Oil sump and filter stuck
Discussion
Hi,
I booked in for an oil service on my 2005 Mini One and have been told by the garage (not my usual one because I moved to a new area, so had to try a random one based on google reviews) the car is likely a write off. They said both oil sump cap and oil filter are jammed on and if they try to take them off its likely to cause thousands of pounds of damage to nearby components if it goes wrong (which they seem to think is likely). I wondered what peoples opinions are on this diagnosis?
Thanks,
Mark
I booked in for an oil service on my 2005 Mini One and have been told by the garage (not my usual one because I moved to a new area, so had to try a random one based on google reviews) the car is likely a write off. They said both oil sump cap and oil filter are jammed on and if they try to take them off its likely to cause thousands of pounds of damage to nearby components if it goes wrong (which they seem to think is likely). I wondered what peoples opinions are on this diagnosis?
Thanks,
Mark
I think that's a total crock of poo.
Worst case is a sump needs renewing, and housing, both can be done for sensible money, sure it's your problem to pay for it but it needs trying first to see if they release, they often do, It just takes a long bar and good fitting socket for the filter cap and a hex socket on the sump plug but I suspect it's already gnarled up there,
sure they can also syphon the oil, if they think they won't get it all they can run a flush oil after to dilute the junk left and pull that out, leaving just the filter cap as the challenge,
both are only supposed to be tightened to 25NM, people refitting them fear them coming loose so overtighten, they also don't renew the sump plugs, so the result is sometimes a stuck one, now some cars also have nasty aftermarket plugs used, those need binning and an OEM nicer one sourced,
changing those parts isn't the end of the world, the sumps are often found cheap used if not both items, or the sumps iirc can be found now at factors new for not a lot of money at all,
I suspect you're at the wrong garage perhaps....
Worst case is a sump needs renewing, and housing, both can be done for sensible money, sure it's your problem to pay for it but it needs trying first to see if they release, they often do, It just takes a long bar and good fitting socket for the filter cap and a hex socket on the sump plug but I suspect it's already gnarled up there,
sure they can also syphon the oil, if they think they won't get it all they can run a flush oil after to dilute the junk left and pull that out, leaving just the filter cap as the challenge,
both are only supposed to be tightened to 25NM, people refitting them fear them coming loose so overtighten, they also don't renew the sump plugs, so the result is sometimes a stuck one, now some cars also have nasty aftermarket plugs used, those need binning and an OEM nicer one sourced,
changing those parts isn't the end of the world, the sumps are often found cheap used if not both items, or the sumps iirc can be found now at factors new for not a lot of money at all,
I suspect you're at the wrong garage perhaps....
thanks for the replies.
Am going to try a different garage and see what they say.
It sounds like replacing the oil should be straight forward for someone who can suck it out from what you guys say (or they can just take off the entire sump and replace that part only?)
The oil filter, if stuck and a different garage also can't get it out, would still present a problem though (the oil filter housing looks very pricy on google, £400-600! Don't know if a garage would be willing to use a used part if I bought that).
Am going to try a different garage and see what they say.
It sounds like replacing the oil should be straight forward for someone who can suck it out from what you guys say (or they can just take off the entire sump and replace that part only?)
The oil filter, if stuck and a different garage also can't get it out, would still present a problem though (the oil filter housing looks very pricy on google, £400-600! Don't know if a garage would be willing to use a used part if I bought that).
The filter cover WILL come off with a bit of abuse & pretty much anywhere except a main dealer should be willing to use a second hand part, they just won't cover it with their warranty on work.
They clearly aren't trying hard enough & definitely should be excluded from your own mental list of garages to use locally.
They clearly aren't trying hard enough & definitely should be excluded from your own mental list of garages to use locally.
An oil sump and gasket work cost less than £100 plus labour. A replacement filter housing cost around £30 plus labour.
Sound like a case of take it to someone else, who is not going to rip you off
Further as others have said the Oil is often syphoned out of the dip stick tube and therefore no requirement to remove the sump bolt.
Sound like a case of take it to someone else, who is not going to rip you off
Further as others have said the Oil is often syphoned out of the dip stick tube and therefore no requirement to remove the sump bolt.
ashenfie said:
An oil sump and gasket work cost less than £100 plus labour. A replacement filter housing cost around £30 plus labour.
Sound like a case of take it to someone else, who is not going to rip you off
Further as others have said the Oil is often syphoned out of the dip stick tube and therefore no requirement to remove the sump bolt.
Just one observation on this. There are "book" or theoretical times for jobs, then there is the actual time it takes. If the OP has owned the car for a long time or from new, and it has always been well maintained, I would expect the labour time (and cost) to be close to normal. If the car hasn't had any attention for a long time, or has been bodged in the past, I can understand the garage's attitude. You really need to see the car to be able to comment.Sound like a case of take it to someone else, who is not going to rip you off
Further as others have said the Oil is often syphoned out of the dip stick tube and therefore no requirement to remove the sump bolt.
I run a classic car workshop (specialising in classic Alfas) and I always try to explain what's involved and give a price based on the worst-case scenario. It's always easier (and more pleasant) to present the customer with a smaller invoice than to ask for more.
I would definitely take the car to a different garage for a second opinion.
Hello,
Thanks again for all the advice.....so....since I needed to go back to where I used to live to take care of some personal business, I took the opportunity to take it into the garage I have used for many years where I used to live. Oil service done no problems and no mention of any problems..... the other garage I took it to seems to have many positive comments in the local facebook group recommending it (which is why I picked it).
Thanks again for all the advice.....so....since I needed to go back to where I used to live to take care of some personal business, I took the opportunity to take it into the garage I have used for many years where I used to live. Oil service done no problems and no mention of any problems..... the other garage I took it to seems to have many positive comments in the local facebook group recommending it (which is why I picked it).
Edited by shefmarkh on Tuesday 22 February 11:57
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