Response from ECS re: Sheared Oil Pan Drain Plug
Hey guys, I just got a response from Chris over at ECS about this. It definitely is a nice gesture for them to offer a new plug or store credit. Has anyone tried running one of their new plugs?
Chris
3:35 PM (51 minutes ago)
Thanks for writing. We actually have re-designed plugs that we could send you one of. If you do not wish to run another I would be glad to issue a store credit. Please let me know. Thanks!
On 4/15/2014 3:47 PM, Quik wrote:
Hi,
I've been a longtime customer of ECS Tuning and your website is always one of the first ones I browse when price checking for different parts or maintenance items I need.
I bought the ECS Magnetic Oil Drain Plug ( http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330...Plug/ES251839/ ) about a year ago. The plug worked great at capturing miniscule metallic components in the oil system. I was pleased to see that it was working well.
This past weekend I was performing the third oil-change with that drain plug on my car. After draining the oil, I was putting the plug back in the oil pan. I started to torque the plug at 18 lb/ft and the head sheared off.
I understand the hollow design is used to prevent the threads in the oil pan itself from stripping, which is a very good thing. But, I was disappointed that I was using the torque value specified in the Bentley manual and the plug still failed.
If I'm honest, I was quite concerned, but then was able to get the remaining part of the magnetic plug out by using a screwdriver. I had to make a trip to the local BMW dealer which was 80 miles round trip. So, not a catastrophe, but a definite inconvenience.
I looked online and this seems to be somewhat of a frequent problem with this specific product:
https://www.google.com/search?q=ecs+...x-a&channel=sb
I was just writing to inquire if any research and development is being employed to improve the design and/or construction of this product.
I want you to know that you haven't lost a customer. I plan on continuing to be a patron of your business. However, I won't be buying another one of your magnetic plugs in the near future.
Thank you for your time,
quik