap is held on by 5 T20 bolts. In my case, one of the bolt heads was stripped previously and swapped for a T25 of the same length. These are M5X9 bolts with a weird head design so finding them isn’t easy.
Undo the 5 T20 bolts and simply lift the top cover of the cartridge away. Set it to the side. Do not remove any of the pipes on it. The filter element is now visible. Grab and gently lift it out while keeping a cloth underneath to avoid any spills onto the engine mount or serpentine belt below. Rubber items don't take well to diesel.
In the case of my car, I could spot some residue at the bottom of the cartridge. I undid the 2 10mm bolts and 1 10mm nut which held it onto the engine mount. I then disconnected the water-in-fuel sensor (same procedure as the MAF sensor) and pulled the entire assembly out to give it a good clean:
Made in the Czech Republic like many other parts under the bonnet by UFI:
With the filter cartridge removed, the water-in-fuel sensor connector is in plain sight. The grey tab is pulled up to unlock the connector. Also don't miss the top cover next to it with the 13mm bleed provision I mentioned before. It has the torque specs for the bolts holding it too:
The filter element shown here. Notice the small opening in the form of a pipe with its own O-ring here. It needs to align with the bleed screw on the fuel filter cartridge cover:
After cleaning, I installed the cartridge back. The filter element has a pipe which needs to be attached along with an O-ring on its neck as shown in the pic before. Post this, it can be lowered into the cartridge. :
The water-in-fuel sensor shown here. Don't remember seeing this on my Jetta TDI. The connector for this only goes in one way:
Priming the filter is important. Practically, most mechanics simply allow the car to crank multiple times until the engine fires up. Theoretically, it is wrong. The high pressure pump runs dry for some time and this will cause unnecessary wear on it in the long run.
On the EA288 and EA189 TDIs, one simply can’t prime the system by flicking the ignition on and off. The fuel pump only primes when the starter engages. In such cases, there are two ways to prime the system:
- Using a scanner/VCDS: Running the fuel pump for half a minute or so to be doubly sure the fuel filter cartridge is filled
- Manual priming: Filling the cartridge assembly to the brim with fresh diesel and closing the lid
Since I didn’t have a scanner, I went with the second method. I filled the diesel to the top of the fuel filter cartridge and bolted the lid shut. The 5 bolts holding the lid need to be tightened in a criss-cross pattern. Tightening torque is a mere 5 N-m (mentioned on the lid), so again, simply use a T20 bit with a screwdriver attachment & hand tighten them.
I then tried firing the car up to check for leaks, and the car barely cranked for a second or two extra before coming to life. Ran the engine for 3-5 minutes and there were no leaks. Moved over to the oil and oil filter.
Oil + oil filter
Changing the oil and oil filter is tricker (actually dirtier business). The car needs to be on a lift or on jackstands. I used my trusty hydraulic trolley jack. Use the lower control arm to lift using the trolley jack and the factory jacking points to support the car on jack stands.
The Tiguan has quite a large underbody shield covering the entire engine+gearbox along with the subframe, bevel box and even a part of the front driveshafts. The shield is held in by 7 13mm bolts and around 8-10 T25 screws. As can be seen below, the shield slots in towards the front. So it is advisable to undo bolts at the front first, then move to the rear to prevent the shield from drooping at the back when undoing the fronts. Also undo the T25 screws first, then the larger 13mm bolts which actually support the shield.
Once the heavy shield is off and out of the way, the oil sump is visible. The oil filter is located facing downwards at the front, just behind the radiator fans. A wiring harness which feeds the additional coolant pump gets in the way. It’s held on to a bracket by a clip. Simply pull the clip and move the wiring to the side.
On the EA288 series, the oil filter has a drain plug to prevent oil from creating a mess when you try to remove the filter. The drain plug on this 2.0 TDI is a 13mm plastic unit with its own O-ring.
First, remove the 19mm drain plug on the sump and drain all the engine oil out:
Then, undo the 13mm plastic plug on the filter cartridge and wait for oil to drain out from the filter. After this, use a 32mm socket with a ratchet and loosen the filter top cap and take it out. The filter element should come off with the cap itself.
