FL2 in for 8th annual service, just got a call from service guy at my usually sound LR dealer. Seems the oil drain plug has stripped the thread on the sump. They say only remedy is a new sump and plug @ around £300 fitted! Seems a lot for a problem with a bolt!!

Any useful advice out there pls?! Life is not a dress rehearsal!

Worth asking for a goodwill gesture, if the dealer has been the same one for all your services then the sump plug has only been used 7 times previously.
I think my dealer uses the suction method through the dipstick but I may be wrong.
It happened on my daughters Clio a few years back, it was a used car and must have happened before as the plug had been silicones in

Also, it should be possible to put a helicoil in, a lot less expensive than a new sump, at their expense.

So, go for a goodwill, they broke it

Ok Tax thx. Does it mean they over -tightened the bolt previously, or is it just one of those things, sort of a random failure? Life is not a dress rehearsal!

They could have cross threaded it last time they put it back, and if they are the only ones ever doing the servicing they must have stripped it so its their fault they should fix it I reckon?
You can get stripped threads Helicoiled back to the original size, theres no need to go replacing the whole sump, unless theres more to it and they have messed up the sump too and chewed all the plug socket up??

This is a picture of a sump with a heli coil repair, rarely a need for a new sump, unless they have sheared it off, is the sump steel plate on the Freely? if the threads are stripped then its one of two scenarios, they cross threaded last time and messed it up, or they cross threaded it this time and messed it up.
If a mechanic jumped into your car with oily overalls and left oil all over the seat would that be acceptable? the principle is the same, it is their fault in my book.
A quiet word with the dealer principle is in order if the service manager won't budge, failing that ask Ryan on here for his opinion.
I hope you get it sorted satisfactorily, if my engineers cock up then we sort it out.

Click image to enlarge

If it's been properly serviced the sump plug should have been replaced with new every time no ?

Don’t believe the thread has stripped after seven times ‘normal’ use. I thought the FL 2 sump was mild steel (unlike the Aluminium FL1 TD4) so it should stand an enthusiastic mechanic, but seven ‘on-off’ cycles, no way. If it had been cross- threaded a skilled mechanic will be able to tell in seconds.
I agree with Taz, a word with the Dealer Principal is needed if the service manager won’t budge (and I bet he won’t ). £300
Best of luck. Gone:
2002 FL1 TD4 GS Zambezi Silver
2007 FL2 TD4 GS Izmir Blue

Taz - check out Wurth Time-Sert. 100 times better than heli coils! 2014 SE Loire Blue SD4 Auto (MY15)
Gone - 2011 GS Baltic Blue, Retrofit Electric Leather, Side Steps, 19"SC's, Roof Rails, TT Sat Nav Mod, Retrofit Premium Audio, Retro fit 2013 Xenons with DRL & Sig Strip (Clutch at 47k)
Gone - 2007 GS Narvik Black, Privacy Glass, 19" SC's, Side Steps,Roof Rails, Roof Spoiler, Lamp Guards, Retrofit Electric Leather (Clutch at 115k)
Gone - 2007 SE Santorini Black (Clutch at 120k)
BT IID (best money ever spent on a car)

Hmm, interesting

The video leaves a lot to be desired though

Thx for the comments and interesting alternative repairs.

You're right, I did press service agent & service manager about my concerns; their best offer was a 20% discount on parts & labour. Just need to decide whether to escalate to dealer principal as a final resort as suggested. Life is not a dress rehearsal!

Hi Nick, in my opinion you shouldn't be paying for this as I think you would need to be pretty careless to cause the damage that you have. Having changed the oil on my own vehicles I have never had any issues, my guess would be that they used an air gun without starting the thread by hand first which has caused the stripped thread. That would be careless in my book. It was fine when it went in, it was in their care, they have caused the damage, the damage was difficult to do if you were taking care......so what is their argument?

SYFL2 wrote:

If it's been properly serviced the sump plug should have been replaced with new every time no ?

Yes they change only the Draing plug washer LR006295. My free has 3 years 29 000 miles and serviced 7 times

Thx for all your replies & info. Based on that I have just emailed service manager & dealer principal with my concerns and requested they reconsider their position.

Let's see how they respond. Life is not a dress rehearsal!

The service manager fully investigated my concerns, including checking their videos of the workshop. His conclusion was that the thread was definitely not cross-threaded, nor was there any evidence of malpractice by the mechanic.

He also acknowledged that I have been a loyal customer for nearly 20 yrs, and agreed to fully refund the repair cost as an act of goodwill. Sounds fair to me; well worth querying, so thanks for the nudge guys!  Life is not a dress rehearsal!