Hi Just after some advice, i have purchased a 2016 xdiavel a few week ago with full dealer service history. Last service was in 2023 and bike has only done 600 miles since. I took it in to my local ducati dealer to have the belts done and get the bike serviced. I have been told the sump thread has been damaged when opening as it was overtightened by the last service which was another ducati garage. They have explored option which increasing the thread size and using a sump kit which hasnt worked, and now are looking to see if the aluminium sump can be repaired by anyone. Just wondering if anyone has had anything similar and where would i stand with any additional costs etc as i made the point of its always been serviced by ducati so i would expect they sort it and cover it?
There may be something useful in this thread: https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/threaded-sump-plug.102881/
Problem is these sump walls are really thin so difficult to get a new thread into them. it is a bit thicker where the plug fits but if that area is damaged then you have a problem. At worst you might need an attempt to have an insert welding in. Good luck
Im just glad i didnt attempt to service it myself so the bike is still with Ducati. Hoping they can sort something out with minimal cost but lets see. Atleast i still have the demo bike, a streetfighter V2S which is fun to ride aswel. Think they will be wanting that back tomorrow
So the dealer is struggling as the kit they used to get a new thread did not work as there was still and oil leave when the engine warmed up and they advise there is very little aluminium left on the edge, so now they are looking at someone to weld the hole and then create a new hole or even repair the current, however struggling to find someone who will work on the bike with the the sump in. Thye have found soneone who said he needs to see the bike to see if he can do it so they will be taking my bike over this week. Its becoming a big headache and ive been told i would have to cover the weld cost but to keep the cost down they will try to find someone who can do the weld without removing the sump. Not sure where i stand on this if i should be paying anything, a small cost i dont mind but depends what the cost will be.
Unfortunately the blame for overtightening/stripping the drain-plug thread is with the 'other' Ducati dealer. I expect they'll deny any responsibility ("...obviously someone else did it mate...") but as you have evidence that they did the last oil change it must be worth a phone call...
You probably won't want to hear this as it's painful, but should you start down the path of replacing the casing, they come in a set of three and it's not possible (or so I'm told) to buy one of three casings to replace the broken sump. They must be bought as a package, which as you can imagine, is far from cheap. I'm in the same boat with a MTS 1260 which is currently at an independant garage following a fuck up by Ducati when trying to repair my sump. I've given the indie the green light to carry out what ever work is needed and replace what he sees fit as I'm fortunately able to cover the cost, as eye watering as it may be. The lesson I've learnt, never trust an official Ducati workshop and to quality check any purchased torque wrenches.
Are Ducati going to cover the cost as it was their fuck up, although its the indie that will get you out of this. My last service was in 2023 600 miles ago from ducati and this service by ducati. So i can't see why i should be paying especially if the cost comes out huge. If i knew they wernt capable then i could just service it myself as i have done to previous bikes without any issues, its just that it had full dealer history and i wanted to keep it that way.
It's tricky as I can't confirm Ducati caused the sump threading issue. I noticed I couldn't get it to torque when I did a standard oil service following a weekend trip. I initially blamed it on a torque wrench that had an issue with a much smaller bolt a few weeks prior, and when I went to calibrate the wrench, it was out by <2%... Soooo, in my mind, Ducati were the only ones that touched the sump before I did. With that, I didn't want to go down the road of finger pointing as it'll never get anywhere and I just wanted to ride. My main gripe happened when I asked for the bike to be fixed and it was given back as 'fixed', only for the sump to piss oil all over the rear of my bike on the ride home. Fuck knows how I didn't have an accident. Just to be clear, this was the final to many smaller issues that kept occuring with each return to Ducati. That is why I'll never step foot in another Ducati garage and why I simply gave up and went to an independant. If I were you, I'd move on and accept Ducati won't do anything without taking your money and they may solve one problem, but they will create a new one in the process. At least that's how it was for me. Last note on the subject - My concern with situations like this and Ducati is they are so packed in bookings, every job they attempted for me was incredibly rushed which is where the issues would occur. I can't imagine it being different over there, so that's where I'd be careful. They will say they can squeeze you in, push you to an open slot etc, but in doing so it'll always be a quick job and anything out of the scoped hours they've set aside for the job will be skipped and you'll be asked to come back in again or leave the bike with them. Do. Not. Use. Dealerships.
This is fixable and doesn't need the sump removed, just the bike laid on it's side. Get a decent ENGINEER on it rather than a Bike Mechanic. An old fashioned Engineering workshop will no doubt: Clean the existing hole with solvent to remove any Oil residue. Machine up an Aluminium Top hat that screws into whatever is left of the original thread using a Threadlock they are better placed to recommend. TIG Weld it in place to the sump around the outer edge of the top hat Brim. The Top hat bore will already be drilled roughly to size, but after welding it can be drilled and tapped to take a smaller than original sump plug. If it was my bike I'd be doing all of the above myself, but I wouldn't be risking my TIG welding on somebody else's crankcase.
I initially wanted to DIY the fix, but I simply didn't feel confident enough in my own abilities on such a critical part. If it was the sump on my old Terrano SE+ II, then yea, I'd have no issues giving it a go
I had s similar issue with the coolant drain plug on my MS1260s there was a slight trace of blue coolant leaking from it (It had a FSH from main dealers), so I removed the plug annealed the washer and when I went to put it back in I discovered that the thread had been graunched. There was absolutely no chance of proving that dealer had damaged it so I covered it in sealant and managed to tighten it into place. Fortunately I have a spare cover if it causes a problem in the future.
Thanks for the advice, the dealer will find someone to do the repair and i want to keep it via the dealer as they can manage the arrangements and they will be keeping me in the loop of any additional costs etc before any work, so il see how it goes. Il post an update soon but gutted not getting to spend time on the bike ive always wanted
Just being a little bit pedantic here, it’s not actually Ducati who are working on, or have messed up, your bikes but a franchised dealer. Every dealer is different, some good, some average and some to be avoided. Even then it’s down to individual technicians within a dealership and where someone does make a mistake and bugger something up (and it happens from time to time to all of us) it’s how that dealership stands over their employees work. There’s absolutely no way Ducati as the manufacturer and brand owner can be responsible for the actions of an individual within a dealership. Jeez, anyone would think I work for them , I don’t.
Sounds like a real headache mate — but at least you caught it while the bike is still with Ducati and not on your driveway. I’d definitely keep pushing the dealer on this, since you’ve got full Ducati history and they were the last ones to touch it. Even if they try to deny responsibility, you’ve got a fair case that this shouldn’t be on your wallet. Worst case, I’d push for them to at least cover part of the repair. Keep us posted how you get on — fingers crossed it’s sorted quickly so you can finally enjoy the XDiavel properly
Update is the garage took the bike to a welder who said they would not risk welding with the sump on the bike, and the same advice from a different welder as the sump will get really hot and there are many rubber seals etc around, so looks like its all got to come out. This i have been told is atleast a 2 day job so im looking at 1800 for labour of removal of the sump + service and belt costof 700 + weld cost. So looking at a 3k figure give or take. I have challenged it as it is a massive unexpected cost so they will see if they can do more for me. I have asked about if they are insured for these type of issues but am told they have business insurance but dont believe it covers workshop mishaps.
From the parts diagram it looks like a full engine strip. Not be cheaper to buy a second hand engine if one is available?
