Oil pan drain plug 2009 Lexus ES350

I would have to look at it to see if there is enough metal to drill and tap out to the next bigger size.

What would a mechanic charge for this fix? No way in hell I could do it on my own.

Ok good to know. Yes I have always had oil changes done at the same place. I'm honestly not confident in my abilities so I'll probably have a mechanic do it. If I have a Lexus mechanic change out the pan, won't it still cost $600+?

The kits where you tap out to a bigger size hole are OK but don't buy the tapered bolt type of repair kit, those are asking for trouble.

The point is that if the Lexus mechanic stripped it out they are responsible. I have change oil thousands of times on my cars that have had a hundred or more oil changes each and never have I stripped a drain hole. Someone was in a hurry and over tightened it or cross threaded the drain plug. If they have to pay for the repair they almost certainly will tap it out for a new drain plug.

I called them and they said the best they can do is cut the price in half to $295. He's really trying to deflect the blame, as well. Telling me that it could have been already a little bit worn down and then over the past year and a half of him doing oil changes it just pushed it over the edge.

Indeed! You guys are amazing. I did find a Toyota mechanic that will do the oversized drain plug fix for me for 120 bucks though. And a friend of mine who owns a Lexus collision repair shop said that he would do the drain plug fix, over an oil pan replacement. He said that whenever you replace the oil pan it always leads to future problems, once you start messing with the engine like that, taking things apart. Which fix would you guys choose?

I would re tap the hole to the next size up. Then I would find a different mechanic.

Awesome, thank you! And I will be having a new mechanic do that. I'm done with the other guys. I appreciate your help!!

Okay, thanks for that insight. Yeah, it's actually 11 years old, and the friend of mine who has the Lexus collision repair shop said that whenever you start to move the engine around you're just asking for problems down the road... That's the reason why he prefers the oversized drain plug option. In your opinion, what is the downside of doing the oversized drain plug? What are the reasons that you prefer to replace the whole oil pan?