Transmission Leak

[lightdisc2]

Recently got a new clutch on my 08 Toyota Yaris manual. I was told today by a trustworthy mechanic that the transmission has a slight leak. I now noticed these small puddles under my car you can see in the picture. I have yet to see any fluid actively leaking when looking under the car. My mechanic said he would just have to keep it topped off. Does this sound right, or what do you think based on the photos? I am fairly inexperienced at car repair. Is this leak a potential issue for the pavement I am parked on (it is covered parking)? Thanks.underyaris.jpeg

[esse10]

They usually leak at the axle seals. You might just need to replace those. the axles come out easily after disconnecting them off the wheel rotors. You do need to remove all the fluid though before tapping the axles off.

[lightdisc2]

Originally Posted by esse10

They usually leak at the axle seals. You might just need to replace those. the axles come out easily after disconnecting them off the wheel rotors. You do need to remove all the fluid though before tapping the axles off.

This mechanic actually did both CV axles at the time of doing the clutch. He is very reliable so I trust he knows it is coming from the transmission. Mostly I am looking for anyone's experience with this slight of a leak from the transmission, and if it means it will need replaced anytime soon, which unfortunately would mean a new car for me. I did probably wait a little too long to replace the clutch, it was at about 225k miles and 3rd gear was slipping badly.

[komichal]

Changing CV axle does not automatically mean changing the seal. It is a separate job, very convenient to be done at the same time, but nobody does that until the seal starts to leak. I do not know why. Personal experience.

Until somebody finds 15 minutes to jack the car up and take a look where the oil is coming from then it is not possible to determine the problem. Honestly, there are not many places where the gearbox oil can leak from.

[lightdisc2]

Originally Posted by komichal

Changing CV axle does not automatically mean changing the seal. It is a separate job, very convenient to be done at the same time, but nobody does that until the seal starts to leak. I do not know why. Personal experience.

Until somebody finds 15 minutes to jack the car up and take a look where the oil is coming from then it is not possible to determine the problem. Honestly, there are not many places where the gearbox oil can leak from.

I'm going to have someone else look at it in a week or two to try to determine exactly where it's coming from. I'll have them check the axle seals, too.

[lightdisc2]

I had it looked at and was told there is a slight leak likely coming from one of the axle seals, but that it's not worth replacing and that replacing it could actually worsen the leak.