Transmission oil pan and dodgy servicing

[XRated]

Long and boring rant....

After having my car nearly in tip top shape, it decided to **** out all my fresh red transmission fluid. It obviously went all along my exhaust causing smoke and looking a lot worse than what it was (my mate's and g/f have lost a lot of respect for the ol' bomb now LOL).

I got it towed home from my mate's place (it conveniently got us to Phillip Island, and back to his house before we noticed). I chucked it on stands and got under the car only to find a big hole in the front right corner of the oil pan. WTF?!

I didn't know whether it was factory to have a drain plug/grommet, but it didn't look like it. So I went to Pick-a-Part to grab a pan, and it turned out that basically all the four-speeds I looked at had this grommet Although, sometimes in different positions. After losing a plug/grommet and not finding another in good nick I gave up and visited a Falcon wreckers who just looked at me like I was an idiot! "In the transmission pan?" Grrrrrrr...

I visited Ford who also looked at me like I was on drugs... And then I went to a transmission place where I received the same treatment! "There is a rubber grommet, I tell ya! I'm not an idiot!!" Anyways, turned out they had a couple of spare pans and sold one for 10 bucks - without a hole :P (One POPULAR wreckers around here wanted 40 effen dollars!!!!)

So what I've concluded is, some trans places will just whack a big hole to drain the fluid out, bung it up with some dodgy plug (that breaks or comes out over time like MINE did) and then fill it back up. It's disgusting!

Just be warned, because I know it's more common than people think.

Rant over anyway!

PS: My original 'box didn't have the rubber grommet, the one that replaced it obviously did.