With the 13mm drain plug undone, this is how the filter cover looks:
Unlike the EA189 (Jetta, Laura, Superb Mk2 etc), the 288 has only 2 O-rings for the oil filter. One large ring for the filter cartridge cap & another small one for the 13mm drain plug. The element only presses and locks into the cover one way. The hollow side faces downwards while the notched plain side goes into the cover.
The oil filter cartridge cap & drain plug seen here. Most mechanics don't bother with removing the drain plug:
The filter element has a notched plain side & a hollow side:
The hollow side feeds into this mesh like structure inside the filter cartridge:
Change both O-rings, clean the cartridge and the cap and press the element into the cap. Apply some old oil on both O-rings to prevent them from ripping when tightening. The cap goes on first. Use an extension and a 32mm socket at its end to offer up and simply hand tighten the cartridge cap. Once you feel it touch the cartridge, take a T-handle and tighten another 5-7 degrees so that the O-ring achieves compression. That is it. DO NOT overtighten the cartridge cap else you risk cracking it. Another reason why it’s better to not use a ratchet when doing this. A simple T-handle or a torque wrench set to 25 N-m is enough.
The 13mm drain plug goes on next. Simply tighten it until you feel it touching the cap surface and another couple of notches from there. The goal is to have the O-ring achieve max compression and nothing else (mere 5 N-m is VW specified torque). Clip the wiring harness feeding the coolant pump back into its place.
The 19mm drain plug for the sump has a washer. VW advises changing the entire plug with washer every service. Again, thread the plug in by hand for the first 2-3 threads and then use a ratchet until it touches the sump. Post this, use a torque wrench set to 30Nm to tighten the drain plug. If you are doing this without a torque wrench, use a ring spanner and again tighten the bolt by a quarter turn max after it has contacted the sump face.
Coming back to the engine bay, pull the dipstick out, and undo the oil fill cap. The fill cap most of the time has a lot of debris around it. Clean the debris first & then remove it if this is the case.
The EA288 CRFD 2.0 TDI used on the Tiguan/Octavia takes in around 4.6L of oil. I had a 4L can and a 1L bottle of oil with me. I emptied the entire 4L first and then filled around 200-300mL. I checked the dipstick and the oil was more than halfway on it. Since the car was on jackstands, I knew the reading wasn’t bang on. However, I wanted to start the engine and check for leaks first before lowering the car.
I ran the engine for 10-15 minutes constantly checking for leaks around the filter or the sump drain. None were spotted. I proceeded to install the underbody shield (13mm bolts first, T25 screws later) and lowered the car. After letting the engine rest for 10-15 minutes, I checked the oil level and topped up another 200-300ml which showed up as full on the dipstick.
Sample image from reddit. The oil level ideally needs to be at the very top of the ribbed portion on the dipstick:
Cabin filter change
This is one step where I couldn’t take pics since the new filter was delayed. The cabin filter rests behind the glovebox. Open the glovebox and there’s a damper on the left that needs to be unhooked. The glovebox will droop further, revealing two tabs right in front that need to be pushed in. This allows it to drop out of the way revealing the slot for the cabin filter.
The cabin filter box has a clip type cover. Undoing it will allow you to remove the filter. The new filter will have relevant arrows indicating the direction in which it needs to be installed.
Attaching a video here for reference
Engine bay wash and cleaning
I also proceeded to clean the engine bay. The ECM was covered first and a light spray of water was used to get dirt off. The engine cover was taken off and cleaned separately using washing detergent and water since it had some very stubborn dirt marks.
The entire car was also given a wash. All in all, it was a satisfying experience.
Also, I reset the inspection and oil change warning myself using the following video:
Special thanks to my friend Onkar for helping me out with the service. It always helps having a second pair of eyes when undertaking such jobs.
Coming to the economics of it, I paid around Rs. 9,000 for the oil and the filters in total. I believe I made massive savings when it comes to parts alone. Labour would have been another Rs. 4,500 at the ASC.
I didn’t really do this to save money though. I did it because the local ASC and FNG had both demonstrated subpar work before and I honestly couldn’t stand it. The only way to match your idea of perfection is to do it yourself.
17th June 2025, 20:21
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