Rear Main Seal Repair Cost

Rear main seal repair cost can vary significantly based on the vehicle you drive as well as where you live.  For example, replacing the rear main seal on a 1998 Jeep Wrangler has a 2 piece rear main seal so the seal can be removed by removing the oil pan and the rear bearing cap.  An average shop in the midwest might charge around $425 for this job. On the other hand, a similar shop would charge over $1400 to change the rear main seal on a 2003 Mini Cooper with an automatic transmission.

Rear main seal repair cost varies from vehicle to vehicle depending on the construction of the seal as well as the difficulty of getting to it.  The two examples we’ve chosen here represent the two ends of the spectrum to change a rear main seal. The rear main seal in the Jeep 4.0L straight-six engine was designed as a 2 piece seal so you could remove the cap that holds the bearing and seal in place, drop the bottom half of the seal out and then push the top half of the seal around the bearing to remove it.

The trouble with these 2 piece seals is that they tend to leak relatively easily since they are 2 pieces and the oil can seep in between the seal halves.  On the other hand, 1 piece seals form a tighter boundary for the oil, but to remove them you have to remove the transmission and the flywheel or flexplate because a 1 piece seal can only be removed by being pulled rearward out of the motor.  With so many different designed of cars today, remove a transmission can be a few hour job up to a few days of work.

In the world of auto repair, time is literally money so the other thing to consider is the hourly rate a shop charges.  If replacing the rear main seal in your vehicle is a 5 to 10 hour job, a difference in the shop’s hourly rate can really add up.  We have yet to find a good place to find the average labor rates shops charge so the best thing to do would be to call a few shops in your area and ask them their rates.  We recommend trying a few different types of shops like a dealership, a specialty shop specializing in your particular make of vehicle, a big chain store, and an independent shop.

The last thing to consider when doing any repairs to your vehicle is the cost of not repairing the problem.  In the case of a rear main seal leak, that cost can be pretty steep. A leaky rear main seal can often lower your engine oil level enough to damage your engine in just a few hundred miles.  If the rear main seal repair cost seemed high to you then the cost of a new engine will really make you sweat. In any case, if the repair cost exceeds the value of your vehicle it might not make sense no matter the risk involved.

If you find yourself in a position where the repair doesn’t make sense based on the value of your vehicle, consider using BlueDevil Rear Main Sealer to stop the rear main seal leak in your vehicle.  At $14.95 it may just be the least expensive way to repair the rear main seal in your vehicle!

You can pick up BlueDevil Rear Main Sealer at one of your local auto parts stores like:

• AutoZone
• Advance Auto Parts
• CarQuest Auto Parts
• NAPA Auto Parts
• O’Reilly Auto Parts
• Pep Boys
• Canadian Tire
• Walmart

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oil_leak.jpg – By LoveTheWind – Licensed by Getty Images – Original Link