madcityrx

Found oil in the garage yesterday. Diagnosed as a bad rear main today. I'm bumming big time: I've had my 2000 RX300 for 3 months & have put less than 3K miles on it. Mileage today is at 82K.

My question that I forgot to ask the dealer because I was so shocked and awed that this thing needs an $1100 repair -- family and I are planning on doing some traveling over the holidays, leaving Monday. We'll put about 1200 miles on, driving mainly in snowy, slushy, salty conditions. Assuming I check the oil level regularly can this repair wait until we get back? One concern is if stuff's leaking out, stuff might get in that would cause other problems. Also this is engine oil it's leaking, correct? It didn't seem like tranny fluid to me, but some guy at a Christmas party last night was trying to tell me it had to be tranny fluid.

Thanks in advance for the thoughts.

salimshah

If it is "main seal" then engine oil should be leaking. The part that needs replacing is roughly $20 and the rest is labor.

Since the leak is beween a moving part and a fixed part, no one will be able to make a statment that how many miles you can put before the seal must be replaced.

You can risk it by carrying engine oil and checking frequently. Idiot light turns on a bit too late. The next bandaid would be to hook-up oil pressure gauge but that would not be easy.

I would also ask that the engine mounts and transmission mounts are checked.

Use the search feature and you may find useful posts.

Salim

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

I drove an old Pontiac for YEARS with a leaky rear main seal. Just check the oil level frequently and carry plenty with you at all times.

Oh, and roll your windows up at a traffic light if its really bad

bizzy928

Welcoems to the forum! Enoy your staY!

Tammy

You didn't just switch to synthetic motor oil, did you?

Keep in mind, there are a lot of drips in a quart of oil... Check the oil every fuel stop and before starting the day. Don't overfill, as the oil will "foam up" in the crankcase and you'll loose oil pressure to the head. A little below full is what to monitor for. Carry an extra quart with you; top off when the dip stick indicates low level, just don't fill it full.

The transmission fluid is red, as your fluid should be on the transmission dip stick. Check on a white cloth. If it is dark, then it may need to be changed. If the leak is motor oil, there is little doubt when comparing to the dip stick.

rx300_2000

My 2000 Rx300 is currently at the Lexus dealer as I type ! I've been given a quote of $8,000+ worth of work that needs to be done. According to them, I have a long term oil leak by my rear main seal !! I am not a mechanic so I am totally clueless ! Now this is the worse part, my warranty company is refusing to pay for the repairs. I purchased the vehicle back in March of this year 2005 ! I had no idea that I had an oil leak ! I maintain my oil changes on a regular, it just so happened that one day I was driving on the beltway & my car car started making funny noises ! I pulled over & shut the car off & it would not start back up !!

I had the car towed to my home & later to the lexus dealer for an explanation!
What am I going to do??
Is the warranty company correctly denying me? I havent done anything to harm my vehicle ! Why should I be made to suffer ! Do I need to get a lawyer ! My warranty states that it covers my engine ! I purchased the car at 48K & it is currently at 70K.........all I do is go to work & home. I have not done any traveling in this vehicle !
What would you all do if you were in this situation?
Ofcourse I tried to call the warranty company today & no one answered the phone ! Lexus states they tried to reach the manager &he never returned their call!

mikey00

First 2 questions that come to mind:
What reason does the warranty company give for denying the claim?
What exactly is the dealer doing for $8,000.? Sounds like maybe you ran out of oil and seized the engine.