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Changing your own oil.. Heads up!!

DawnsKayBug1

DawnsKayBug1

Go Kart Champion
Today I change the oil in my wifes Audi and my GTI...
Well Someway somehow I stripped the drain plug in my GTI.
I always hand tighten then use a wrench. I have been changing my own oil for years now. I am leaving for Edinburgh, Scotland tomorrow and was screwed since I couldnt get a new oil pan till Saturday. Sooooo... I used a JB weld 2-part epoxy and smothered the drain plug with it.(it was about 90% on when it started to spin)
guy said it was common with VWs more than any other car and someone did the same thing last week on a 2008 Jetta.
Head up with that drain plug.
 
Heretic:GTI

Heretic:GTI

Ready to race!
Pretty common problem at the dealership I work for. In assembly they install the drain plug before painting the inside of the oil pan. Quite a few warranty claims...
 
H

Hulley1

Ready to race!
Happens alot on BMWs but thats usually because the person overtightened the drain plug. BMWs only require about 12ft lbs to tighten due to the aluminum oil pan. Does the GTI have an aluminum oil pan? I'd guess it would be similar. 12ft lbs is finger tight and then a quarter turn to compress the seal.
 
N

northfb52

Ready to race!
id like to second that paint issue the best thing ive found is to get the paint off eather use a wire wheel or brush the paint guns up the threads and then your pull the threads out the next time you tighten it down
 
T

tiBDub

Passed Driver's Ed
I did the same thing, bought a new oil pan and its a bitch to take off the old oil pan. Do not try to pry the pan off you have to stick something with a flat edge above the pan and tap it all the way around. Dont be stingy with the sealant.
 
Heretic:GTI

Heretic:GTI

Ready to race!
Read my post, I explained what the problem is. If you clean the drain plug off after removal or buy a new drain plug you shouldn't have any issues...
 
omgturbo!

omgturbo!

Go Kart Champion
i'll just buy a new one so i dont have to mess with cleaning it. hopefully after all the free oil changes i will have a new/cleaned one by then and wont need to worry about it.
 
J

jbrone

Passed Driver's Ed
use a torque wrench

My Passat had a magnesium transmission housing and an aluminum oil pan. I always used the torque wrench on the drain or fill plugs. There is a whole different way of thinking with aluminum and magnesium. Also, put the undercar shield back on to keep a rock or ice from cracking a pan. If you lower the car, look into a metal plate underneath (like from ECS Tuning or Dieselgeek).

Once you accept that the engine has aluminum components, and buy a torque wrench, it is no big deal. And you should also use it for your wheels!Only time I had trouble was when someone else changed my glow plugs and stripped the holes.
 
G

Grownman

Ready to race!
:eek: Thanks for letting us know about this! I'm close to my first 5k oil change and definitely keeping this in mind.
 
Jekyll991

Jekyll991

Ready to race!
Kinda strange you stripped your's easily - when I got mine back from the dealership it was leaking oil from around the bolt and I had to take a breaker bar to get it any tighter than they had it, but it still didn't strip.
 
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