Honda Repair: 1996 Hoinda Accord timebelt non vtec, valve cover gasket, cam shaft

Question
Hi Bill,
I just had my 1996  accord timing belt and water pump replaced. After my mechanic put it back together it had an oil leak.  I  paid him again to replace the oil pump gasket, he also replaced the valve cover gasket. He put it back together and now it appears the cam shaft seal is leaking. Are there any more seals that should have been replaced right from the start? What seals do you replace when you do the accord timing belts and what are suppose to be replaced when the timing belt is replaced. My accord has 147,000 miles and runs like a clock and did not have one drop of oil leaking when I brought it to him. He is now offering to replace the camshaft seal for half the labor hours it would take to replace, from my standpoint he has lost my business because he didnt do it right in the 1st place. A $400 dollar job has ballooned into a $900+ job.  What are your thoughts?

Answer
Craig:
Honda recommends replacing the water pump and timing belt, even if the water pump is not leaking, no mention of oil pump or camshaft seal. I highly recommend replacing water pump and timing belt from personal experience.  It seems strange that the oil pump gasket went bad and the camshaft seal. I would bet that there was nothing wrong with the oil pump gasket and your mechanic did not diagnosis the oil leak properly, and he guessed wrong. I can speak from experience on this as I went to fix an oil leak and I thought it was the camshaft seal when it was the oil pump. This is why I do a lot of the work myself; it is hard to find a mechanic that is trustworthy. He should replace the seal for the cost of the seal, about $10, and eat the labor. Your problem is now you need to find someone else to replace the seal and they are going to charge full price. Tell him you are a little tight on money since you have spent more than double what you expected and see if he will take something less than half, all he can say is no. Even if he charges half, take the offer and let him fix it, then find a new mechanic. Realize that this is just my opinion and I did not work on the car so it is possible this is just a coincidence (yeah, right).
Hope this helps. Let me know how this turns out.
Bill