Auto Repair: What’s Leaking Under My Car?

Let’s face it, there are many things that can go wrong with your vehicle, and the first tell-tale signs of problems are often overlooked. However, one sign to watch out for if you want to avoid a costly car repair bill in the future is what is leaking under your vehicle.

Car leaks can be subtle, and unless you are constantly parking in the same spot, you may not detect them. Or you just hope or presume that any leak is okay and if your vehicle is still running you just don’t care much about it. However, a leak is your car’s way of telling you something is wrong and the sooner you address the problem, the better your car repair prospects.

There are some basic fluids that go into every vehicle to keep it running smoothly and these fluids should ideally not leak. Oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and radiant coolant are some of these fluids. In general, you can tell what is leaking by the color of the liquid and where it is leaking from if you can determine a location.

If the liquid is bright green, it is probably radiant coolant. However, if you don’t change your radiant coolant every 3,500 miles, the fluid can be a light to medium brown color that can be a bit more difficult to identify.

Windshield washer fluid can be any color from green, pink, yellow or orange and finding this leak is usually just the result of overfilling the holding tank.

The red fluid is usually power steering fluid which will affect your ability to handle steering in your car, or it can be transmission fluid. Either way, if your car has a red leak, you need a mechanic to check it out and diagnose what is leaking and why before your car stops running.

Brake oil can be a clear oily substance or it can be yellow or brown in color, depending on how old you are. You will usually find it next to the wheels of your car if it is brake oil. If your brake oil is leaking, it is probably due to a problem with the master cylinder, and the brakes may have trouble working properly if you continue to drive.

Amber liquid can be fresh oil, while brown or black liquid can be used oil. An oil leak is usually the most common fluid leak and can be the result of a wide variety of auto repair problems.

In short, unless you know that the leak is simply windshield wiper fluid, which is the only leak you can really ignore, the general rule of thumb is to have your leak diagnosed by a mechanic and make sure it is not an indicator of a larger problem at the future.