Rear Crank Seal Leak (2019 A6 50 TDI)

[KingSlayer]

Hi all,

I just had my car in with Audi for a routine oil service and inspection and they identified what they described as a rear crank seal leak. They said it would be a >20 hour repair involving removing engine and transmission from the car and the cost would likely be in the region of €6-7k. Does anyone have any experience of this issue? The car has around 80k miles and there is no sign of oil leakage around the engine, so I am trying to understand how bad the issue is before making a decision. The car is out of warranty so it obviously seems like a ludicrous cost to fix an oil leak.

Thank you.

[Magnet]

Hello Jamie,

The dealer is certainly correct in the amount of work involved in replacing this cheap part. They are also likely to contact you during repair and suggest renewing clutch components as well - resulting in additional 4 figure sum being added. 
The question is - how severe is this leak? My feeling would be bordering insignificant at this stage, but I could be wrong. 
If it were mine:- I would get a second opinion from a trusted independent. 
I would question why you are having this 6 year old car serviced at a main dealer.

Kind regards,

Gareth,m

 

[cliffcoggin]

I am puzzled how Audi can tell you there is a leak if there is no visible sign of oil outside the engine. Have you been under the car to inspect the underside Jamie?

[spartacus 68]

As mentioned. If the engine is out, then there's other work that should take place given access. That's Audi main dealer prices for you, so £180+ an hour. Would be worth checking out independent garages that specialise in this type of work, or even consider selling it. You'll never recover the money otherwise. Depends if you plan to keep it for a few years, ultimately its only 2019.

50TDI is 3 litre (286hp). If it was me, then I would get chains replaced to future-proof it. The plastic guides can wear and its an engine out job to replace anyway.

Get a quote from VAG Technic (Dudley). They are on YouTube and only use genuine parts.