Hot take: most people are way too scared of using a torque wrench on oil drain plugs

Had a customer at the quick lube last week yell at me for using a torque wrench on his Honda's drain plug, said I was being "extra" and slow. I just told him I'd rather spend the 10 extra seconds than have him come back with a stripped pan.

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_jones503d ago

Yeah @benflores is spot on with that Subaru story, those pans are notorious for stripping if you even look at them wrong. I swear people think torque wrenches are some kind of black magic tool instead of just a simple way to avoid a headache. It honestly kills me when someone argues about saving 30 seconds when the alternative could be a whole weekend wasted on a repair. A little extra care now keeps your wallet happy later, that's just basic logic.

benflores4d ago

My neighbor stripped his Subaru's pan using just his hand and a prayer. Ended up costing him $200 for a whole new pan and tow. Few seconds with a torque wrench would have saved all that.