Its’ Hard.
Replacing a rear main seal is time consuming, requires special knowledge of your vehicle and the use of special tools if you are going to do it correctly and without placing you or your vehicle in danger.
“You have a leak from your rear main seal” is one of those phrases that we all hope to never hear from your mechanic. Usually, that is one of those phrases that makes you cringe because you know you have a hard decision to make. Since it is such a difficult repair, it’s usually not something you can do yourself and your mechanic has to charge a lot for. Replacing a rear main seal can be so expensive the cost to replace it may be more than you have to spend, or even more than your vehicle is worth.
When faced with a high dollar repair on an older vehicle it can be difficult to decide if it’s worth dumping more money into an older vehicle that doesn’t have much value. There are a few things to consider when making this decision.
You may be surprised how much your vehicle is worth in its unrepaired condition. Today, there is so much information available on the internet on how to repair many vehicles and the ability to order almost any replacement part either OEM or aftermarket, new or used from a wide variety of trading websites, Ebay, and parts wholesalers. This means that there are more and more people willing to pay top dollar for cars needing major repairs.
The difficult part can be finding out how much someone is willing to pay for your broken car. The best way is to check local listings and see what other vehicles in need of repair are selling for. Often these can be listed as “mechanic’s specials”. You might check your local newspaper classifieds, Craigslist or Autotrader. If you have the time, you can also try posting an add for your vehicle in its current condition and see what offers you get for it. If your broken vehicle’s value plus the needed repair cost is more than what the vehicle is worth in good condition, it may be time to think about selling it. The good news is a vehicle with a leaking rear main seal is usually still able to be taken at least on a test drive which will help with the resale value.
Before you jump on Craigslist and put up a new add you should consider if there are any alternative solutions to a costly repair. Most of the oil leaks your engine will develop are due to old or worn out gaskets and seals. These seals over time can become shrunken or cracked and brittle do to old age, infrequent use or even regular intended usage. Instead of replacing these old seals and gaskets, first try restoring the ones currently in your engine. BlueDevil has a full line of oil stop leaks products designed to repair and restore the seals in your engine and is guaranteed to stop seeping or dripping oil leaks. BlueDevil products will not clog or harm your engine in anyway and can stay mixed in your oil until your next oil change.
For your leaky rear main seal, use BlueDevil Rear Main Sealer available here
or at your favorite auto parts stores like:
Pictures courtesy of: www.junkacarorlando.com and www.alanauto.com
