Oil plug stripped

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Took my 2004 Jetta to a dealership in London for an oil change (and have done this since 2004) (since have moved from Brampton) and they said that the dealership in Brampton stripped the drain plug and London said I needed a new oil pan and plug of course and would cost $600.00. I called Brampton volkswagen and told them the situation (they have spoken to me once) and am still waiting for an answer after 2 weeks. Oil is now leaking on my new stone driveway (so put car in garage) and I said it never leaked before and they said “yes it did”. They also said do not drive the car, so I don’t have a car and my husband has to drive me in his RAM truck every where. The person at Brampton has always been very helpful but now, I am very, very upset. I have left two messages after I spoke to Brampton. Please help!!!

2

This is basically a US based site so the knowledge of laws in Great Britain are not something we will know. Find an independent shop and see if they know a way to repair the drain plug threads, A dealer will not do that as they want to use new parts so they don’t have future problems.

3

Thanks for your help. Take care.

4

Stripped out threads in oil pans can be repaired in several different ways.

I understand the bit about a dealer not wanting to cut corners so to speak and replace an expensive pan but…

Using an oversize drain plug or a Time-Sert is not corner cutting.

I worked for VW for some years (along with Subaru, Honda, Nissan, and SAAB) and I’ve NEVER had to replace an oil pan of any make for this particular problem. They were all easily fixable.

The only exception was a Subaru owner from Oregon who stopped in Oklahoma to have the oil changed on a cross-country trip. The dealer in Oregon who had last changed the oil before they started the trip made a serious mistake.
All because they omitted the drain plug gasket and overtightened the drain plug; a very common error which can lead to a lot of grief.

5

Good Afternoon,

Thanks for the e-mail. Karen

6

Personally, I would opt for a time-sert or heli-coil, before going to an oversized plug

If you go with time-sert or heli-coil, you’ll be able to use the standard size drain plug

If you go with an oversized plug, you’ll have to also be able to find gaskets for it, and possibly be able to find the same oversized plug in the future, were anything to happen