opinions needed on my oil leak repair estimate

[tylerho]

Back a couple of months ago I put out a post out about my car leaking oil onto my subframe. I just found out that the Valve cover gasket was causing the leak. I am not capable of doing this work. My family trusted mechanic put out a quote to fix the leak.
He said that I need a new valve cover gasket and if i wanted to make sure I could also replace the oil pan gasket since i still have the original that was never replaced and I am due for an oil change soon.

The grand total he told me is $250. That includes:
OEM valve cover gasket
spark plug cover seals
and the oil pan gasket.

For the oil I was planning to go with the Mobil 1 Extended Performance that goes up to 15k, I am moving closer to my school's campus and I could walk everyday.

What are you opinions about his pricing and Mobil 1 Extended Performance.
Hope to hear what you guys think of the price my mechanic gave me.
Thanks

[pmesfun]

Thats not bad.

It's possible the oil pan leak could just be oil coming down from the valve cover leak. What engine do you have?

[projektvertx]

Is this a V6? If so, that seems very well priced considering the work involved and the fact that he's supplying the parts. I'm not a big fan of extended oil change intervals, like 15K miles. I would run a synthetic, good filter, and push 5K or 7.5K miles, depending on the car's usage cycle (city vs. highway).

[tylerho]

Originally Posted by pmesfun

Thats not bad.

It's possible the oil pan leak could just be oil coming down from the valve cover leak. What engine do you have?

Originally Posted by projektvertx

Is this a V6? If so, that seems very well priced considering the work involved and the fact that he's supplying the parts. I'm not a big fan of extended oil change intervals, like 15K miles. I would run a synthetic, good filter, and push 5K or 7.5K miles, depending on the car's usage cycle (city vs. highway).

I have the v6 1MZFE. I forgot I have to supply my own oil and filter. I might just use Mobil 1 High mileage.

[projektvertx]

At 250$, that's a REALLY good deal on the 1MZ. Keep in mind however, that the oil pan is Toyota's "Form In Place Gasket", or FIPG. Since the mechanic will need some for the valve cover gaskets either way, I would pick up a tube for him

As Pmesfun mentionned, the valve covers may be mocking as an oil pan leak. There is also a gasket between the oil filter adapter and the engine block that when it fails, may also mock as a oil pan leak

[tylerho]

Originally Posted by projektvertx

At 250$, that's a REALLY good deal on the 1MZ. Keep in mind however, that the oil pan is Toyota's "Form In Place Gasket", or FIPG. Since the mechanic will need some for the valve cover gaskets either way, I would pick up a tube for him

As Pmesfun mentionned, the valve covers may be mocking as an oil pan leak. There is also a gasket between the oil filter adapter and the engine block that when it fails, may also mock as a oil pan leak

Thanks for the heads up I'll pick some up for him tomorrow. Hes been my families mechanic for a really long time now and he said he'll give me the best price possible.

[JohnGD]

$250 is a very good deal. However, your mechanic should use new valve cover bolts too, or add a couple of washers to old bolts like one member did in a thread (see message #5 below). The mechanic should also reseal the semi-circular plugs.
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh....php?p=3030004

Getting to the rear bank on the V6 is always a problem. However, the oil pan on this (and many other engines) are two-piece. There is an upper pan and a lower pan. The lower pan is no problem, but the upper pan requires removing the exhaust pipe directly under, which is likely the hardest part of all because of seized nuts and snapped studs. If he thinks the lower pan may be leaking then not doing the upper pan is doing half a job.

Originally Posted by tylerho

Back a couple of months ago I put out a post out about my car leaking oil onto my subframe. I just found out that the Valve cover gasket was causing the leak. I am not capable of doing this work. My family trusted mechanic put out a quote to fix the leak.
He said that I need a new valve cover gasket and if i wanted to make sure I could also replace the oil pan gasket since i still have the original that was never replaced and I am due for an oil change soon.

The grand total he told me is $250. That includes:
OEM valve cover gasket
spark plug cover seals
and the oil pan gasket.

For the oil I was planning to go with the Mobil 1 Extended Performance that goes up to 15k, I am moving closer to my school's campus and I could walk everyday.

What are you opinions about his pricing and Mobil 1 Extended Performance.
Hope to hear what you guys think of the price my mechanic gave me.
Thanks

[pmesfun]

Originally Posted by tylerho

I have the v6 1MZFE. I forgot I have to supply my own oil and filter. I might just use Mobil 1 High mileage.

Mobil 1 Super High Mileage is on sale @ $2.49/qt at Oreilly's until tomorrow.

This is the front valve cover gasket I'm assuming. The coolant needs to be drained because the upper rad hose needs to be removed. Consider picking up a gallon of coolant, or if the current coolant is not that old you can reuse.