I recently had my fuel filter replaced in my A4 1.8 Quattro. I took a look under the car to check it out after the work was done, and it appears that the filter is loosely in position. There is a plastic holder that is there, but the filter is not sitting snugly in it, there is a lot of play, and I can pull the filter down towards the street (very) slightly before any resistance by the hoses. This seems a little dangerous...or am I just being ****. I don't know what the filter was like before replacing it so I don't have anything to gauge it against. Any advice?

 

there should be a bracket that holds it in place, it should not just be hanging by the fuel lines. normally the filter is wedged up between the body and fuel tank and is a PITA to get out. it definitely should not be easy to pull down.

 

I heard from somewhere that the fuel filter on 01 A4 1.8T are supposed to be lifetime. I also don't see it as an item in the maintenance schedule. Why do you guys change fuel filter? Or did I hear wrong?

 

The fuel filter will clog up and restrict flow over time, whether it is supposed to be lifetime or not. Changing it is a cheap and prudent thing to do.

The plastic bracket should hold it securely in place, but there is little room to work with and the guys that changed yours were probably to lazy to do it right. You may be lucky and be able to fix the bracket without much effort.

 

yea they are 'supposed to be' lifetime filters, but that doesnt mean they dont get dirty. you should still change them every 5-10 years.

 

I changed mine at 70k, Trust me it needed to be changed!

its not cheap, on my 2001, the dealer said that the fuel tank had to be removed,(about $450 i also went to vw and the same, my friend's friend that is mechanic changed it for $200, there was no way to do it without removing the fuel tank,

 

^ the dealer is full of crap and so is your friend's friend.

I changed mine without removing the fuel tank. Took about half an hour or so. There's not a lot of room so you need to create space with a 2x4 or something. The filter itself costs about $20.

Anyone who depends on the dealer is going to be ripped off.

 

the dealers manual says you have to drop the tank to do it so they dont know anything else, even if they did know the trick to doing it without they are still going to charge you for what the book says to do. i used the 2x4 trick too, you just unbolt one of the fuel tank straps and kinda jam the 2x4 up in there so that it gives you an extra few inches to get a wrench in. takes 45 minutes tops.

 

nice i'll probably give it a try, is there a DIY somewhere for this? or is that pretty much all?

 

audidiy.com has a writeup i think. the only thing you need to know is to get 4 new crush washers before you do it. the old ones will always leak if you reuse them, good thing is that new ones cost 40 cents.