The OEM Automotive Tools 14-pc Drain Plug Socket Set, No. 25374, is a comprehensive set of male and female chrome vanadium drain plug sockets that comes on an aluminum socket rail for increased organization. Each socket has the size etched on it for easy identification. This set can be used to remove oil drain plugs, manual transmission, transfer case and differential housing drains. It is designed for both foreign and domestic vehicles, including: BMW, Ford, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault and more. The set includes sizes: (Hex) 9mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm and 17mm; (Square) 7mm, 8mm, 11mm, 13 mm, 5/16" and 3/8"; (Female Square) 10mm; (Male Triangle) 10mm; and (Tamper-Proof Triple Square) 16mm.
The review
Vehicles have a variety of drain plugs: from oil pan, to transmission, to transfer case and more. Not only do these different drain plugs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, they also tend to vary by vehicle manufacturer, meaning technicians who work on many different vehicles need even more sockets.
DeMary Truck’s Eric Moore of Columbus, Ohio, says the OEM Automotive Tools 14-pc Drain Plug Socket Set offers a solution to this problem. The set groups “90 percent of the sockets you could need for drain plugs on light duty vehicles,” he says, making it “an easy grab-and-go” solution.
The drain plug socket set comes packaged in a simple box, and all sockets are attached to a magnetic rail. Since sockets do not require special knowledge to use, no user manual is included.
“Choose the size and shape of socket needed and remove it from the rack,” Moore says. Attach the socket to a ratchet, and it’s ready to use.”
Technicians at DeMary Truck used the drain plug socket set for routine maintenance procedures.
“[We used this product while] draining engine oil on our fleet vehicles, Toyota Tundras and several models of auxiliary power plants on our equipment,” Moore says. “A few techs used them on their personal vehicles, from a Kia Forte to a BMW 3 Series.”
Moore says that while he and the other DeMary Truck technicians have used individual sockets previously, “having them all grouped in a set is much more cost effective compared to buying them piece-by-piece or taking them out of [other socket sets] to assemble a quick-draw setup like the OEM [Automotive Tools] product.”
The only suggestion Moore and the other DeMary technicians had would be to offer a drain plug socket set for medium and heavy duty technicians. Since DeMary Truck mostly works on larger vehicles, they were only able to use this set on their support trucks and personal vehicles.
That said, Moore describes the OEM Automotive Tools 14-pc Drain Plug Socket Set as a “solid offering covering a good range of sockets needed for the tech working on current models.”
