[CL9] Pre-purchase inspection - Left axle seal leak

**cburgs** · 12-11-2013 12:30 AM

I'm in the market for a CL9 and have my eye on an '04 luxury model which is priced at $8500 via a private buyer. It's a manual with 123k km on the clock. It has great service history and recently had its 120k service including the mandatory transmission fluid change. At the time it also had a new clutch installed. Furthermore the car has 11 months of rego left on it. I took it for a test drive and inspected it myself and it seems to be in good nick.

Believing this was slightly too good to be true I paid for an RACQ inspection and, apart from a few cosmetic issues related to minor scratches, the only fault to be reported is a transmission oil leak around the left axle seal area. I've done some research and it appears it might be a result of a poorly completed transmission fluid change at the recent service. Does this sound familiar to anyone who has run into this issue at a similar point in the car's life? I've spoken with the seller and they have agreed to run it past the 120k service mechanic for a diagnostic test of the issue this week before continuing with our negotiations.

I noticed this forum has a wealth of knowledge, so I'm just interested in people's thoughts on this and if there could potentially be a more significant underlying issue that I might need to know about. Thanks in advance!

**aaronng** · 12-11-2013 04:36 AM

The manual transmission fluid change does not affect the axle seal, unless in the process of taking off the plastic undertray they managed to bash the axle. Even so, the axle is designed to take abuse when driving over uneven road. I reckon the axle seal leak is one of those things that odd part of a car's wear and tear, especially since it is coming up to 10 years soon.

The other explanation is that they didn't remove the undertray fully during the transmission fluid change and the used oil got on it and the subframe. Happens to me when I change my transmission fluid, which would look like a leak.

**cburgs** · 17-11-2013 10:45 PM

Thanks for the insight aaron. The mechanic ran a diagnostic on the fault and it was found to be caused by poor handling during the transmission fluid changeover. I went ahead with the purchase and am a very happy buyer right now!