Knowing What to Do When Your Car Leaks Oil
I cannot pin point an oil leak on your car without looking at your car, but I can feed you with the information that will help you decide how urgent it is to fix. During my years in the auto industry I was able to meet an array of people and see how they were with their knowledge of cars. Some were very limited and there were the very few that could rebuild their own car, but just didn’t have the time.
The two words that 90% of my customers would always cringe at were “oil leak.” There are different grades on just how bad or how urgently an oil leak needs replacing. I’m not going to get extremely technical, but I will give you some facts that I hope empower you the next time you get quoted with an enormous “car maintenance needed” sheet of paper by your service advisor.
First, let’s talk about your oil level and how fast the oil leaks out. On most cars manufactured since the early sixties, an oil dipstick will have two marks on the bottom. The top mark is “full” and the bottom mark is “low” or “fill.” The difference between these two marks is exactly one quart of oil. So if you are on the “low” or “fill” mark, then the oil level will be at the “full” mark after you ad exactly one quart of oil. Most cars and trucks hold between 4 to 6 quarts of oil.
So, how much oil are you leaking out and how long does it take to leak out? That is your biggest concern. If you are leaking oil and going through a quart or more between every oil changes, or every 3,000 miles, then you are leaking out enough that should be repaired. If oil is leaking onto your exhaust and smelling bad then you should also consider making a repair. Although, this is not extremely likely to happen, it can and does happen. Oil on your exhaust pipe in excess can start a car fire!
But, what if you’re not having that much oil leak out or don’t even see a leak? Then, your leak is much less urgent of a repair. Over time the leak will get worse but there is no timetable on how long that will be. You will just need to keep an eye on your oil level. I have heard many people tell me the they were told they had an oil leak at a dealer but they “have never seen any oil on the ground.” This is because oil will mate with dirt and road debris on the engine and stick to it when there is a slow leak.
So, if you’re strapped for money and can’t afford to fix your leaky car, then you can probably afford to wait if your leak is small and slow. If you are strapped for cash and need to fix it right away, then it may not be beyond you learning skills to fix it yourself. Find some information and learn what it takes to fix your problem. If you don’t end up fixing it yourself, then the information will at least let you know what is involved in the repair process, so you don’t get ripped off at your repair facility.
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