Those of you who have 97 maximas with manual transmissions and have been following eric's transmission updates probably know what's coming next. My drive shaft seal is leaking and there is play in the left axle shaft which means that my differential bearing is worn (at 66,000 miles). I've been quoted a price of $1200 to have it fixed but was hoping you guys might know of a cheaper option. Are there other aftermarket upgrades I could do to prevent this from happening again or am I just stuck fixing the problem? Is this a fair price for the repair? Any one know of a good mechanic in the SF Bay Area?

Thanks!

 

Sorry, can't reccomend anyone in SF area. I'm on east coast. I would shop the work around and look for a better price. It will be somewhat expensive. The seal itself is pretty cheap, but as always... the labor. I don't know what the price of the bearing would be but I wouldn't imagine it would be that bad. IF you're mechanically inclined you could maybe do the work yourself??? I'm pretty sure your car will need an alignment after you yank the driveshaft so keep that in mind. Good luck and sorry this post really wasn't any help.