Sump Plug

[silentbrown]

My A4 is back from a main dealer service, and the parts list includes the princely sum of £1.02 for a Sump Plug.

I thought they sucked the oil out from the top these days, so why go anywhere near the sump plug?

[silentbrown]

KungFuPanda said:

Sucking the oil out of the top doesn't clean out 100% off the crud which gets left at the bottom of the sump pan. Also, if you don't move the sump plug at least annually, there's a risk of it fusing to the threads of the sumo which makes it impossible to remove without stripping the threads thereby requiring a new sump to be fitted.

Also, it's only a quid.

All true, apart from the plug "fusing to the threads of the sump", which I've never heard of. I reckon sump plugs are one of the least likely bolts to get badly corroded.

But despite all this, I still believe they DO suck the oil out of the top, and it doesn't make sense to go through the hassle of putting the car on a ramp and probably removing the undertray just to replace a plug that's never going to get used.

As for the cost, it's a fixed price service anyway

[silentbrown]

bigvanfan said:

The car would be up on the ramp with the under tray off anyway to get to the oil filter, also it sounds like a sump plug washer anyway at £1

Not on my car. (A4 B8)