Hey how you doing. So me and my dad went to the Toyota dealer to get a check up and everything was fine except that the dealer guy said that there is a leak in the back of the transmission that will cost 3500$ to fix. the car is a 2008 Toyota Sienna le with 142,000 miles and is a auto. Is this true or it it just another dealer scam to make money? Thank you
Thanks everyone for the replies you guys have helped a lot me and my dad will take the advice
There is probably a leak. I’d double check to see if there truly is one. The probable leak isn’t the scam.
That price to fix the leak at the dealer is the potential scam. Dealers charge an arm, a leg, and a torso.
Please let us know how it goes.
I would take the car to an independent mechanics to check the leak and get a quote there.
Yes. Odds are there is a leak but they are taking advantage of you with the price. Get a quote from an independent mechanic;)
Try an independent shop that has a good reputation. I had a similar experience on my '06 Sienna - the dealer wanted some insane amount to replace some seals, but my independent mechanic simply re-torqued the transmission pan gasket bolts for free and that fixed the issue. I will never go back to the dealer ever again.
Could gasket leaks really be solved by just retorquing?! Whoa!
@Kaizen - it could certainly be different in this situation, but it worked for me!
Take it to a transmission shop or small independent shop. Probably just the tailshaft seal unless it has up/down movement, then its worn internally. That has to be fixed and then a ne seal.
May I give another vote to taking it to an independent mechanic that specializes in transmission work. Dealerships are notorious for having high prices because they have so much overhead.
Case in point: they charged me over $500 for two new tires. A small tire shop charged me half for the same tires and service.
How much does it leak? Do you have a dipstick to check?
If you only need to add tiny bits, and it's not making a mess on your driveway, then maybe you can just live with it.
Wow. I want to comment on the fact that the mid and late 2000's Toyotas for some reason have a ton of powertrain issues.
