1.8t Oil Drain Plug

[samusmma]

The oil drain plug in my 2002 1.8t has fallen out now twice while driving down the highway. The first time resulted in the engine seizing up and it was a total loss. The engine was replaced by the dealer and was assessed at over $5000 in parts and labor. The second time the car was stopped immediately after the low pressure light came on and no damage was done to the engine. This resulted in $43.80 in labor and repair costs for a new drain plug, gasket and oil.

I'm curious if this has happened to anyone else, and especially anyone who drives a 1.8t. My own vehicle is stock, and the oil changes have either been performed by a dealership or authorized mechanic. In both scenarios, the vehicle was traveling on the freeway at an approximate speed of 70 MPH. I have tried to find other owners who have experienced anything similar but have had no luck. Please pass along any information you may have.

The dealership where the car was repaired last stated that the oil drain plug must be torqued to 22 ft. lbs. Anything over or under this may result in the plug falling out. If this were the case I would think that this problem would be happening to many other people. Any wisdom you can pass along is greatly appreciated!

[GTI20thAEinDE]

Haven't herd this one before. I know a lot of chain places will over torque the plug and strip it sometimes. They usually put a larger filler plug in if that happens. I don't really see how a bit of over torquing would cause it to fall out though. I'd check on the 1.8t forum on vwvortex.com to see if anyone else has experienced this.