I'm not fussed about the time it takes. I tend to let the oil drain for a while anyway. I got used to this new fangled aero panels business with Euro cars. But I would think about better fasteners.
You can't pre fill VW EA888 filters, they're upside down and replaceable elements.
Something else I like about doing my own servicing is having a good look around under there to see if there's anything amiss before it becomes a problem.
I don't know about that. We wrinklies (and younger ones) mostly learnt to drive manuals, and I've done quite a few licence tests in manuals, I've not seen a gearbox or clutch fail.
The handbrake cable on my Dads car snapped while doing a hill start on my test. Luckily I had learned to heel and...