I used to think those magnetic oil drain plugs were just a gimmick, but after pulling one from a customer's truck that had been in for 60,000 miles, the amount of fine metal shavings stuck to it changed my mind. | Auto Mechanics - Librear
I used to think those magnetic oil drain plugs were just a gimmick, but after pulling one from a customer's truck that had been in for 60,000 miles, the amount of fine metal shavings stuck to it changed my mind.
Has anyone else seen a real-world example where one of these actually caught something before it caused damage?
Honestly, @miac43 has a good point about finding the source of the metal. Tbh the real win with these plugs is for used car buyers. Ngl, if you're checking out a used ride, asking if it has one or even swapping in a cheap magnetic plug for the first oil change can tell you a ton about how beat up the engine really is inside. It's like a sneak peek at engine health you just can't get otherwise. That little bit of metal grit tells a story the seller might not. It saved my cousin from buying a truck that looked clean but was clearly eating itself alive.
Wow, that's a great story from @thea_carter. I read a forum post a while back about a guy with a high-mileage diesel. His magnetic plug caught a surprising amount of fine, gritty metal that normal draining would have missed. It made him check the oil cooler, which was the source and starting to fail.
My buddy's old Subaru started making a weird noise. We pulled the magnetic plug and it was COVERED in glitter. Turned out a bearing was starting to go. That little magnet gave him the heads up weeks before anything totally let go. He got it fixed for a few hundred instead of a whole new engine. They're cheap insurance for sure.