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Review on Dorman 65423 Engine Oil Drain Plug: Ideal Replacement for Buick, Cadillac, and Chevrolet Models by Jim Bethea

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Screw head too small and soft to remove without removing

I usually have good success with Dorman products. But this particular Dorman design appears to mimic GM's OEM design, which is unfortunate. This is my second Dorman drain pan bolt for a 2015 Chevy Trax. The original GM bolt and the first Dorman bolt rounded off the heads when removed. The bolt head is undersized in my opinion - much smaller than the drain pan bolts on most other cars. And the material of the bolt is very soft. Therefore, even after tightening to factory torque, the head will be rounded when it comes time to remove that bolt. I suspect GM wanted to make sure the bolt wasn't overtightened during installation. The problem is that the head of the screw is so small (10mm) and made of such a soft material that the head can round off when removed. It seems clear that Dorman is reproducing a factory bolt that was poorly designed. The only way out is to buy a non-original screw with the same thread pitch and length, but with a larger head. I've changed the oil many times and never had a rounded drain pan bolt head until I came across a Chevy Trax style drain bolt.

Pros
  • Impressive
Cons
  • boring packaging