Shouldnt an oil filter change be easy?? Help Its Stuck!

[love_my_golf]

Im sick to death of what should be a simple task, after draining the oil i went to change the filter, the damn thing wont come off, i have even bought one of these:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...egoryId_165469

but that wont shift it, my car is a golf 1.6se 16v 2000, engine code AUS. not sure if any of you have worked on these engines but there is very little space around the filter and the only place you can get a grip is on the very end of the filter. any tool i try just seems to chew up the filter.

any ideas how i can get the filter off? i really dont want to jam a screwdriver though the filter because a) its messy, b) there is virtually no space to do so, c) if it doesnt work my car is off the road.

help much appeciated

[STEWY L]

i'm not familiar with your engine,or the room you have, but i usually use a screwdriver/ hammer when all else fails.
however,DON'T put the screwdriver through the filter,instead,if you can see it,
put the screwdriver on the very top ridge of the filter which is thicker.
strike it at an angle,anti clockwise,to get it to start moving.
regards,
stewy.

[love_my_golf]

hi,
thanks for the reply, whats the risk of splitting through the filter with this method, i really need my car to stay on the road, i ended up bending the removal tool i got, i have no idea why the oil filter has been on this tight, it really is ridiculous.

[martin1810]

The tool you bought isn't much good. You need a three leg oil filter tool that fits on a ratchet. They are self tightening and so should grip well enough to get the filter off. The engine heat has "glued" the filter oil seal ring. This often happens if the mechanic didn't wipe it with oil before putting it on. Good luck.

[love_my_golf]

i looked into one of the three legged tools but there isnt enough space to get a ratchet in, or to get the tool itself on.
I'll try get a pic up so you can see the small space i have to work in.

[Crasher]

It sounds like it does not have the correct filter on. The proper filter has a 30-mm nut welded to the base of the filter to help release it as the working space on an AUS is very restricted, especially when it has air con.

[love_my_golf]

hi, it is the correct filter, and yes there is a nut on the end of the filter, but the filter is so stuck that it wont budge and attempts to remove it are starting to round the nut off, the car does have air con and there are pipes in the way preventing me from getting a 30mm ratchet in!

[STEWY L]

hi, it is the correct filter, and yes there is a nut on the end of the filter, but the filter is so stuck that it wont budge and attempts to remove it are starting to round the nut off, the car does have air con and there are pipes in the way preventing me from getting a 30mm ratchet in!

i'm not being funny here,you understand,but instead of buying yet another
filter tool( none of us know how good they are until we use them),
why not drop it into your local independant garage?
they will have it off in under half an hour, no stress,no worries,no probs.
cost around £25-£30.
i'm sure they will be happy to fit the new oil filter you provide,and will lubricate the seal before fitting.
regards,
stewy.

[Crasher]

I use a 30-mm spanner.