Hello.

Question...
I havea 98 Civic w 80K.
Thing was running perfect.
I went and took it in for preventative mtce - the timing belt replacement.

Dealership went ahead and did that, along with the other belts / water pump / coolant.

2 days later, I notice a huge puddle of oil underneath... so I take it back.

They're telling me that the oil pan plug stripped inside the pan... $500 bucks to replace the whole pan.

Can anyone tell me - is there some possible way that they did this initially?
(I dont know the full details of a timing belt replacement procedure - but I didnt think that it had anything to do with the oil pan - but just 2 days earlier, the thing was perfect!)

Also, 500 bucks for a new oil pan? Is this a ripoff?

Thanks.

 

if they did the stripping, then they can cough up the dough for a new oil pan.

contact a lawyer if they disagree.

 

HUGE rip off. But, I doubt theres any link between them changing a timing belt, and your drain plug stripping.

You should be able to find a new Oil pan for under 50 bucks. Removal and install will take about 20 minutes in the driveway

 

It was stripped by the dealership and everyone else who changed your oil in the past 9 years.

Same thing happened to me over the summer. I bought a used oil pan, and a new gasket, and replaced it myself. Then I took the money that I saved and bought a front strut tower bar, new front brake pads and rotors, 4 race tires, and some beer. LOL. The job isn't that hard, it's just a pain in the ***.

 

Thats the thing.
They're saying that they didnt do anything with the oil.

But i just find it COMPLETELY fn odd that there was no oil leak until the day after they do the timing belt change... (and of course, they're not going to admit it)

Im trying to figure out if for some odd reason it would have been necessary for them to drain the oil / do anything to the pan to make it leak... (I also find it very odd that the oil res was overfull... and the last time that I had an oil change was over a month ago!)

How can I prove that they actually did it?

 

Is it just as easy as puttin it on ramp, unscrew oil pan, replace gasket & pan?
(Or do I have to take off other pieces to get to it?)

Thanks ahead of time.

 

you have to take off your exhaust manifold to get to it. that's the pain-in-the-*** part.

 

Correct me if im wrong...
When doing a timing belt change on a civic, you have to undo the motor mount on the side of the belt, and then support the motor by a floor jack under the oil pan - correct?

Im starting to wonder if they messed up the drain plug accidentally when using the jack?
Possibility?

 

There are enough mounts to where they shouldn't have needed to brace it. And even if they did, I would NEVER put a jack under the oil pan, thats just asking for trouble