JD445 Engine Oil Leak

[Gowfster]

I've got a '94 445 with less than 400hrs that has developed an engine oil leak. I had a hard time trying to understand where the leak was occurring, even after degreasing the engine and watching it... I didn't have time to do more, so I dropped it at my local dealer's. He is saying that they think the leak is in the 'front cover' of the engine, and implied that it was almost like splitting the cases (I'm a motorcycle guy) to repair, and that they recommend replacing the cam gear while they are in there, as pre 96 had plastic gear that is known to fail at some point. The cost of this repair was stated at $550, which sounds high to me, but I'd be grateful to anyone who could share opinions on this. I could do the work myself, but time is the issue... just not sure if I'm getting misled.