Texas Man Goes To Take 5. Then He Realizes What They Did To His Oil Pan: ‘They Said No We Won’t Cover The Invoice’

Many people swear by them, but the internet is filled with warnings about quick-lube shops.

There are undeniable upsides to quick-lube spots. They tend to be cheaper, many have locations across the country, and at the end of the day, what’s the worst that could really happen?

Unfortunately, the worst occasionally does happen—and it can be devastating to your car. People have alleged that they’ve taken their car to a quick-lube place, only to have it returned with no oil whatsoever or even a broken engine.

Now, a man is accusing Take 5 of damaging his car after he took it to two of their locations.

What’s Wrong With His Car?

In a video with over 41,000 views, Lubbock, Texas TikTok user Bryston Scott (@brystonscottgolf) says he recently took his car to Take 5 for an oil change. He had done the same thing for his previous oil change.

This time, however, he was told that there was something wrong with his oil pan. In short, the threads on the plug of his oil pan were stripped. However, this Take 5 came up with a solution — allegedly without asking Scott.

“I was just told, ‘Oh, we put a butterfly plug on. Next time you go to get your oil changed, you'll have to take it to the mechanic to get it threaded,’” he explains. “I didn't even get asked for this. They just said this is what they did.”

For context, a “butterfly plug,” also known as a universal winged oil-pan drain repair plug, is typically used when an oil pan’s threads have been damaged and a normal plug can no longer be screwed in. This is usually a temporary fix, and the oil pan must often be rethreaded or replaced after one has been installed.

Gallery: Audi owner drives his TT for over 83,000 miles with no oil change

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Who’s At Fault?

Scott claims that, as Take 5 were the ones who installed the original butterfly plug, and the only ones who had recently touched the car’s oil pan, they are on the hook for repair costs.

“I asked them, ‘If that’s the case, do I send you the invoice because you were the last guys who did it?’” he writes in the video’s caption. “They said ‘No, we won’t cover the invoice.’”

He then asked about a refund. Scott was allegedly told that it would take 30 days for him to get the $120 he spent on the oil change back.

“I spent $120 to get the oil changed so that way I wouldn’t have to do it,” he adds in the caption. “Now I’m having to do this [and] more.”

In a follow-up video, he says he was able to eventually get the butterfly plug out with some assistance from his father. After it came out, a small piece of metal came with it. Scott took this to mean that Take 5 had overtightened the original plug during the previous oil change.

“I don't think I'm gonna go back to Take 5,” his video concludes. “I'm gonna probably just either start doing it myself or take it to a dealership or Bolton's.”

Can You Strip Oil Pan Threads By Overtightening?

There are numerous ways one can strip the threads on their oil pan. One is, in fact, overtightening.

If a technician tightens the oil pan drain plugs beyond the vehicle manufacturer’s torque specification, they run the risk of stripping the threads. This is why many automakers, like BMW, instruct service workers not to overtighten oil pan drain plugs and to follow the correct tightening specification.

There are other ways the threads on an oil pan can get damaged. A technician may start screwing in the drain plug at an angle, causing it to become cross-threaded. Damage can also accumulate over time, especially over repeated oil changes or if a plug is worn, installed incorrectly, or repeatedly overtightened.

If this happens, there are a few possible solutions. In some cases, a mechanic may be able to restore the opening with new threads or a threaded insert. However, if too much material is missing, or if the pan is cracked, the entire oil pan may need to be replaced.

Universal winged plugs can temporarily solve the problem. These are typically used when the original threads can no longer hold a standard plug. While these work to keep oil in the car, they can be a nuisance, as Scott discovered.

“This Happened To Me”

In the comments section, users shared their thoughts on Scott’s situation, with many claiming they had experienced something similar.

“This happened to me last year, they refused to give me footage and denied any wrongdoing. But it was literally this exact issue,” wrote a user. “Make sure and leave a review.”

“My brother went to the one at University and they ended up not tightening the oil drain plug. Which then came out with him going 65mph... totaling his car almost instantly,” alleged another.

“The oil is the life of your car. Would you really trust a company that markets their entire business over a ‘5 minute operation’? Not the risk I’m willing to take personally,” added a third.

Reached via phone, an employee at the location Scott identifies directed Motor1 to contact its corporate office. We’ve reached out to Take 5 corporate via email and Scott via email and Instagram direct message.This post will be updated if either responds.

 

 

 

 

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