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My Zafira is getting serviced at the moment and the garage have advised me there is a "small" leak in the crankshaft seal which will need sorting before too long. Replacing the seal requires removing the cambelt, thus a repair would be about £350.
I've put it off for now, but does that sound like a reasonable price for the job? (They're a main dealer, obviously I'd expect an independent to be a bit cheaper)
Secondly, is it the kind of thing that might fail catastrophically or will I become aware if the "small" leak starts to get worse? I haven't noticed any significant change in the oil level recently, if I start seeing puddles on the drive or getting warning lights then that'll be a different matter of course.
How many miles has it done? Is the cam belt due anyway?
It will likely not be a problem because of low oil, more likely that it may contaminate your cam belt and cause it to slip, then it'll be expensive.
If you have a failing crank seal get it fixed asap, loss of oil pressure due to a failed seal could trash the crank bearing shells, get the timing belt done while you are at it if its due.
don't let the dealer do it, get your local independant to fix it and do the cambelt at the same time assuming it is the front one, if its the rear one the gearbox has to come off and 350 quid is a bargain
Er, cam-belts are toothed, so even if oily should not slip. If your cam-belt is slipping you have much more serious issues than a crank-shaft seal 😀
Cheers, Rich
mrjmt - MemberHow many miles has it done? Is the cam belt due anyway?
25k miles, cambelt interval is listed as 100k for this model.
25k? How old is the car?
It's 4 years old but I've only had it since January.
If the oil contaminates the belt it will weaken/perish it, leading to failure.