I have a 2004 Jetta. Like an idiot I took it to Walmart to have the oil changed. They stripped the drain plug and now it leaks oil.I went back to Walmart and complained and they insisted they hadn’t done anything wrong and the plug was already sripped when I brought it in. It did not leak oil prior to my visit to Walmart. Now the VW dealer says it cannot be repaired and I need to replace the entire oil pan for $300.00+. I need help!
Get the situation assessed by an independent garage mechanic first. What the dealer says may be true, but there are other, cheaper, reasonable options that may solve the problem.
The stripped threads may have occurred from overtightening from the previous oil change(s).
If solved, then use that garage for all of your oil changes, so blame in the future cannot be averted.
Find a garage that has this product on hand. http://www.timesert.com/html/drainplug.html They can fix the threads at a fraction of the cost of replacing the pan.
Tester
Thanks for the info. I have contacted 3 shops and none of their mechanics is familiar with this solution. I am in the suburban Philadelphia area. Does it go by any other name?
Go to Pep Boys , Advance Auto , etc - they all carry replacement drain plugs . Cheap too .
I have a similar situation with my `05 Jetta - except at Midas.
They are telling me that Helicoil, taps, and replacement plugs won’t work because the oil pan is a “hybrid pan” (Made of Steel and Aluminum).
I’m really haveing trouble justifying replacing the entire oil pan (some $400+) on a car that’s not even 5 years old yet!
Can anyone offer any alternate solutions for a “hybrid pan”?..please?
Thank you!!
The only discription I can come up with for a hybrid pan is a aluminum pan with a steel boss for the plug. I cant see why this cant be fixed in the normal ways.
Definitly second opinion.
Here, try this website:
https://www.1stvwparts.com/part_number.html
When I looked up the '04 Jetta, it gave 3 different engine choices, for a total of 6 different engine pans, ranging in price from $159.32 to $214.89.
Add a new oil pan gasket for under $19 regardless of which engine, and if you have a couple hand tools, you can replace this yourself in about an hour. Or if you have a neighbor who works on their own car, you can probably ask for a hand with a project.
$300 is about right, given the cost of parts, and labor.
BC.
I had good luck with an oversize plug a long time ago. It even had a small magnet on the tip to catch the metal bits that were created.