Urgent help needed. My son drove over a rock and thinks he punctured the oil pan in his Buick Park Avenue Ultra. The car was towed to the mechanic at camp, that we do not know. I am home and cannot help him. How much damage could there be? What are the best and worst case scenarios for cost? WHAT QUESTIONS DO I ASK THE MECHANIC to try not to be cheated from long distance?
It depends how far the vehicle was driven after the oil pan was punctured and how much oil was lost.
Have the mechanic replace the oil pan, Then have them check the oil pressure with an accurate oil pressure gauge to see if any damage was done to the engine from a lack of oil.
Tester
The car was only driven to nearest parking space. How much should just the oil pan cost (hundreds? Thousands?) thanks!
It’s hard to say how much it will cost. Each area of the country has different repair rates.
The oil pan on this engine is easy to replace. So if the mechanic charges more than $500.00 along with testing the oil pressure, I’d be surprized.
Tester
Thank you!
Rockauto.com shows an aftermarket pan and gasket for about $90
Chilton labor times to replace the pan
factory time 0.9hrs
'regular time" 1.4hrs
At least you’ll have an idea if you’re getting totally hosed.
If you like, have him put the old pan in a large plastic bag, so that you can see the impact damage
Change the oil, filter and drain plug at the same time.
I agree with the others. Have the guy perform an oil pressure test AFTER the repair to confirm that all is well.
In this day and age there’s no reason not to have the mechanic snap a picture of the damaged oil pan and text it or email it to you so you can see the damage yourself.
Most mechanics have no interest in cheating a customer, from long-distance or local. Most just want to get the car in the shop, get it fixed, and move on to the next car.
Thanks so much - it turned out to be the exhaust pipe, and we are doing a cheap fix of welding, since the car probably has limited life left.
What? How did we go from oil pan/ no oil to noisy exhaust?
Well @cavell I think when someone says “my son thinks”, anything is possible and just illustrates 1) you can’t assume anything and 2) some folks have a very very limited knowledge of individual people transports. At least she let us know.
“How did we go from oil pan/ no oil to noisy exhaust?”
Cavell–If you re-read the OP’s initial post, as well as her follow-ups, she never made any mention of “no oil”.
As Bing pointed out, some folks have very limited knowledge of things automotive, and, while her son thought–for some reason or other–that his oil pan was punctured, clearly he was mistaken. However, you are also mistaken if you believe that the OP ever presented evidence of anything related to a loss of oil.