Timing chain cover oil leak

My aftermarket (sold at dealership) extended warranty covered my $3200 timing cover leak repair. Mine was taken apart from the bottom up without pulling engine.

 

This timing cover leak in the 3.5 V6 is prevalent across all Toyota/Lexus models. We had it in our 07 Lexus ES350, and now in our 18 RX350. Have seen also seen it in Camry and Rav4 forums. It seeps where the right bank head and timing cover meet. On most engines it is just a seep. You may never notice the oil level drop on the dip stick because of it. I never have. Eventually it did on the ES but that was at 200K+ due to worn piston rings. It is covered under warranty but probably better to ignore it and just keep the area clean. Many have reported the leak returning. It can be controlled to en extent by going thicker oil.

 

I asked this question of my shop-owner buddy who specializes in Japanese vehicles.

I asked "why no gasket" and he said all the makers eventually figured out that a true metal-to-metal surface with some some fancy sealant lasted longer than a gasket.
He said Nissan was the last to figure this out, before they went to no-gasket precision surfaces.

He also said the weep is many cases is minuscule, a few drops.
For myself, I will tolerate this to avoid the stealership hauling the engine out, or otherwise screwing something up that would otherwise be OK.
Unless the weep is chronic, it's a sleeping dog that I won't bother to kick.