Oil pan drain plug 2009 Lexus ES350

30

Asked by CaitlinJay Aug 26, 2020 at 08:56 PM about the 2009 Lexus ES 350 FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Does anyone know how to tell if an oversized drain plug will
work for a particular vehicle? My mechanic has told me
that I need to replace my oil pan for $590 because my drain
plug is completely threaded and just barely hanging on.
A friend suggested that I look into my particular make and
model, to see if an oversized drain plug will work. I have a
2009 Lexus ES 350. How do I know? Thanks and I really
appreciate any insight!

10 Answers

I would have to look at it to see if there is enough metal to drill and tap out to the next bigger size.

1 people found this helpful.
30

Ok good to know. Yes I have always had oil changes done at the same place. I'm honestly not confident in my abilities so I'll probably have a mechanic do it. If I have a Lexus mechanic change out the pan, won't it still cost $600+?

The kits where you tap out to a bigger size hole are OK but don't buy the tapered bolt type of repair kit, those are asking for trouble.

1 people found this helpful.

The point is that if the Lexus mechanic stripped it out they are responsible. I have change oil thousands of times on my cars that have had a hundred or more oil changes each and never have I stripped a drain hole. Someone was in a hurry and over tightened it or cross threaded the drain plug. If they have to pay for the repair they almost certainly will tap it out for a new drain plug.

1 people found this helpful.
30

I called them and they said the best they can do is cut the price in half to $295. He's really trying to deflect the blame, as well. Telling me that it could have been already a little bit worn down and then over the past year and a half of him doing oil changes it just pushed it over the edge.

30

Indeed! You guys are amazing. I did find a Toyota mechanic that will do the oversized drain plug fix for me for 120 bucks though. And a friend of mine who owns a Lexus collision repair shop said that he would do the drain plug fix, over an oil pan replacement. He said that whenever you replace the oil pan it always leads to future problems, once you start messing with the engine like that, taking things apart. Which fix would you guys choose?

1 people found this helpful.

I would re tap the hole to the next size up. Then I would find a different mechanic.

1 people found this helpful.
30

Awesome, thank you! And I will be having a new mechanic do that. I'm done with the other guys. I appreciate your help!!

1 people found this helpful.
30

Okay, thanks for that insight. Yeah, it's actually 11 years old, and the friend of mine who has the Lexus collision repair shop said that whenever you start to move the engine around you're just asking for problems down the road... That's the reason why he prefers the oversized drain plug option. In your opinion, what is the downside of doing the oversized drain plug? What are the reasons that you prefer to replace the whole oil pan?

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