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Leaking axle seal on 2015

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by JC91006, May 9, 2018.

  1. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

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    Sometimes if the car is not level when it is lifted, it will leak a lot or not at all when the seal is changed. Maybe they filled it with some shop supply of fluid and didn't bill the warranty for any.


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  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Yes that's my hope. Last time I changed the seal on my 2nd gen, I had to replace about a quart.

    They did rush to finish my car before closing time. It was promised to me at 7pm, and I got a call at 6:55 to tell me the car is ready.
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Or they caught the drained fluid in a (hopefully) clean container, poured it back in. Hey, it's lifetime. :whistle:

    Or maybe they just forgot to bill you.
     
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  4. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

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    My experience has been that customers don't get called right away when their cars are done. The paperwork usually sits for a while, so maybe they didn't rush.


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  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Yes I guess that makes sense. Can't charge the customer 5 hours labor and call them back 2 hours later and say it's ready.
     
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I guess it's due for the transaxle fluid change at 15000 miles
     
  7. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

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    I've read on the forum that it's not a bad idea to change every 30-50k like with a "normal" transmission. It will certainly last a lot longer than fluid in a "normal" transmission but that doesn't mean you shouldn't change it.


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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i bought it new in '91, stripped down version for 12k. enjoyed it, but not enough nice weather here to make it worthwhile. garaged in winter, except one year when we were in vehicle transition with kids.
    i think my son got my ranger, and i drove the miata that winter and bought a new car in the spring.
    6 months in a miata with the top up and a lot of snow, ice and slush is not a pleasant experience, like riding in a 55 gallon drum on wheels.
    sold it in 2004 for $6,500. iirc, to a lady who came with cash and an oxygen cylinder, who said she had totaled hers, flipping it over and landing on the roof.:eek:
     
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  9. RMB

    RMB Senior Member

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    For Powertrain Warranty it is 60 months or 60,000 miles, so you actually didn't have to rush. But anyhow, good thing to remember it's 5 years or 60k miles. ;)
     
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  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If this was a transaxle failure, yes it would have been 5 year 60k miles warranty. But this was an axle seal leak, I would have been SOL today.

    The service writer pointed that out yesterday that I had until 5 year 60k if my transaxle leaked
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Sounds like the weasel out clause. :cautious:
     
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  12. DMC-5180

    DMC-5180 Active Member

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    I take it you’ve never replaced a typical lip seal yourself. The coil tension spring wraps around the back side of the rubber lip area. (Looks like an elastic hair tie). It provides a constant tension so the rubber lip stays in contact with the surface it is sealing.


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  13. m.wynn

    m.wynn Senior Member

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  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Thanks for the explanation. No I've never done one of these repairs myself, I don't usually mess with anything that requires me to lift up the wheels (except for brake work). My mechanic charges $60 an hour and I don't get hurt in the process
     
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  15. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    An unrelated issue with my 2015 turd, there had been a squaking noise when I firmly apply the brakes, sounds like it's coming from under my dash. Toyota diagnosed the problem as air in the actuator and they bled the air out to fix the problem. 1 month later, sound comes back. Not sure what their remedy is this time around....and I'm out of warranty by 1 day now.

    I guess cars shouldn't sit or else strange things come up when you start driving them
     
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  16. DMC-5180

    DMC-5180 Active Member

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    Considering you just had them attempt to fix it under warranty, unsuccessfully, they should honor a claim against the original service. But you need to take it in soon rather than later to make the inquiry.


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  17. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It's again at the dealer. They are sick of seeing me take the free donuts. I think they'll cover the repair, they'll make me sign an estimate amount for the repair
     
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  18. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Got a call back from the dealer, now they want to replace the brake actuator because the brake bleed didn't work. But I'm out of warranty now, so they'll need to ask for a goodwill warranty to cover the $4000 repair. Sounds crazy
     
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  19. DMC-5180

    DMC-5180 Active Member

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    Geez, what do they have to do to replace it, drop the engine and drivetrain?


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  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Sarcasm?

    If not, it would just be the wipers, their motors/linkage, and the cowl. Similar to spark plug access.