That master tech told me to stop using impact guns on oil drain plugs

Old school master tech named Frank at the Chevy dealer I worked at in Austin back in 2019 kept yelling at me for zipping off drain plugs with my impact. I thought he was just stuck in his ways until I cross threaded a Kia Sorento plug so bad I had to helicoil the pan. Cost the shop $380 and two hours of my Saturday to fix. Now I see exactly why he was right - those aluminum pans strip out way too easy with impacts. Has anyone else learned this lesson the hard way on a modern car?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.charles21d ago

Frank would've had a heart attack watching me use a breaker bar on a Honda oil filter housing last week.

dakota_rivera21d ago

Frank's been turning wrenches since before aluminum pans were even a thing, he knew what he was talking about. That Kia fix is exactly why I only hand start everything now, those pans are basically made of foil.