# oil pan drain plug stripped out



## wheels045 (Aug 11, 2008)

I went to have my oil changed and the attendant told me my oil pan drain plug was stripped out 
He maintained this is a wear item and it happens all the time?


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## burtonownz (Jul 21, 2005)

*Re: oil pan drain plug stripped out (wheels045)*

Eventually it will happen as aluminum plug and aluminum pan meet since they're both the same soft metal. Although, you can definitely expedite this process by being careless by either cross-threading the pan or by over-tightening the plug every time. If it's so stripped out that you will need to buy a new oil pan, just throw in an oversized "piggyback" plug and find a quick lube that will evacuate your oil out so you don't have to worry about the plug being taken out any longer.


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## gehr (Jan 28, 2004)

*Re: oil pan drain plug stripped out (wheels045)*


_Quote, originally posted by *wheels045* »_
He maintained this is a wear item and it happens all the time?

Hahahahaha







That's the biggest piece of crap I've ever heard! Change your own oil and leave the monkeys to pickup trucks and Cadillacs!


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## mk2allday (Apr 27, 2007)

not everyone has time or wants to get dirty changing their own oil i work at a shop and people come in everyday and in 10 minutes their done thats pretty good for and extra 10 bucks than what you would pay for the supplies needed and you dont get dirty but mr wheels it is totally common for that to happen i see it everyday like burtonownz said you can ask for an oversized drain plug , a piggy back or a toggo plug, these can all be purchased at your local auto parts store and next time you go to get your oil changed just give it to the guy, also make shure that they change the drain plug gasket at everyoil change, most of the time it is a small copper crush gasket that prevents you from over tighting the plug and it makes shure the plug wont get loose if it is properly tightined, and dont be ashamed of getting your oil changed everyone dose it weather its them selfs or by some grease monkeys in a quick lube


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## gehr (Jan 28, 2004)

*Re: (mk2allday)*


_Quote, originally posted by *mk2allday* »_not everyone has time or wants to get dirty changing their own oil i work at a shop and people come in everyday and in 10 minutes their done thats pretty good for and extra 10 bucks than what you would pay for the supplies needed and you dont get dirty but mr wheels it is totally common for that to happen i see it everyday like burtonownz said 

It's totally common at sh!t shops with monkeys "working" there! An oil drain plug and an aluminum oil pan is not a "wear" item!















Bottom line is, do it yourself or by someone who knows what they are doing or put up with crap service from the monkeys!


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## nukewolf (Jun 8, 2004)

*Re: (gehr)*

i agree too many careless people out there to have someone else working on your car if you can help it. oil pans are "should be" a lifetime item


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## shipo (Jan 3, 2006)

Some of us cheat. I haven't pulled a drain plug in nearly ten years, in fact, both of our current cars have been driven WAAAY over 100,000 miles since the last time the plug was out of the pan. Then again, I use a dip-stick style oil extractor to suck the old oil out.


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## germancarnut51 (Mar 23, 2008)

*Re: (mk2allday)*

I think that most people would pay to have their oil changed, if there were a better percentage of honest competent shops.
The problems that many people encounter (and don't know they are the victims of) caused by poor shops: loose oil drain plug falls out Itech did not use torque wrench), overtightened drain plug, and stripped or crossthreaded drain plug (tech crossthreaded drain plug and drove it in with an impact or air wrench), wrong generic oil filter leaks or causes lubrication failure (generic oil filters from 3rd world manufacturers are cheaper than name-brand quality oil filters, so the shop use lower quality generic oil filters to increase profits, underfilled motor oil (oil costs money, so why fill it up when many owners don't check the oil), oil was not changed, or filter was not changed, and the owner was charged for the complete service (deliberate or accidental).
Happens all the time, which is why I change my own oil.


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## Mortal_Wombat (Jan 29, 2004)

*FV-QR*

fyi if you go to an oil shop your probably getting a $2 Valuecraft filter.
shops purchase from us every day and 99% of the time its valuecraft.


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## saaber2 (Jul 15, 2008)

*Re: oil pan drain plug stripped out (wheels045)*

That is crap! Piss-poor technicians that don't give a rip about your car strip them out all the time is what he should have said. If you want to protect yourself from this you can install a fumoto valve. This valve lets anyone change the oil easily and there is no way they can strip anything unless they are total dribbling imbeciles and actually remove the whole valve.
http://www.fumotousa.com/


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