I just performed the 27th oil change on my 2004 A6 and traded it in on a 2012 A6 (3.0 T). I'm preparing for my first oil change. The first things that I noticed were: canister oil filter has been replaced with an element filter and there is no longer a dipstick. Is there any major difference that I need to be prepared for?

First - thanks S4_Cinci for the reply. I have a few oil changes under my belt now and I'm ready to help others if anyone needs a few tips. We'll start with the required tools: to remove the belly pan you'll need an M8 spline (twelve point thingy) for the four large screws, a T30 TORX (six point thingy) for the three aft screws and a large (no. 3) Phillips screwdriver for the remainder of the quick release fasteners. The drain plug is removed with a 6mm hex bit (Allen) and the filter housing (up top) requires a 36mm socket. After you drain the oil and remove the old filter element you can use a pair of hemostats to reach down and remove the rubber filter seal by the tab that is incorporated into it. A small pocket knife blade will help to remove the O-ring inside the filter housing. The required torque on the filter housing is 25 N-m and I've been using the same on the drain plug because I don't have the spec. yet. If anyone knows it I would appreciate the info. I'm pretty sure there is no seal (like nylon, aluminum, etc.) on the drain plug - just a conical metal-to-metal fit.

For the 2012 A6 3.0 the filter element part number is 06E-115-562-A.

Any corrections / additions / advice is welcome.