Differential Pinion Seal Leak

When I last went for an oil change at my local shop, they told me the pinion seal was leaking slightly and to keep an eye on it. This past week, i saw a bit of diff oil on my garage floor, so i went to check it out and sure enough it got worse.
I ended up taking it to the dealership, and they quoted me at 1400 . They claim pinion seal needs to be replaced. They also said the axle seals are worn but not leaking and might as well be replaced while i am at it. I looked around a bit for what price should reasonable but i didn't find much. Any help is appreciated.

Does not look that complicated.

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e92-m3-cou/repair-manuals/33-rear-axle-rear-wheel-drive-guide/33-11-transmission-housing-with-lid/PeahQlD

Drop exhaust, heatshield, driveshaft first, obviously. Dealers are usually the most expensive place for service.

pbonsalb wrote

Does not look that complicated.

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e92-m3-cou/repair-manuals/33-rear-axle-rear-wheel-drive-guide/33-11-transmission-housing-with-lid/PeahQlD

Drop exhaust, heatshield, driveshaft first, obviously. Dealers are usually the most expensive place for service.

If im honest im not very mechanically inclined. Yeah dealerships tend to be highway robbery, but I thought i might ask to see how bad I was getting robbed before making a decision.
They claim it is an 8 hour job for all 3 seals, which again im not sure how true that is

Looks like they would be removing the differential to do this. Depending on miles on your car, there maybe other items to address. Bushings and greasing the driveshaft joint come to mind. They may also recommend replacing the differential bolts. Did they provide a parts list?

You must have some good Indy shops in the Tampa area?

I used this diy for an axle seal, includes instructions for the pinion in case you wanna give it a go. If not, it gives you an idea of the work involved. The cost given sounds like a lot to me but it is the dealership ...


https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1469414

Axle seals are inside the diff so not sure how they determined they were worn unless they did the work to tear it apart just to look. Sounds like bs.

Go to the dealer get it done and you won’t have to worry about it.

M43S7RO wrote

I used this diy for an axle seal, includes instructions for the pinion in case you wanna give it a go. If not, it gives you an idea of the work involved. The cost given sounds like a lot to me but it is the dealership ...


https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1469414

Axle seals are inside the diff so not sure how they determined they were worn unless they did the work to tear it apart just to look. Sounds like bs.

I just had to replace my output shaft this weekend and noticed my driver side seal had a little more play laterally than the passenger side. Maybe that's what the dealership was referring to.

Any more information on the "estimated cost" to have pinion seal replaced? I too noticed a drop of diff fluid on the garage floor and found evidence of some precipitation at the site of the pinion seal? Obviously it will need replacing at some point with my biggest concern being a 400 mile move in a month. It would be great to DIY, but time is a constraint so might just have to use an Indy shop. Thanks for any further input on expected cost!

I recently had the pinion seal replaced for a customer on his 1M(same as e9x m3). Repair was done at a very reputable BMW indy shop, cost was $570.

I think there is a TIS on this. Does not look like a big job.