Hi Scotty, thanks for your videos. I have a '09 Toyota Camry 4-Cylinder automatic with 158,000 miles. How do I check to see if my oil pan needs to be replaced? I got my oil changed today and my mechanic said I will need to replace it soon. My car isn't currently leaking any oil but he said it's getting close to the point where it will start leaking and that I should probably replace it during my next oil change, and gave me a quote for $582 in parts and labor.
Oil pans don't wear out. You only replace them if they get damaged. If he was referring to the gasket, you only replace that if it is leaking or if you drop the pan to replace the filter.
Excuse me, pump, not filter. Long day.
"getting close to the point where it will start leaking" 😆 What a load of crap.
Leave your pan alone and change mechanics.
Well said. I think it it much closer to a point which he needs to change his mechanic than the oil pan.
You only replace if it’s (oil pan gasket) leaking, and even then if it’s leaking badly. A small seapage I would not worry about. As always with a leak, just keep an eye on it (you can lift the vehicle and look for yourself to “trust but verify” your mechanic).
Also, when/if the time comes, and you are mechanically inclined and comfortable you can do yourself:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eJY_4zhhNPA
Thank you for your response as well as posting this video, DayWalker. I'll certainly give this a watch, remain on the lookout for leaks.
As an example, the oil pan gasket has been leaking on my truck for the past 30,000+ miles but has not gotten any worse, and I change oil every 5,000 miles. For my truck it’s complicated to replace the oil pan gasket (since front locking differential and skid plates are in the way), so it’s just been easier for me to just keep an eye on it and check my oil level (with dipstick).
This mechanic is trying to put you through the grease and line his pockets. Run in the other direction.
Thank you everyone for all the responses. I should have mentioned this from the start, but while there are still no leaks, my Camry has been burning oil for the past year and a half or so. To that end, I have just been checking my oil levels and refilling as necessary as it is simple and cheap to do, and have not bothered trying to look into initiating an expensive repair. I am also aware (Scotty has also mentioned this in his videos) of the known excessive oil consumption problems that affect 2008-2010 model year Camrys.
I just wanted to mention this as well in case there could possibly be any connection between the oil burning and the mechanic's claim of a "bad" oil pan, or if as previously advised, I should continue to be wary of his claims. Thank you all again for your help and advice.
No connection.
Got it. Thanks.
Thanks for the response, oldandy. He specifically referred only to the oil pan itself when speaking with me. The quote he gave me has 2 items: "Labor Remove and Replace Oil Pan" for $357, and "TOP27A Engine Oil Pan Bolt" for $188.76. And as I noted in my original post (and as the mechanic himself even said), my car is not leaking any oil at the moment.
Did he say anything about the drain bolt hole threads being stripped?
He was very top-level in his description to me, really only saying things like along the lines of "it's starting to get bad", etc. etc., and telling me to keep my eye out for if oil starts leaking.
An amendment, did some quick google searching and found that you are referring to the oil pan gasket. (As a newbie asking questions on this forum, I had previously only been aware of head gaskets.) In that case, the mechanic could have been referring to this, but never used the word "gasket", only referring to the oil pan in its entirety, I presume.