I was told by the dealer that my manual trans. 98 328i, w/63k miles, has a slow leak in the diff. seal, and it would cost $420 to replace. It's not dripping on the garage floor, or making any noise - seems to function perfect. Has this happened to anyone? I'm thinking I should just drain and replace fluid to make sure it's full, and keep an eye on it. I beleive it has lifetime BMW fluid, so I guess that's what I should use. What would you do?
Slow differential fluid leak
- Thread starter Gibby
- Start date
This is a "pay me now or pay me later" situation. The seal will probably get worse over time. If you plan to keep the car for the forseeabl;e future you should get the seal repalced. With colder weather coming you may find the seal gets worse in the cold. The $420 will certainly be less than replacing a burned out differential.
Well... I would take it to a mechanic - not the dealer.
Replacing the output seals on the differential (nothing to do with the transmission which rarely goes bad) is a fairly universal job. I mean that it is the same on pretty much any rear wheel drive car. It'll probably cost around $300 from a normal mechanic but I would check prices first.
Replacing the output seals on the differential (nothing to do with the transmission which rarely goes bad) is a fairly universal job. I mean that it is the same on pretty much any rear wheel drive car. It'll probably cost around $300 from a normal mechanic but I would check prices first.
I was also told that a little bit of seepage from the differential, on a 6-8 year old car is not unusual. And, if I remove the fill plug and feel oil on the end of my finger, it's not leaking enough to worry about at this point. Just check it occasionally and add some gear oil if it gets low. Anyone else heard this?
If it's just a little seepage, I wouldn't do anything about it. I would go ahead and change the fluid, make sure it's full, and just keep an eye on it. I'd periodically check the level and keep an eye on the seepage to be aware if it really starts leaking.
Most differentials will develop some seepage over time - not a straight up dripping leak, but the seals often will seep a little. The differential in my 1967 Camaro has had some seepage for years and the rear end in my 270,000 mile BMW seeps a little. No problems here. Just keep an eye on it so that if it really starts leaking, you know about it.
Most differentials will develop some seepage over time - not a straight up dripping leak, but the seals often will seep a little. The differential in my 1967 Camaro has had some seepage for years and the rear end in my 270,000 mile BMW seeps a little. No problems here. Just keep an eye on it so that if it really starts leaking, you know about it.
