Dealer says timing cover is leaking oil, what should I do?

[tmontague]

I would highly recommend cleaning the area thoroughly with degreaser/brake cleaner and then recheck in a week or so.

If you cannot do this yourself then have an indie mechanic do it and it will likely cost very little.

Not only will this give you an idea of if this area truly is leaking, but also how much. It could very well just be a weep and it would not be worth fixing.

If it is leaking a fair amount then you could have it fixed, but the job will cost a bit as it isn't the simplest of jobs with the engine still in the vehicle.

My old Pontiac Vibe with the 1zz had a timing cover "leak" for the 4 years I owned it. It barely dripped and I never bothered re sealing it. You can also run a high mileage oil which will slow it down a bit.