Before I took over the maintenance of my Montero, the dealership did all the service. Those knuckleheads always used an impact gun to put the drain bolt back in, and there were problems with oil leaks afterwards.
I was in the UK for 10 years during this time, and what they basically did to 'resolve' the issue was put on some silicone sealer instead of admitting to their mistake and replacing the oil pan. At every oil change, they would also bill a new OE drain bolt in addition to the oil/filter/labor charge. My father, who had the vehicle serviced at the time, kept paying these charges due to his lack of knowledge, and didn't really understand what they were doing.
When I returned home and took over the maintenance, it was obviously too late and I tried to get the dealership to replace the oil pan outside of the expired warranty. I thought it was an easy way out, because I had every single receipt at hand, showing a service every 5,000 km (3,000 miles) and them doing all the service. But that didn't work out, and I wasn't going to start a legal war for obvious reasons. Isn't worth the cost, even at a small claims court.
What I initially did was take it into a shop, where they custom made a wider, taller drain plug. This did the job, but when I had to get someone else to do my oil change, the idiot managed to strip that bolt without an impact gun! So he also used silicone sealer to mask the problem.
Now, replacing the oil pan on this vehicle means the engine has to come out. The front differential sits directly under the oil pan, and there's no way I can do this alone.
Friend of mine (auto electrician), suggested welding a 'special' bolt into the existing hole in the pan. When I asked him what he meant by 'special', he said the center of the bolt to be welded there would be hallow, allowing a bolt to be screwed in and basically making a new, smaller drain bolt. I suppose that is an idea, but maybe leave that as a last resort.
I was wondering if I could possibly get another, taller bolt (14 mm x 1.5) and use that to resolve the problem? Or would that not work, because it's already been done once? Thanks!
I was in the UK for 10 years during this time, and what they basically did to 'resolve' the issue was put on some silicone sealer instead of admitting to their mistake and replacing the oil pan. At every oil change, they would also bill a new OE drain bolt in addition to the oil/filter/labor charge. My father, who had the vehicle serviced at the time, kept paying these charges due to his lack of knowledge, and didn't really understand what they were doing.
When I returned home and took over the maintenance, it was obviously too late and I tried to get the dealership to replace the oil pan outside of the expired warranty. I thought it was an easy way out, because I had every single receipt at hand, showing a service every 5,000 km (3,000 miles) and them doing all the service. But that didn't work out, and I wasn't going to start a legal war for obvious reasons. Isn't worth the cost, even at a small claims court.
What I initially did was take it into a shop, where they custom made a wider, taller drain plug. This did the job, but when I had to get someone else to do my oil change, the idiot managed to strip that bolt without an impact gun! So he also used silicone sealer to mask the problem.
Now, replacing the oil pan on this vehicle means the engine has to come out. The front differential sits directly under the oil pan, and there's no way I can do this alone.
Friend of mine (auto electrician), suggested welding a 'special' bolt into the existing hole in the pan. When I asked him what he meant by 'special', he said the center of the bolt to be welded there would be hallow, allowing a bolt to be screwed in and basically making a new, smaller drain bolt. I suppose that is an idea, but maybe leave that as a last resort.
I was wondering if I could possibly get another, taller bolt (14 mm x 1.5) and use that to resolve the problem? Or would that not work, because it's already been done once? Thanks!
