Oil Pan Leak

[pingping]

Hi all,

Took my 100k (milage) E92 M3 to the shop today and they said my oil pan is leaking because the drain plug bolt is threaded, though I've never seen a drop of oil on my driveway nor does my oil sensor ever say that I'm low on oil. They want me to replace it, but an oil pan costs $1500 + $700 labor. I have heard that oil pan leaks are not uncommon with our cars, but I don't think it's worth it. I can live with the leak for now, but I'm not sure if the leak will get any worse over time.

I called M3parts Worldwide looking for an oil pan, but they didn't have any in stock. However, they did say to re-thread the bolt to a larger size. For example, instead of a size 16, re-drill and thread the bolt to one size larger and turn it to a size 17.

What do you guys suggest?

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by pingping

Hi all,

Took my 100k (milage) E92 M3 to the shop today and they said my oil pan is leaking because the drain plug bolt is threaded, though I've never seen a drop of oil on my driveway nor does my oil sensor ever say that I'm low on oil. They want me to replace it, but an oil pan costs $1500 + $700 labor. I have heard that oil pan leaks are not uncommon with our cars, but I don't think it's worth it. I can live with the leak for now, but I'm not sure if the leak will get any worse over time.

I called M3parts Worldwide looking for an oil pan, but they didn't have any in stock. However, they did say to re-thread the bolt to a larger size. For example, instead of a size 16, re-drill and thread the bolt to one size larger and turn it to a size 17.

What do you guys suggest?

Have a time-cert installed by a shop that knows what they are doing if the threads are damaged on your oil pan. You can have that done without removing the oil pan. Time-certs are an excellent solution and is superior to using a larger drain plug.

Cheers,