Bevel box oil leak

[juan27]

Hi 2017 L&K 1.4 4x4 has been to the local Skoda dealer for a service and the healthcheck video pointed out an oil leak from the bevel box...is it difficult to top this up? Dealers estimate to fix was predictably ruinous, but don't want it to run dry...

[Ootohere]

Was the technician not prepared to do it while they were there with it on the ramp had the lights etc?

Maybe best ask them how easy.

?

Were they able to actually come up with a price of a fix? 

 

@Crashermight know or @ApertureS

Edited 30 January, 2023 by toot

[juan27]

1 hour ago, toot said:

Was the technician not prepared to do it while they were there with it on the ramp had the lights etc?

Maybe best ask them how easy.

?

Were they able to actually come up with a price of a fix? 

 

@Crashermight know or @ApertureS

 

Basically Skoda said up to £3000 to fix. When I said I would sell the car if it was that ballpark they told me not to worry about (literally). Never offered to top it up but as usual I spoke to the guy behind a desk, not the technician. Seen a couple of videos on the web for other VW group cars and looks pretty simple if you have a car lift....

Edited 30 January, 2023 by juan27

[ApertureS]

1 hour ago, juan27 said:

 

Basically Skoda said up to £3000 to fix. When I said I would sell the car if it was that ballpark they told me not to worry about (literally). Never offered to top it up but as usual I spoke to the guy behind a desk, not the technician. Seen a couple of videos on the web for other VW group cars and looks pretty simple if you have a car lift....

Typical dealer rubbish.... Find yourself a decent transmission specialist and take it there to be looked at. 

 

I would trust a word they say, if its leaking its something to worry about, if its a tiny sweat then its not the end of the world.

 

Something else to note, the seals if they have failed dont just fail for no reason, normal cause is a worn bearing causing the shaft to move out of centre and wearing the seal out, depending on the leak location could be a plug loose, a driveshaft bearing, a prop shaft bearing or simply a contaminated and damaged seal.

 

Basically, take it to a transmission specialist and get a second opinion. 

Or if youre near north london, pop it down to me and ill spend 10 minutes and take a look and let you know if theyre having you on or if it truly needs looking at. 

[Crasher]

@juan27 what is the VIN?

[juan27]

On 04/02/2023 at 13:16, Crasher said:

@juan27 what is the VIN?

 

PM'd

Edited 6 February, 2023 by juan27

[juan27]

So......got round to looking at this today. Definitely evidence of dry oil residue on the bevel box housing but couldn't see any obvious leak. You can access the filler plug with the car on an axle stand with the offside front wheel off. Its a bit of a pain, I found the o/s front wheel arch liner had to come out and there's a guard on the inner driveshaft joint that needs to come off. Put maybe 250ml top up of oil in.  Cleaned the oil residue off, will keep an eye on it.

Edited 5 February, 2023 by juan27

[Crasher]

A new bevel box 0CN 409 053 AM is £2870 and it has been revised. It is a bit fiddly to top up (oil is G 052 145 S2 and £38.74 for a litre, it uses 0.9 litres) and a gear oil pump with an M10x1 adapter makes life much easier but it could be removed and have new oil seals fitted for £107 in parts and all three have been revised which says something

[juan27]

15 hours ago, Crasher said:

A new bevel box 0CN 409 053 AM is £2870 and it has been revised. It is a bit fiddly to top up (oil is G 052 145 S2 and £38.74 for a litre, it uses 0.9 litres) and a gear oil pump with an M10x1 adapter makes life much easier but it could be removed and have new oil seals fitted for £107 in parts and all three have been revised which says something

@Crasher Thanks - do you have any info on approx labour time to remove and replace seals?

Edited 8 February, 2023 by juan27

[Crasher]

It can be done box in car but is a lot easier box out so tied in with a clutch change (it is manual?) I would say a day and a half's works

[juan27]

Now almost convinced the bevel box was never leaking, apart from maybe from the vent on top, and that could have been years ago. The thing is a licence for garages to print money as far as I can see.

 

Edited 9 February, 2023 by juan27

[juan27]

So I guess I should share what I think I've learnt.

 

Bevel Box (aka transfer box) if overfilled with oil will vent it out the top of the box and make a mess. If changing the oil it holds 0.9L This doesn't seem to be "fill til dribbling back out the filling hole". Use new fill/drain plugs. Oil is not the same stuff as the gearbox. 

 

Bevel box is a lot of money to replace, can be bought used, (part is shared with many other VW group models) but beware big labour costs if fitting a used part without knowing for sure it's good.

 

Don't let a main dealer near it unless it's covered by a warranty. 

Edited 9 February, 2023 by juan27