Another wonderful dealership experience

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You mean the dealership never told your Mom they installed the temporary plug ?

They stripped the drain plug hole and didn't say anything ?

The dealership owes your Mom a new oil pan !
 
Originally Posted By: ram_man
I wouldn't hold it against the dealer. With the miles on it and how many times it's been removed and reinstalled the threads get worn out eventually I've seen it happen. I'd use a oversize plug of you can or helicoil it . Second best thing to replacing the pan.


I'll be the odd man out and agree with you - aluminum threads can, and some do, get brittle over time. I've had them come out still attached to fasteners more than once.

This is not that big a deal; I sure would not want a pan removed and replaced for something as trivial as this.
 
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Are scenarios like this why we should do cold oil changes OR just barely snug them down. I mean, what is 40lb-feet getting done that 15 ft-lbs won't?

Also, time to use a mityvac? Ask HTSS about them.

Yeah, just siphon from here on out.

I love my Mityvac MV7201 for doing these things: oil change, bleed brake and ATF.

One tool to do several maintenance items, year after year after year. The best part is never messing around with drain bolts so damage to drain pans is not possible.

Some engines are easier to use a fluid extractor to siphon used oil, some of such engines are MB and older MB engines and Audi engines and most German engines.

Some engines you need to pay attention of how to insert extraction hose into the dipstick tube. You may not get all old oil with a fluid extractor for some engines, but if you do it right you can get more than 90-95% which is good enough for most DIYers. 5-10 oz of old fluid out of more than 150 oz remains in the sump is not much to worry about.
 
The dealer is responsible for the damage and they need to replace the oil pan free of charge.

I don't get it why they tighten these plugs so much. In my experience, even a finger-tightened plug won't come out. As long as you use a good gasket, as little as 10 ft.lb is enough. I always tighten them by the feel, not by the torque. Once the gasket starts crushing too much and force starts increasing exponentially, I stop, and it's usually about half the torque spec. You don't need to go as high as the torque spec, which is too generous to be failsafe even with poor gaskets, as long as you have a good new gasket.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
You mean the dealership never told your Mom they installed the temporary plug ?

They stripped the drain plug hole and didn't say anything ?

The dealership owes your Mom a new oil pan !


Yep. Their failure to inform the customer about the issue,
indicates that THEY are responsible for the damage.
I would return to the $tealership and politely discuss the issue with the Service Manager or even General Manager if you can't get the SM to accommodate you. I'd be businesslike and explain the events, not telling the customer about something like this is really inexcusable, but it might have saved them money on buying her a new oil pan....
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Now the drain plug issue will have to wait. The other day my father was driving the car and hit a large pothole screwing up the alignment and bending the [censored] out of the right front wheel. We are leaving very early Friday morning to go out of state so not so perfect timing.

I have a used 18 inch wheel coming today and and alignment scheduled so hopefully that takes care of it and nothing else is bent.

He decided to not tell my mom so she didnt know until she left the house for work. Calls me saying the car is pulling and shaking real bad.

 
Dan, I'd talk to the dealer service department and tell them they've been the ONLY ones to change the oil on this car for years. Talk to them directly or write emails. I bet there's a good chance they'll cover some or all of the cost of a new oil pan. I'd angle towards the "can you help me out" route. "I'd really like to keep using you guys for service". It's more likely they'd do the repair at a reduced cost than for free anyway.

To me, a helicoil type fix is not going to work long term if she continues to use dealers or shops to change the oil. An oversized plug or other temporary fix is not going to work at all unless you're the one doing oil changes.
 
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amazed he doesn't need a new tire after hitting that hard. I actually jumped a curve in my 06 about 4 months ago. blew out both front tires, one rim completely destroyed, the other one bent really bad. Two new rims, 4 new tires, new front end alignment and about 1000 bucks later, all is good!!! I think that rim can be fixed. Call around to tire shops and ask.
 
We helicoil oil pans on customers cars all the time it is better than a new pan as people still come for years after the repair and they are good to go. People usually come to use after being told they need and oil pan when somebody strips them out and want to sell them a pan for alot of money. We usually charge 50.00 plus insert and everybody is happy with lifetime repair
 
Originally Posted By: dan_erickson
Now the drain plug issue will have to wait. The other day my father was driving the car and hit a large pothole screwing up the alignment and bending the [censored] out of the right front wheel. We are leaving very early Friday morning to go out of state so not so perfect timing.

I have a used 18 inch wheel coming today and and alignment scheduled so hopefully that takes care of it and nothing else is bent.

He decided to not tell my mom so she didnt know until she left the house for work. Calls me saying the car is pulling and shaking real bad.




Ouch, that must have been a deep pothole. Hopefully only needs a rim/tire. That happened to one of our fleet trucks, but it didn't need an alignment and we had spare rims/tires at the shop. Swapped it out and was good to go.
 
When my daughter's Volvo plug stripped, I used a simple solution to fix it. I cleaned up the oil pan threads with a thread chaser, then installed a Fumoto Valve with some oil-resistant thread locker. Working fine so far.
 
Well the wheel, tire, and alignment issue is fixed. That was a headache. Yesterday afternoon I ordered a used wheel from a junk yard to be delivered to my body shop first thing this morning. Never showed up so I called at 11:30 and the guy on the phone never put the order through. I still wanted the wheel until the junk man actually looked at the used wheel and told me it was junk, full or corrosion, and scratched up.

I pulled the car in and took the wheel off, tossed it in the back of the shop car, flamed out PT Cruiser HAHA, and drove to this hole in the wall wheel & used tire shop while on my lunch break. They removed the tire, repaired the bend, mounted the tire, and balanced for $100. They fixed the wheel in a couple hours and actually did a really nice job! I waited till the end of the day and drove up there with the spare on the Fusion and picked up the repaired wheel and tire. Wheel alignment and all set.
 
Now the oil pan issue. If I have to drill old threads out then tap, I will not have enough room to get a straight shot with the drill because the engine cradle is in the way. There is only a few inches of room.
 
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