<p>Reader Question

I took my old Chevy Lumina APV van in 2 months ago and had tranny rebuilt,had bought a certified 33,000 mile engine that I purchased installed as well. Prepped the engine myself last winter,put new oil pan gasket and valve cover gaskets,plugs,wires,water pump,pcv,and thermostat in.

Told rebuild shop had front and rear Felpro seals and was afraid to install them myself,they said no problem,they would pop them in during overhaul. Dropped off,they advised new tranny mounts,heater and water hoses and tie rod ends,got themno problem.

Got van back but within week started leaking oil,figured I put pan gasket in wrong so I bought a new one and dropped it off at another trusted mechanic that does not do big jobs,he said oil was not from pan,but rear seal,called shop and told them when they caught up they would bring it in,picked up a ready sleeve that my friend recommended and gave them that as well.

They called Saturday and said it is the rear seal and they are pulling tranny to fix,told them they were the pro’s so if they wanted to use the ready sleeve or not was up to them,they said if crank was scored they would need it,now I am wondering if they are going to try and charge me for new seal repair?12 month warranty,and did not sign any work order so just want your advice as to what to say if they want to charge me for the repair when car was only one month in to warranty when leak started,car runs great,but seal started to leak more and more and had to be fixed after pumping $3000 in to a new drive train. please advise,Thanks Craig

Hey there Craig,

This is going to be a TOUGH call. I have had a few similar issues at my shop, and I just did the work for free and went on with life, but that is not easy to do. Felpro will not give them any labor reimbursement, or I was never able to get them to pay me anyway.

If they want your future business, they will just right it off and repair it. It could be a faulty seal, and not the fault of the shop or mechanic. Since you did provide the seals, they COULD say it is your problem and you deal with Felpro. You might have to kick in a little cash to the mechanic for his time???? Let’s hope another seal fixes the problem and nothing else is needed. Make darn sure they check the crankshaft for burs or a worn spot or anything that could damage the new seal.

Keep me posted will ya, I would like to know how they handled this and what the repair was…….and did it work.

Blessings,

Austin Davis