Thread: Rear main seal replacement cost?

Originally Posted by Discofever

Hi all, my D1 is dropping oil and its getting to the point where I can no longer ignore it. It appears to be dropping from the rear main and I know it involves decapitation of the block from the auto. Does anyone know what the anticipated labor cost is on replacement? I need to start budgeting for this unfortunately, Many thanks, John.

You're not willing or able to do it yourself?
If so I would budget at $100/hour and possibly 8 hours and you have to know that whoever does the job knows what they're doing.
You haven't said what motor,300TDi seal has specific rules to follow when fitting, if not followed it will leak, have you checked to see if the leak might be from higher up and running to the bottom, a little oil will travel a long way, Regards Frank.

Thanks Frank. It's a 300tdi and I'm a bit gun shy to tackle this one myself. I'm ok on bits and pieces but in all honesty this one may be a bit beyond me. I've cleaned around the sump and as high as I can get above the rear main and it is clearly dripping from the rear main as all above that area is still clean. So $800 as a starting point hey?

Originally Posted by Discofever

Thanks Frank. It's a 300tdi and I'm a bit gun shy to tackle this one myself. I'm ok on bits and pieces but in all honesty this one may be a bit beyond me. I've cleaned around the sump and as high as I can get above the rear main and it is clearly dripping from the rear main as all above that area is still clean. So $800 as a starting point hey?

Hey mate,

Depends where you go. I've noticed huge difference in price between dealers. Then they will tell you while you are doing that is a good time to do this and that and this... To be honest i would budget 1200. I thought that was still a bit conservative. Make sure if that is all you want that you tell them.
To be honest 800 seems a bit low to me.

When you find out let me know. I will call my mechanic and see what he says for you.

Originally Posted by Fausto79

Hey mate,

Depends where you go. I've noticed huge difference in price between dealers. Then they will tell you while you are doing that is a good time to do this and that and this... To be honest i would budget 1200. I thought that was still a bit conservative. Make sure if that is all you want that you tell them.
To be honest 800 seems a bit low to me.

When you find out let me know. I will call my mechanic and see what he says for you.

I could do that job in 8 hours with a well equipped w/shop and I used to charge 100 bucks an hour if I did the job, 150 bucks/hour if you watched and 200bucks/hour if you helped.
Seriously you need someone that knows how to install the seal correctly, my w/shop manual says the lip of the seal is NOT to touched or lubed and the seal surface on the crank should be surgically clean. Yet I have heard of Land Rover dealer mechanics say that they lube them up.
Who do you believe the manufacturer or some yobbo apprentice who will more than likely be the mug that does the job and not the highly trained LR mechanic, that was only ever taught how to remove and replace and has no idea how to repair.
Find a specialist LR expert that knows what he's (or she, put that in for the ladies) doing, because sadly most mechanics did their time in a dealer service centre and learnt nothing worthwhile.
That is why there are so many Speciality shops that do only one thing, like, gearboxes, or diffs, engines and so on. you take your car to most repairers and they send your broken bits out to a specialist to repair and they send it back to your shop to fit.
So a job like this that has to be done in shop may not get done right, check around, Regards Frank.

I was thinking $1200 for the work from a LR specialist. I have one who works on my car doing the things that are just too far beyond me and he knows his stuff but is at the very high price point. You pay for what you get I suppose. I've looked into the replacement myself and it requires hoists and stands and the entire block needs to come forward and slightly up and to be honest this would take me a fortnight to work out and actually do right. Asides from the know how (and I could persist with this and learn a lot) I don't have the resources or a fortnight to work it all out. I'm going to source three quotes I think and I expect them to be all fairly ball park. I need this fixed, it's starting to make a mess and I don't like the thought of the old girl dropping so much life blood.

Can this job be done either engine out or gearbox out and is one way less labour intensive than the other? Also, If I'm replacing the rear main what else should I be replacing while we are at it?

Many thanks, John.

My tdi rear main also needs to be done and i havent tackled one before but have done RRC which i found easiest to move engine forward.
I will make time after xmas to do mine and will probably do the timing at the same time and sump gasket.

Originally Posted by loanrangie

My tdi rear main also needs to be done and i havent tackled one before but have done RRC which i found easiest to move engine forward.
I will make time after xmas to do mine and will probably do the timing at the same time and sump gasket.

You have an extra pair of hands when you do it, dude... I owe ya heaps...


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I once thought I had the same problem.


Luckily, I have a good mechanic who picked up that there was a lose bold on my vacuum pump. He informed me that this is a general service check point.


Like has been said, oil can travel down and give the wrong impression as to a fault.


Good luck.