So i recently went to go get my oil changed on my suburban, and wal mart said they could not do it due to a stripped oil drain plug. Last person to change my oil was kwik kar in galveston texas. Should they be the ones that hav to pay to repair this? Can i make them in any way? or do i have to suck it up and it?

 

Its not like its $100, its not worth the hassle. Just buy a new plug. Thats why I change my own oil. My wife was getting free oil changes on her SUV at the dealer, but after them putting in 2 qts more than it holds and stripping the plug, I would rather buy it myself and change it myself. The new plug cost me like $14.

 

I worked at a kwik kar for a while. They are all franchise owned, so any legal beef you get into will be with a much smaller business rather than a chain - no bigshot corporate lawyers, just whatever the kwik kar needs to defend themselves.

Another note - At Kwik Kar we are supposed to put tamper seal on every drainplug and initial every filter we put on... So check to see if tamper seal is there.. if so, have some pics of it to present in court if you go through with that.

But I agree, if its just the bolt thats stripped, then replace it, like 5$ at dealership I bet, or about 3$ for non magnetic one at any parts store..

If it is the pan thats stripped, get an oversize oil plug.. they make some that are like self tapping screws.. rethreads damaged part and increases size one up.

Good luck with it, whatever you decide.

-Lurius

PS: If its the walmart on galveston, ive been there haha, i used to stay out at a cabin every summer for a week there(Its washed away now!)

 

ten to one walmart just wants to be lazy fawkers and not change it, or they messed it up and blamed it on someone else. been there done that. best bets to take a look at it yourself and fix it if its actually messed up

 

brother, if one of my Tech's strippes an oil drain plug on a customers car, then we replace it and my shop eats the plug cost. It's only fair, if we do the damage, we pay for it. Also, if my Tech's notice a drain plug that looks to be in bad or dangerous shape before they drain it, then they come tell me and we advise the customer before we touch it. Most of the time the customer says "put me a new on on there". But all in all, if we strip it or round the head off, then we buy the customer a new one.

 

thanks for the replies!

 

My advice, stay away from the "Quickie" and WalMart oil change places all together, although getting it changed there is better than not at all. I've seen and heard all too many horror stories of stripped drain plugs, double gasketed oil filters, oil left out of cars, etc. If you can't do it yourself (don't have the tools or the place to do it, etc.), at least find a local independent shop with a good rep. Honestly, I'd recommend going to a local dealer...I know that the dealer can be pricey, but they're usually pretty competitive when it comes to LOF's, staying within 10 bucks of the quickie joints prices. Plus, you get a factory oil filter, and like TorqueWrench mentioned, most dealers are pretty good at fixing their mistakes. For one thing, they have the availability of necessary parts, plus they can usually find a way to eat the expense of the mistake.

 

same for the place I work at. My reply was based on personal preference. If they messed up, no doubt they should fix it. If we mess something up, we fix it as well. i just believe it isn't worth the time to drive to said kwik kar for a drain plug if its just rounded slightly.