benn

Hello everyone,

Thought I would share my recent experience getting my rear main seal replaced at an Acura dealership. Recently, during my last oil change, I was informed my rear main seal went from weeping to dripping. Although I knew this didn't mean the seal needed to be replaced right away, to avoid future headaches and beat the possibility of the cost of the repair going up, I got it replaced now. When I initially purchased the car, I was told there were no issues, unfortunately, this wasn't the case. The day after purchasing the car it had an electrical issue, during the appointment they did the commentary multipoint inspection and found several issues with the car, the scariest was the $2,400 quote for the rear main seal to be replaced. Now, I'm a college student so this actually petrified me, fortunately, I was reassured by the service advisor that it didn't need immediate replacement as it was only weeping. Since this initial appointment, I have since switched dealerships, where the second dealer also informed me that there was a rear main seal leak, however, they also advised me not to replace it until it needed to be. I purchased the car about a year ago, and like I previously stated it started dripping about a month ago.

Now here's the interesting part, remember that I said the initial dealership quoted me $2,400 for the replacement, well the second Acura dealership I went to quoted me $1,600 to replace it. Let it also be known that both these dealerships are in the same metropolitan area. I authorized the dealer to replace the rear main seal and set up an appointment for a few weeks after the oil change. The dealership told me it would be about one to two full days to replace, and it ended up taking three full days plus the weekend. Now, I didn't mind this because they gave me a brand new 2022 MDX loner. Upon completion of the service they actually came in under budget, the total cost was about $1,595. I also wasn't aware of how many components they replaced during the service, including doing a complete drain and fill of the transmission and torque converter, replacing the transmission cradle, and a bunch of other Hondabond/rubber-related seals. My car also had been previously aligned when I got new tires a few months ago, however, it still had a bit of a pull to it, after the completion of the rear main seal service, because of so many suspension components being taken apart, it drives straighter now.

Anyways, I know some of us here in the 3G TL community have leaking rear main seals, so I thought I'd share this experience, how much it cost me, and the discrepancy between the two dealerships. I attached a picture of the receipt from the service. Let me know if you have any questions!

Also, yes, I learned that I should get a pre-purchase inspection done at a proper shop...

zeta

iTrader: (1)

^
Good for you for shopping around and using coupons!
Now you know why dealership's are sometimes referred to as stealerships.
All of that labor is needed to replace #21 & 22 on the link below:
Cylinder Block - Oil Pan - 2005 Acura TL 4 Door BASE (NAVIGATION) KA 5AT (acurapartswarehouse.com)

benn

It's silly how crazy the labor is on this job for two small, inexpensive seals. Regardless, I posted this because I feel I got a decent price for the level of service I received. Plus, others can use this as a starting place/bargaining chip when wanting to complete the service themselves. I didn't mention it, but many of the independent shops that agreed to do the service we're going to charge around $1,500 - $,1700 to complete it. This is why I went with the dealership, ultimately, the difference in price was minimal. In fact, many independent shops said they wouldn't even do the service. Although the dealership is often more expensive, with such a large job, I trusted their expertise.

truonghthe

As far as the bill you showed us the price are VERY reasonable in term of dealership pricing. So long story short, they had to remove engine cradle (subframe) and transmission and as per Honda recommended drain and fill ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid). They even go far as replace the o-ring behind the plate along with reseal the plate via Hondabond (which also by Honda service manual).

What is not clearly stated is that they even perform alignment (hence why your car drive straight now). Judging everything listed on the bill everything was done corrected as Honda recommended, now this prove that not all dealer are stealer.

maarroyo

I just got a new 07 TL-S and need to get this service seeing as it's not really DIY friendly. The price you got was pretty fair from my recent search. I called around and prices are between $1200-1500 at independent shops. I haven't checked the dealers fearing it'll probably be something closer to $3k, but I probably should.

thoiboi

Folks in the past have had success in just replacing the PCV valve as a clogged PCV valve will cause oil to weep from the rear main seal. Just a thought to try before dropping $1.5K

benn

That price range sounds about right to me. I don't think there's anything wrong with going to an independent shop, the only reason I didn't was that the dealer came in at the same-ish price. Like I said before, I live in the Chicago market, which probably isn't the cheapest but looks like you're down in Southern California which [probably] is relatively comparable. I would totally get a quote from the dealership and see what they come up with, like me another Acura dealership in the same area might be significantly cheaper. Although my receipt may not help you get the price matched, it could definitely be a bargaining chip if they quote you some absurd number. Since this job is so labor-intensive, it seems that some shops/dealers are willing to negotiate a bit.

That's a really good point! In fact, I just ordered a new PCV valve to replace my current one due to it being 17 years old. I try not to be too naïve about the repairs I get done, however, unfortunately since the seal was dripping, I think it was too far gone. I'm trying my best to keep my TL in great mechanical condition. Hopefully, soon I'll be able to replace both the front passenger and driver seat bottom leather's so the interior can start to match the mechanicals. Like with the rear main seal job, I'm hoping to be able to shop around a bit and find a good price. Currently, the best quote is $1,000 to replace both, might just have to DIY it. With that said, has anyone purchased this replacement bottom leather?

benn

I agree, it was reasonable for being a dealer. In all honesty, I'm probably one of the last people taking a 2005 TL to their dealership, however, they always treat me really well. Even though I'm a college student, and can't really afford one of their new vehicles, I feel they've done me right. As far as the alignment goes, the previous dealership I took it to completed two alignments on the vehicle and it still wasn't driving straight. They basically told me that's just how the car is... In fact, that's kind of the main reason I haven't returned there, they also didn't install new valve stems when they replaced all four tires, I woke up the next morning with two nearly flat tires...

Legend2TL

Good idea, never thought of that before and makes sense with very slight vacuum in the crankcase

DMZ

According to Paul, our star master mechanic here in Nawth Jerzy, it's that little O-Ring that causes more leaking than the main oil seal itself, so it should always be changed along with the seal.
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Bense

You got worked.