Last year i took my Fatboy Lo into a dealership for the 1000 mile service. A few months later i did an oil change, when I unscrewed the oil drain plug it had Teflon tape on it and the o ring fell off the plug. I have the service manual and it talks about using new o rings ever time you do an oil change.

Am i right to bad mouth the dealer? Or is that a trick of the trade that mechanics use?

 

I did my first change and noticed that there was a thread sealant/tape on from the factory.

The o-ring was in good shape but i changed it anyway. i figure that at the price of the o-ring was nothing if it kept me from having to take the plug out again to replace it because i should have from the begining.

I don't feel at this point that you have a real gripe with the dealer. i sort of like the thread tape as an insurance policy.

Craig

 

tape not required but sometimes used by some when the hole has been stripped..The white paste stuff is used by some just as an "extra" but not required.

 

You should always have the o-rings handy when doing a fluid change. These are often one-use-only parts. As others have said, the Teflon tape is unnecessary, but can be extra (albeit un-needed) insurance.

 

There's a good chance that the o-ring was ripped while you removed the plug, check the threading where the drain plug sits.

I always replace mine with every oil change. I also put a dab of pipe joint compound on the threads, its available at any building supply outlet.

It's added insurance in case the o-ring gives out and the stuff works up to temps as high as 500 degrees.

 

New O ring every time on all three plugs and I use pipe teflon tape just because it may help one of them from ever backing out.

don't over tighten those plugs either. U can flatten and distort the O ring.