Ok, so maybe the following isn't secret to everybody, but I'm sure not everyone knows it. I've heard people saying on this board that their oil is still black even after an oil change. Well, today I did an oil change using the following method and my oil is crystal clear even after driving the car for 30 miles.

1. Warm up the car so that the oil is at normal operating temp.
2. Lift the rear of the car so it's higher than the front and shut off the engine.
3. Remove the oil filler cap and oil filter. Let the car sit for 5 mins.
4. Without restarting the car, lower the rear and lift the front so that the driver's side is lower than the passenger side.
5. Drain oil.
6. When it's all out (only drips) add some fresh oil to filter housing and to engine.
7. Wait for the oil to come out and do nothing until it just drips again.
8. Repeat #6 and #7 until the oil comes out clear.
9. Install new filter and refill engine with new oil.

The purpose of lifting the rear is to get all the oil out of the upper oil pan. I use ramps for this purpose and then for step #4 I just let the car roll off the ramps and use the jack that came with the car to lift the front passenger side. Comments, questions?

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL