I finally fell for the hype on those $80 magnetic oil drain plugs

Swore they'd save me time on my F-150 but just spent 2 hours fishing metal shavings out of my pan after it collected nothing but a bunch of junk, has anyone else had these things do more harm than good?

3 comments

3 Comments

sammartinez2d ago

Yeah I was one of those guys who thought they were genius until I saw what they actually do. Watched a buddys truck start ticking after he put one in and when we pulled it the magnet was packed with crap that shoulda been floating around or caught by the filter. Cheap magnets just turn your pan into a pile of sludge that eventually breaks loose and goes right through your bearings. I almost bought one for my old Tundra last year but after seeing that mess I just change my oil more often and save the cash. Those things are a gimmick for people who think a magnet will fix lazy maintenance.

phoenix_singh251d ago

Wait... you actually saw one pack full of sludge like that? That's wild, I figured they'd just catch a dusting of metal shavings not turn into a ticking time bomb.

paige1662d ago

Magnetic drain plugs work fine if you keep up with cleaning them off every oil change, but the issue is most people don't. The magnet on mine collects a thin layer of fine metallic dust which is normal for any engine, not big chunks like some folks expect. If you let that crud pile up for multiple changes it can wash off in one big glob which is where the problems start. They're not magic, they're just a better way to catch the tiny stuff that already floats around in your oil anyway.