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Rant: A cheap magnetic drain plug cost me a $400 oil pan

I put one of those aftermarket magnetic drain plugs in a customer's Honda Civic last year, thinking it would catch extra metal. The magnet was way too strong and pulled on the pan threads over time. It stripped them out completely during the next oil change. Had to replace the whole pan, which was about $200 for the part and another $200 in labor I ate. Anyone else run into problems with these things?

3 comments

3 Comments

moore.beth1mo ago

I had a Ford Ranger come in with the same issue, the magnet was basically welded to the pan. My rule now is to only use the factory style magnetic plug if the car already had one. For everything else, I stick a small magnetic strip on the outside of the oil filter. It catches the fine stuff without risking the threads. That extra pull on cheap aluminum pans is a real problem over a few heat cycles.

jamie_webb671mo ago

Seriously, a magnet strip on the filter? I've used magnetic drain plugs on a few old beaters for years and never had one stick. Maybe it's just a fluke with certain pans or really cheap plugs.

mary_nelson711mo ago

Honestly, it makes me wonder about the oil itself. I switched to a full synthetic in my old truck and the next oil change, the plug had this weird, almost gritty paste stuck to the magnet. It was like the new oil was cleaning out years of gunk all at once.