The way vehicles oil pans are made today I suspect sales have raised quite a bit on these drains, I may put one on an old tractor with a hose on it due to drain location?
Don't have to tell anyone here because we all know already but my neighbors on both sides and a friend of mines car all had the plug stripped out by oil shops in the last couple yrs. It was two different cities and 3 different shops doing their work not the same one too. Dealers mechanic told one the pans simply aren't made with a good steel nut inside like they used to be. Most oil pans that strip today are all aluminum or plastic with aluminum or light grade metal nut inside and they're getting stripped left/right. Many pans are being left too loose because people are scared they'll strip it so they leak when the cars leave the shops. I saw one left loose and leaking, my neighbors just a year or so before they stripped his pan out really good. He said when it leaked he wasn't returning to them but' idk if same shop stripped his or not? Its very doubtful he did so probably 4 shops here fwiw?
My old friend in another city had to step his plug up two sizes because they stripped his aluminum pan out not once but "twice". Ford dealership stripped it the second time. He traded the car in over it all cause he didn't want to pay well over a grand for a new pan install when they did it again, he knew they eventually would.
Personally I've always changed my own oil. Actually since I was about 9 on old mini bikes I had. With no dad around I went to "live and learn" school every day. Yes' I walked up hill both ways too and from..lol
Then there was the lady who left Wally in her Honda they forgot to put her oil in. Best of luck proving these shops done the damage especially on an older vehicle.
fwiw?
If one actually includes the time it takes to retrieve the tool to remove/install a regular drain plug these drains probably take less time to change oil. With a tool already in hand is there a substantial difference, you must include your R/R time not just drain time only, anyone know this? Surely flipping a switch is faster than spinning a wrench several times thats just a given but is it enough to complete the entire task faster?
We don't know this answer without seeing test times comparing everything involved?
Members could tests the entire procedure by simply opening this drain vs removing it like a standard oil plug and using a stop watch both times?
It could be a bit faster to R/R this larger drain than a standard plug being easier to grasp/turn with oily fingers than a small plug is I mean? Just by a few seconds maybe, just say'n if ones doing real testing it could be considered a tad easier to grasp?
So' does anyone have one installed on an easy reach vehicle to test on or have an extra oil pan laying around for a test setup? They could try both ways here just to check drain times then we'll know? Sorry' not throwing stones, I'm just really curious if its faster after reading the posts saying it drains out so slow.
If I do buy one its for the convenience of it not for speed anyway but' is it really that slow?