Subaru Repair: Oil Pump Gasket Replacement, legacy outback, oil stains


Question
My 1998 Legacy Outback Ltd. was towed into dealership due to overheating.  They diagnosed the problem that the radiator hose clamp had broken, causing radiator to leak and overheat.  Not as bad as I thought, only about $150.00.  Now they tell me, we also found that a gasket around the oil pump was leaking.  I said I never noticed oil stains on my garage floor.  Answer was that oil probably hit hot engine and evaporated.  Cost to replace gasket, 3 hours of labor plus parts, OVER $300.00!  Is this reasonable?
Thank you so much!

Answer
The overheating of your engine probably damaged the vunerable oil seals in the front of engine. Replacing these seals requires the removal of your timing belt, so $300 is not unreasable. Consider having them replacing the cam seals while they're in there. The added expense should be minimal, and it could save you another $300 if they should fail in the future.