To seal efficiently, radial shaft seals must run against a smooth, round counter face. If the counter face becomes worn, the seals will no longer be able to fulfil their function, which is to retain lubricant and exclude contaminants. Typically, the counter face becomes scored when a contaminant particle is caught under the sealing lip and abrades a track as the shaft rotates. As this continues, the seal will enable more particles to pass or get stuck, and seal efficiency deteriorates, eventually leading to malfunction of the component that the seal is meant to protect. To rectify the situation, it is necessary to repair the shaft surface since a seal replacement will not be sufficient. To repair the shaft, it is usually necessary to disassemble the machine in order to either replace the shaft or grind down the counter face until it is again within specification.