I had a Quaife TBD installed by a shop and they additionally recommended a clutch disk replacement while they had the transmission removed and I agreed to get that done.

A couple weeks later there was a transmission fluid leak and as a resolution to the problem the shop decided to replace the clutch slave cylinder because they said it was bad. Note that I was having NO problems with the clutch before or after the install. At the time I agreed to it because I trusted their judgement. Now that I've researched it more I don't see how there's any correlation between a transmission leak and replacing the clutch slave cylinder which is located on the side of the transmission. They were originally considering replacing either the input shaft seals and/or axle seals and I have no idea what possessed them to do a 180 and replace the slave cylinder. Maybe just because it was an easy 20 minute job and I wouldn't know any better? Based on what I've read about the slave cylinder and how it works and reading Pelican's tech articles I feel misled.

Now I'm also experiencing a large amount of transmission fluid seeping out of where the drive axle enters the trans on the driver's side. Brought it to the Mini dealership and the shop foreman could see that the clip or axle seal were not installed correctly and they gave me a quote for the repair.

The indy shop emailed me back and claims no responsibility stating that the seals were not replaced. I returned their email with rebuttals, but almost 24 hrs later I haven't heard back.

I would like the shop to warranty their work and fix the leak. Additionally if there is in fact no reason to replace the clutch slave cylinder for a transmission leak, then I want them to refund me for my cost for the replacement. Of course my other option is to pay the $477 for the repair at the Mini dealership and get my car back to running order, but that's not a small amount of $$, especially when it appears something did not go as planned with the install.

What do you all think? Am I off base here?

 

I think you have no way to prove that the clutch slave cylinder was replaced in error. Maybe it was in fact leaking. I think that ship has sailed.

What was the date of the differential install? They would have had to remove the axles to pull the transmission and I would guess they nicked the axle seal when they put the axles back in the transmission. I would argue it's their responsibility to cover that. You could offer to pay for parts if they do the labor since the parts are super cheap. Just some trans fluid and a seal.

Did the transmission fluid leak ever stop? Obviously there is a leak from the axle seal but are there any other leaks? Some pictures would help us diagnose where the leak could be coming from. It's very possible the trans input shaft seal was damaged when the case was split to install the differential. I know ours was and I was super careful splitting the case and putting it all back together. Again, a $5 part with $600 in labor behind it

 

Agree 100%. It's not coincidence they started leaking after the diff install. Someone without any finesse was handling those axles on the removal and install.

And no, the slave cylinder has nothing to do with the trans fluid leak. Two independent systems. Just forget about it now.

 

Surely you asked to see the defective slave cylinder, right?

If not, then I advise you in future to always ask the shop to keep the defective parts so that you can view them afterwards and they can show you why it needed replacing.

This simple act, in future, will save you future headaches and possibly financial suffering.

 

But really forget about the slave cylinder.... Mr. Butterfingers worked on your diff install and made your transmission a leaker!!!!

 

Thanks very much for the replies. Yes, they did show me the slave cylinder and the rubber boot was pushed back off the end of the rod, but I'm skeptical that had actually happened while it was installed on the car. I don't think there was anything wrong with the part because I wasn't experiencing any problems with the clutch. And if someone wanted to be sneaky about it they could just push the rubber boot back and say, "See, this was the problem."

They claimed that the fluid leaking out of the bottom of the case and around the clutch slave cylinder was brake/clutch fluid, not differential fluid. But brake fluid has a much different feel and viscosity from differential fluid, which is more like motor oil in texture.

 

I agree with you and V10climber and that's exactly what I mentioned in my email to the shop. I believe that the seal was nicked either while removing or re-installing the axle. This isn't shear coincidence that my axle seal sprung a leak 4 weeks after the install. The seal was probably nicked and over the course of a few weeks it got worse and then completely failed.

The shop claims that it probably failed due to normal wear and tear and vibrations from driving it, but I call BS. It's much more likely this failure is a result of something with the install not going as planned.

