Can a local shop that is not toyota certified fix a transaxle leak? Update from previous post of mine: Toyota dealer said I have a transaxle leak on the passenger side. I have had it parked in the snow just to see if anything was dripping on the ground. This morning I see a purplish color in the snow on the drivers side. So I need to take it to my local shop to see if I have two leaks or what is going on, but of course it is sunday and they are all closed so cant call and ask if they can work on prius axles...
Yes, any competent mechanic will be able to remove and replace the halfshafts so that the transaxle case seals can be replaced. Make sure the shop uses 4 quarts of Toyota ATF-WS to refill the transaxle. I assume that the 5 year/60K mile drivetrain warranty has expired and this is why you are looking for a non-dealer service alternative.
remove and replace the halfshafts so that the transaxle case seals can be replaced Wow. That sounds like some money going out the door.
Be aware that you do not know exactly how low the trans fluid is at this point. Try not to drive the car till repaired because you can lunch the trans pretty fast if real low on fluid. Buy the 2 seals and 4 quarts of WS at the dealer and bring them to your guy asap. I would buy 8 quarts. If it was me I would have the trans fluid replaced again after about 50 miles as your never sure how much debris gets in there with the half shaft replacement. Very cheap protection of the trans. Btw, you did not mention mileage. Those seals last a long time unless there's a boatload of miles on the car. It may behoove you to have the cv joints replaced also if mileage above 125k as the inners have to come out anyway. Your halfway there on the labor anyway. Your guy may discover you have bad inners and they beat the seals up causing them to leak. Don't be surprised. If the inners are bad the outers are bad too. Hearing any clicking or clunking up front while turning? After seal replacement watch under the car for a while too and make sure your guy put them in ok and didn't damage them upon installation. Not uncommon. That's a $300-400 job all in I would imagine not including the cv's. Dealer is $125 an hour my guy is $75 an hour.
My toyota dealer quoted $340 to fix the leak on the driver side of my 2006 prius. With the 15% costco discount, it is only $290.
Too bad you couldn't catch the cv joints while they were in there because they have to remove them and put them back on anyway fix both seals. But having that done out of pocket at a dealer would be crushing. Find a good local guy.
