Hello! and a question about front axle seal~

[tercel_man]

hey guys, nice site here!
i started owning a 97 tercel recently and it's a sweet sweet little car, absolutely love it!
and then my friends told me about this forum and here i am, putting my first post up saying a big HELLO to everyone~

unfortunately, my first post also comes with a question about my tercel...
recently, i took it to a mechanic for some winter servicing and the mechanic told me that my right front axle is leaking trasmission fluid...
i was pretty surprised when he said it, coz i don't think i have seen any oil spots at where i park and whatnot (i assume that's how you check to see if there are leaks in a car?)
but anyways, he said to fix that, it would cost like $250CAD at least, just to put another seal in.

so what are the causes of this leaking? i mean, i have owned this car for less than 3 months and before i bought the car, it was checked and that problem wasn't found (assuming the mechanic did his job)

and also, can i go about without doing anything about it? i guess i can just keep on replacing the trasmission fluid as it gets low, just make sure it doesn't run dry?? coz i am a student and am a bit short on funds, especially after i bought the car and have to pay insurance and yatta yatta, u know what i mean.

thanks guys, looking forward to your replies~

[Tercel GTS]

If you have no spots where you park I wouldn't worry about it at all. Mine leaves a few teaspoons of oil on the concrete every night and takes about a month to leak down far enough to justify me adding to it. Mine is a manual though and adding oil is a little harder than just pouring it in.
I'd wait until the leak is far worse, or when the CV axle needs replacing on that side.
And $250 for labor is outrageous. It's less than an hour job at a shop.

[tercel_man]

thanks tercel gts!
seems like your problem is much worse than mine
well mine is an automatic, so i guess i can just add the transmission fluid in without too much hassle~
i guess i should shop around the garages in town to see where i can get a better deal...