Car: '06 IS250

I was told by the Toyota dealer that both of my rear axles were leaking oil/grease.

Questions:
1. I was quoted almost $1400 to replace both of them. Is that reasonable?
2. How long can I wait to get them done? Would there be a catastrophic failure?
3. Is this a relatively simple job to do? I.e. would I be ok letting another garage do the work?

Thanks!

 

Is the leak coming from the cv boots on the axles or the axle seal where the axle goes into the
differential? It would be very unusual for the cv boots on the rear axles to go bad, especially on
both axles. Can you get under the car to look for the leaks? If not I would take the car to a
different shop to get a second opinion.

To answer your questions:
1. Both rear axles and seals could be purchased for about $200 from Rockauto, labor though
could be pricey depending on the shop.
2. If the cv boots are leaking its not going to lead to major failure, but if the axle/diff seal is leaking that may
lead to differential failure.
3. Yes its a relatively simple job that any shop should be able to do.

 

Is grease being pushing out of the boots because of a loose metal band strap? If so, you can purchase fresh grease and new band straps. As long as you're not hearing odd noises yet out of the half shafts, your CV joints should be fine.

 

That quote I believe is with aftermarket axles which Lexus will order and install at the customer's request.

 

I thought so too. I did check however. From what I could see it looked like there was evidence of leaks on the boots where the wheels are.

 

Axles were about $600 according to Toyota.