At this point, it's my word against his and I'm not sure where to go from here. He's offering to repair it, but I'd have to pay for everything. Doesn't seem like his warranty means anything when it comes time to consider honoring it. He's offering giving me a $71 break on the labor which was the cost for installing the clutch slave cylinder. I've asked him to reconsider with a more reasonable offer. Maybe BBB is my next move, but I don't know how much clout that carries.

 

Wow! What a deal. I'll bet ANY shop will repair it if you pay for everything.

 

LOL. And he said he's willing to work with me. I said basically the same thing about the sweet deal and I have yet to hear back.

 

... and you can take a hot steaming **** on his doorstep. Sounds like a deal to me. People that own shops like this are often good mechanics but much worse businessmen.

 

Figured I could do this myself. Famous last words...

I have the new seal, but the old one is not coming out. I have a seal puller, but all that did was pretty much mangle the seal. Doesn't seem to be much room for a pry bar. I don't want to damage anything. Seems like even if the transmission were removed this would be difficult. I'm guessing there's a tool that would make this a cinch.

Should I spray PB Blaster on it and let it sit overnight? I don't even know if that would help.

 

Went out and snapped a photo of the Bentley manual for ya. Of course BMW had a special tool for it. Might be able to use a pilot bearing puller. Just make sure you don't scratch the outer seal surface so you don't have leaks in the future.

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/dvqz1vqiiiytt2w/fgM23qaEPc

Edit: let me know if that link doesn't work. Posted it from my phone...

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using NAMotoring

 

Does that tool just expand to grip it? If so a reverse style pliers could work also.

If the seals are so cheap why didn't the shop replace the seals (and charge you for it) when they had it all apart to prevent this. It seems like they lost a customer over what should be standard practice.

 

Wow, THANK YOU! What I wouldn't give for that tool right now. Probably takes about 30 seconds to pull it. I'll do a search for a pilot bearing puller. Thanks again.

 

Looking those instructions again. Says the seal should be flush w/ the diff case. The one in my car got driven in about 1/8" too far. Hopefully that bearing puller is available someplace. If not, I see a flat bed tow truck in my future.

 

Yeah often there is a very small drain hole in the seal surface. If the seal gets driven in all the way it can cover that hole. I don't know if the mini axle seals are like that but probably best to just follow the directions. Pilot bearing puller would be what I try first. If that doesn't work it seems like you should be able to figure something out. Can't get a flathead screwdriver in there and lever it out? Might be able to make something too. Harbor freight has a pilot bearing puller. An auto parts store like advance auto parts probably has one in their loaner tool set as well. Keep us updated. Good luck!

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using NAMotoring

 

Thanks for the support. Since I was trying to do this in the parking lot of our townhouse right next to the neighbors' cars, looks like I'm going to throw in the towel on this one. Today was the first time I got to work on a car in the rain! At this point I will have been out of a car for about a week and I just want to get it fixed.

If I had that tool it actually would have been a pretty quick turnaround. Instead of completely removing the axle, I just backed it out from the case, wrapped a towel around the end of it to prevent damage, and bungeed it out of the way. I re-installed everything, but now the seal is badly mangled, so I'll have to tow truck it to the repair shop.

Ah well, this is basically my toy, so I have to accept that it's going to be a lot more expensive sometimes than my wife's trusty Civic. I predict that I'll be living on baked beans and Ramen noodles for a few months.

 

It appears there was a lot of preventive/while-you're-in-there type of stuff that that particular shop hasn't made part of their installs. Unfortunately, it seems that the consumer has to be fairly well informed before going into an extensive install like this one. You have to know what questions to ask and ask them what their plan is and then when the work is done it's wise to check things over as closely as possible.

Hell, when I received my car from the Mini dealership for warranty work it was all jacked up. A typical owner wouldn't have noticed that the airbox intake tube wasn't connected, a fuel line was re-routed incorrectly, and that one of the spark plugs was loose! Amazing. Yes, the dealership got an ear-full via their customer service survey, but of course I never heard much more about it than a generic follow up via email.

 

Yes it does sound like the shop screwed up and I would not go back for the obvious reasons.

Here in CA. there is the BAR(Bureau of Automotive Repair)which you call for repair complaints.