Hey all, I have considered going back to an SUV from my 06 TL (more room for kids, blah, blah, blah). At any rate, I called a buddy of mine who is the service guy at a Caddy dealer and asked about the reliability of an 06 Esc. He said they are very solid with minimal issues unlike Tahoes and Yukons. But he went on to say that when inspecting it there could be seepage, but not to worry because seepage is expected on a 5 year old truck. He did clarify and said that dripping oil is bad, but not seepage. Do you Honda/Acura lovers know of any seepage issues with the TL... more importantly are you okay with it?

 

I don't believe that cars should seep oil but certain motors do. Every BMW 540 that I have seen seeps oil after 100kmi. My mechanic used to comment how the German cars seem to seep more often and he wouldn't see it much on Japanese cars. I was at his shop and he had a Lexus ES on the lift that had 175kmi on it and it was bone dry under the engine. You should check some of the forums for that particular vehicle and see if it's a common problem or not.

 

I think the term your friend should have used was "weepage". This is commonly used in automotive circles and refers to oil weeping from a seal or around a bolt. Is it common? Fairly, but some vehicles weep oil more than others. Weepage is an entirely different thing than an outright leak. Have you ever looked at the rear differential of a rear drive car or truck and seen a slight discolouration around the rear cover or front carrier? This is a good example of an oil weep.

As mentioned earlier, many cars and trucks display this after a number of years. Some models with limited miles also have this problem from time to time. Is it bad? Most likely, no. Personally I can't stand it however and re-seal the offending area as soon as I spot an oil weep. Mechanically, however, it isn't a bad thing unless it eventually develops into a leak. And this often happens more often than not after prolonged periods.




Terry

 

^ We need more people like him posting in Automotive News

 

+1

Terry = Win

 

I work at a dealer... the cars that I work with tend to seep after about 4 years or 50,000mi (just as the warranty expires.. oh the irony). That being said, a seep will most definately turn into a drip over time. While an oil leak will NOT prevent you from getting to point A to point B, unless the gasket is completely gone and you're getting air fuel mixture faults, it can cause other things to speed up the deterioration process... i.e bushings, boots, etc.

Any seep can usually be taken care of by replacing the gasket; or as in Honda/Acura's case, resealing with Honda Bond.

weepage must be a Canadian term

 

My TL has had weepage from the cam seals since the first year. I describe this as a wet spot that you would not even notice until dirt sticks to the oil. It's not even enough to run down the heads, just a slight dirt spot around the seals. In 5 years it has barely changed. It does not mean the car is going to start dripping oil, they can go many years with weepage without dripping.

 

Looks like I will be going over mine with a fine eye before my next stealership visit. I'm at 47,500 right now.