Home

News

Trending

'I Can't Do It': Mechanic Says New Cars Will No Longer Have This. You’ll Have To Take It To The Dealership For Service. Unless…

"You don’t have to spend tremendous money at the stealership."

Mechanic says new cars will no longer have one of these. That means you’ll have to take it directly to the dealership for service.

Photo by: baydiagnostic & Kenny Eliason

Madeleine Wagner

By: Madeleine Wagner

Feb 13, at 8:00am ET

Add Motor1.com as a preferred source in Google

Comment

One Brooklyn, New York-based mechanic has seen the future, and yes, it is the planned obsolescence and patent-protected intellectual property maze that corporations dream of. But Bay Diagnostic (@baydiagnostic) has a solution. "Stealership" can’t keep me down.

A mechanic at Bay Diagnostic recently reported an "interesting" development in automotive maintenance. He explains that this has been in Europe for years, but is "on the horizon" for all new vehicles.

"They’re now producing cars that have no oil drain plug, to drain the oil, to do maintenance on your car," he says.

This development poses a problem for car owners who prefer to do their own oil changes or work with independent shops, rather than go to the dealership.

The mechanic continues, "So if you get to the shop and the mechanic says, ‘I can’t do it, only the dealer can do it.’ What are you going to do?"

"You’re gonna come to Bay Diagnostic," he answers. "Because we’ve had a vacuum system here for years."

He ends with a promise: "You don’t have to spend tremendous money at the stealership."

Where Else Can You Vacuum Oil Out?

Surprisingly, folks in the comments were pretty unfazed about this development. "Boats have used it for years," wrote Will Plumstead.

Robert Sokol708 countered, "It can't suck out the dirtiest oil on the bottom of the oil pan." (But reason suggests that if you’ve got super dirty oil, it might be time for a professional anyway.)

At least one driver even loves it. Maddog wrote, "I have a Lincoln model. It's the best thing for bleeding brakes."

Why Make Vehicles Without Oil Plugs?

Theories abound as to why car companies are making the shift. Everything from moving away from do-it-yourself repairs to raising costs, as one user on Car Talk pointed out. "It saves 50 cents per car and it eliminates one more failure point in the system," they said.

Another person on that forum noted that professionals have tools and gear specifically designed to tackle this problem with minimal mess and fuss.

However, the "leave it to the professionals" attitude does overlook one important fact: many people enjoy working on their own vehicles.

Lighter, Faster, More Efficient

Most new vehicles on the market today (and since the mid-2000s) have plastic oil pans. They’re single-use, which allows carmakers to tout "lower production costs, weight savings, and lower emissions," reports Jalopnik.

Furthermore, plastic pans must be single-use for liability reasons (plastic can warp and melt at high temperatures), and the plastic plug site can be damaged by an overzealous twist. But those plastic pans still have drain plugs, allowing for a traditional oil change.

Plug-less vehicles exist and, per Bay Diagnostics, are the way of the future.

How To DIY ’Til We Die

If you’re used to changing your own oil or cannot stomach the idea of taking it to a mechanic, there is another way.

YouTuber 509 Reviews posted a video showing how to change the oil in a vehicle with no plug (he’s working on an Audi). The key tool: an oil extractor pump. The version he used is currently available for under $50 on Amazon, and works with a hand pump.

By accessing the oil pan by either the dipstick or plug, the user can pump the handle to get the oil flowing. The process takes about five to 10 minutes to drain the oil.

The cost to get an Audi’s oil changed at the dealership is about $300 dollars. 509 Reviews says his total was closer to $50.

What do you think?

View

Comments

Worth noting: in the video, he uses a small space heater to warm up the vehicle: that’s to help the oil get less viscous and move more easily through the tubing.

Motor1 reached out to Bay Diagnostic via the contact form on their website, and TikTok direct message. We will update this if he replies.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motor1.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The Motor1.com Team

Share this Story

GO TO COMMENTS

(

)

Got a tip for us? Email: tips@motor1.com

View all comments ( )

Popular

The Rotary Engine Should Be Everywhere. Why Isn't It?

The 2027 BMW X5 Is Hugely Improved Where It Matters Most: Driven

Honda's Mitsubishi-Based Truck Is Official, Coming In 2028

The BMW iX5 Makes A Strong Case Against The Gas X5: Driven

Volkswagen Wanted An Electric Bugatti Tourbillon, But Mate Rimac Pushed For A V16 Engine