Oil pan drain plug crush washer

Getting ready to change the oil in my new car (as in 2023) for the first time.   Manufacturer and dealership both recommend against me doing it myself and having the dealership do it instead to avoid any potential warranty issues.  I have been through this before with other cars but I prefer to do it myself and make sure it is done right.  So I purchased an OEM filter and crush ring from the dealership. Every time I do this I always wonder if the washer is anything special as it cost me $2.75 and it looks like a 10 cent washer I could pick up at Home Depot. Either way I will still purchase from the dealership as I keep meticulous service records and I want everything to be documented. I know this all sounds OCD but I had a previous car under warranty that I did oil changes on that developed a misfire ( turned out to be a cracked spark plug) but the service department refused to service (warranty work)  it until I produced all maintenance records.

Shortened question. Crush ring: special or dealer gouging.  Just wondering.

Special or not its irrelevant. $2.75 is still quite cheap in the grand scheme. 

Buy the dealer washer and dont overthink this. 

That's my opinion. 

I flip them. They do tend to bend when tightened. When they looked like garbage I do replace them.

As to the scare tactics, they are just trying to drum up business. The spark plug could have been sticky because some plugs are to be changed every 30k still, even in the 2020's.

Edit: I've done 2 oil changes on the ex wife's explorer st... it seems as tho ford designed it to discourage at home OC's with the air shield with 3 different fasteners holding it on. Ain't no way I'm taking it to them either, $45 vs $100 with not much added value.

I buy Honda filters and washers in bulk on eBay or from Honda online dealers.

I think if you can provide receipts for the filters and oil legally they can't deny warranty issues if it's not related?  

Jack Rods

I get my oil changed at the dealer in warranty.  It seems I can always find a coupon/deal by checking dealers online and/or being on their mailing list.  No warranty hassles that way.  In theory the dealers should honor your warranty with documentation, but I've found that if you have a regular service record with them they're more agreeable.

My current cars are older and out of warranty and get Kirkland full synthetic (made by Warren) and brand name filters and new crush washers from rock.

If you plan on keeping the car for a while, crush washers are cheap on eBay, Amazon etc. But a 10 or 20 pack for cheap. Make sure the ID is good and the OD isn't too large 

I occasionally replace them but I don't think I've ever had a used one leak on me. I flip them each change but that's it. Al, Cu, doesn't matter. 
 

The Bonneville (Triumph) leaks but it did before I got to it. And hey if it's just the crush washer leaking on a British bike I'm okay with it. As soon as I fix that something more expensive will leak instead. 

I've always done our own standard maintenance, even when our vehicles are under warranty.  My wife's Touareg, 1st oil change, I reused the oil drain plug crush washer.  Dumped oil all over my driveway.  2nd oil change, replaced it but didn't torque it down to spec.  Dumped oil all over my driveway.  I buy new plugs and crush washers every time now, and torque to factory spec.

Yeah, but from leaving home to return, how long are you spending to have a dealer change your oil?  I stopped because it usually took over an hour at the dealership (with appointment) and I spent more than a half hour driving.  

jwagner (Forum Supporter) said:

I get my oil changed at the dealer in warranty.  It seems I can always find a coupon/deal by checking dealers online and/or being on their mailing list.  No warranty hassles that way.  In theory the dealers should honor your warranty with documentation, but I've found that if you have a regular service record with them they're more agreeable.

 

Ya, I am mostly OK with that and it is covered under warranty but I can't get in for 2 months for an oil change and I am leaving on a road trip soon.

How much is it worth to drain fresh oil and put in a new washer if/when it leaks on the driveway/garage?  BTDT

porschenut said:

How much is it worth to drain fresh oil and put in a new washer if/when it leaks on the driveway/garage?  BTDT

Stick your shop vac in the oil fill and you can pull and replace the plug without draining the engine. 

I buy crush washers from Amazon in packs of 10. I refuse to pay the dealer's prices for anything. 

Datsun310Guy said:

I buy Honda filters and washers in bulk on eBay or from Honda online dealers.

I think if you can provide receipts for the filters and oil legally they can't deny warranty issues if it's not related?  

Jack Rods

I do the same with Hyundai/Kia Filters and washers. When you have multiple and they all use the same thing it's cost efficient to buy 10 packs at a time.

In reply to porschenut :

If you're fast with your thumb, you can keep the oil in with one hand while you put the new washer on with the other and only lose a tablespoon or so of oil.  But your point is taken!

The manufacturer would probably tell you that their part is made to exacting specifications to compress a very specific amount under a particular amount of pressure which is applied when the drain plug is tightened to the torque-spec that they publish.  A cheap washer found elsewhere may not compress enough or may compress too much, so what you're paying for is that you get the exact amount of crush which they intended when they designed the whole car.  For a part like that, it's probably mostly hogwash - I suspect that for taking up the imperfections in the mating surfaces, a copper washer is a copper washer.

While looking for information on a timing belt the other day, I came across a wholly unrelated thread on a Ferrari forum wherein the posters were having a discussion about the difference between a Dayco timing belt and the Dayco timing belt that was sold by Ferrari with the Ferrari logo on it.  One of the contributors to the thread claimed to work on Ferraris professionally - I don't know if it was a dealer or an independent - and his position was that the warranty on the Ferrari part was the reason to buy it.  According to this guy, while Dayco put the standard warranty on the belt - if it's defective we'll replace it, but you're on your own for anything else - the Ferrari warranty was that if the belt failed prematurely, Ferrari would pay for damage to the engine caused by the belt failure.  And - also according to this random Internet person - that applied to individuals who did the work at home.

Granted, I have no verification of that information and I'm sure even if that's true you aren't going to get that kind of parts warranty from any other manufacturer.  But if that were the case, that's a really good reason to buy the dealer part.

For my Hyundai, which I bought new and want the 100,000-mile pwertrain warranty to be in full effect, I buy OEM oil filters online, ten at a time, and they come with the OEM crush washers.  My price, including crush washer and free shipping, is about $4.50 per filter.  The price is excellent and if the dealer ever looks there is an OEM filter on it.

In reply to Toyman! :

I buy amazon also, but change the gasket and filter every time, every 5K miles.

They are $2 bucks each from the Porsche dealer.

$0.29 from FCP and the same size fits my Volvo, so I bought a 10 year supply for the cost of a Starbucks.

Thanks for all the advice everybody. Some good stuff in these responses and I appreciate it.