I took my 2004 Taurus for an oil change. The dealership told me I had a leaky oil pan. For a car that is only 4 years old I find it hard to believe. Anyone have this problem before?
How much oil are you losing between oil changes? This would tell me whether a leaky oil pan is an issue or not. While the statement is legit, I would not necessarily believe the oil pan gasket needed to be changed out unless I was leaking a lot of oil between oil changes. I would watch my oil consumption closely and then decide later, after I have accumulated some consumption info.
If an engine wasn’t leaking a little, somewhere, I would think that it wasn’t trying! It’s expected, at least by many mechanics, for an engine to leak a little here, and a little there after a few years. It’s no big thing. An oil, or fluid, leak is evaluated and monitored, and repaired IF the leak becomes unmanageable,
A dealer doesn’t usually mention this option. Did yours? The dealer only said, something like, “Your whatchamacallit is leaking. We can fix it for (big) X amount of money.” Is that a tacit implication, or not?!
You will get a straighter deal from an independent shop/mechanic. Try it. You’ll like it!
It could be the oil pan gasket or the plug in the pan. Gaskets can wear and leak. If the oil pan plug was over-tightened, the threads could be bad and oil can leak that way. Ask the mechanic to be more specific.
Leaking does not usually mean there is a hole in the pan, but rather there is a leak where it seals to the rest of the car. This can happen because someone over tightened a bolt, you hit something in the road, a defect in a gasket etc. It would not be unusual.
As the others have pointed out, you may not need to do anything about it other than watch your oil, as you should all the time, and maybe do some additional cleaning ever so often.
How much oil are you using (volume per distance/time)?