Oil Leak, Coolant Leak Dealer wants 10k for repairs

Hey there all, I’m new here. I have a 2017 Tundra TRD off road with 125k. I noticed I had a rear main seal leak and a small coolant leak so I took the truck into the dealer here in Portland and they came back to me with $10k in repairs. They told me about 48 hours in total to do the following. Rear main seal leak, camshaft housing leak (assuming this is cam tower leak), and a water pump replacement. The guy I’m working with a tech who’s been working there for 20+ years and said the job is best done by removing the engine. Don’t really want him taking apart the whole thing. What do you guys think of this? I think it’s ridiculous for the price but what part is worth doing here and what should I do next?

 

$10k seems insane to me, but I do all of my own work. I’m sure someone with more experience using the dealership will chime in.

Here is a good thread to read and/or participate in too!
https://www.tundras.com/threads/ask-the-toyota-mechanic.2404/

 

Oil is cheap. Replace water pump if that's what's leaking. Wash oil leak off and monitor.

 

Honestly that sounds about right. Not at all saying you should pay that price, but your pictures all but confirm the cam tower leak, the rear main oil leak, and the leaky water pump. From what I've heard the cam tower job is about 20 hours in labor alone (or in other words $5k after tax). I could see the rear main being a bear of a job with a very high labor cost too. I'd suggest shopping around for a better price, but understand two of these 3 issues are big time labor jobs.

Another tip I've utilized in the past is to find an independent (but trustworthy) mechanic and offer them to pay in cash if you can, asking for a discount for doing so. They don't pay a credit card processing fee, and perhaps can hide the income from taxes, and they're happy to pass on some savings to you for that benefit.

 

Utter bs. How much oil are you losing? Unless it's like a quart a week I'd buy oil from Costco and top it off.

The water pump and thermostat you should do though.

 

Insanity to repair a non issue. Center of highways used to be black with oil do to ALL cars leaking.

 

Clean the oil from the cam tower and use 5w-30 to see if it lessens the leak.

 

No. Way.

 

5k to repair a design flaw angers me. They should have used the black gasket material at the factory.

 

Do the water pump yourself but if you have to take it to a mechanic, shoot for $800-1k to do it. The rear main seal doesn't even look bad unless it's making a puddle. Clean the oil gunk from the cam tower leak and monitor - if it's just a seep, don't sweat it.

 

I appreciate your guys responses! I have an extended warranty so I’ll see what they can provide for me. I’ll keep you updated. I think most importantly the water pump gets replaced. But out of the two oil leaks which one is more crucial to fix?

 

You have an extended warranty? That would have been good to know.

Is it a Toyota warranty or other? If it is the extended Toyota factory warranty, I wouldn't worry one bit. If is not, well then the devil is in the details and I would wager that you are probably SOL.

 

A little oil leak will never hurt your tundra. Clean and see how long before it adds up again. If it’s not dripping I wouldn’t bother. That’s is out of pocket of course. Like others have said replace water pump

 

Bring it to me and come back in a week and a half with $9800.00. I will even throw in new coolant hoses and a belt!

 

The warranty should take care of all of this and your worries should be over. Of course you have to pay the deductible. Good luck.

 

Likely neither, but you need to figure out how quickly you're losing it. Top it up and monitor. It's also a good idea to replace your PCV -- ensures the crankcase isn't over-pressured and causing leaks.

 

This anecdote is for a different truck, but one I own which also has a rear main seal leak. I have a 2004 Ram Cummins diesel truck. It leaks just a little bit of oil at the rear of the engine, but I never have to add oil between oil changes. I have an honest independent mechanic (yes, they do exist!) and he put it on a lift for me and checked it out. He said it's the rear main seal, and that " ... pretty much, they all leak". He advised to do nothing about it.

Obviously your money, your call, but personally, I would not spend money on a rear main seal in any truck unless it was leaking majorly!

 

This, change the PCV and water pump. Clean the oil residue and monitor.

Assuming warranty doesn't fix it all. If they do, get er done!

 

Consider the oil leak to be your own personal way of preventing frame rust.

All joking aside, I think some high mileage motor oils have additives to swell seals slightly.

Me, I'd never go to all the trouble for such a minor leak. The waterpump? Yeah, might fix that one.

 

Your repairs and more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bsULQcMxlg