swimrr

Just had an inspection done at the dealer and they told me the rear differential seal is leaking. Is this hard to replace and can anyone point me to a good DIY?

TIA

BimmerFan52

Assuming it is the output shaft seal, here is a DIY courtesy of pcy.
https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...n52b30-116995/

pcy

It has been more than 2 years since I replaced that seal, and no leaks. Anyone can do this job with a set of jack stands, jack, few wrenches, and couple of hours of time (even if you go slow and take your time).

swimrr

Thanks guys. I'm going to get under the car and have a look. Hopefully it will be obvious that it's the output seal. The dealer has quoted $700 for the job.

swimrr

Well, it does look like it's the output seal. Do I need to do both at the same time or just the one that is leaking? The online rep at ECS said this is a complex part to replace, not only to access but you need a special tool to seat the seal correctly.

pcy

You only need to replace the seal on one side (the side that's leaking). No need to do the other side.

It's not a complex job to replace the seal. Remove few bolts, move the half shaft to the side, remove and replace the seal, put back the half-shaft and put back all the bolts. Any mechanic can do this job in 2 to 3 hours MAX.