If you’ve noticed a pool or even streak of oil underneath your car, it can be very frustrating and worrying when you don’t know what the cause is. Looking underneath the car for drips may isolate the area (and confirm it’s your car not someone else who parked there beforehand) but you may still feel clueless as to the cause. Here we’ll explain a few of the main possibilities for oil leaks on your car and remind you to get it checked out by a professional mechanic as soon as possible to prevent a car breakdown.
Possible causes for leaking oil on your car
Valve Gasket failure
Leaking oil could be a sign of your Valve Gasket wearing. Over time, doing many miles can put strain on this part, causing wear and tear producing small oil leaks. It’s best to speak to your nearest mechanic if this is the issue so they can check it out. The sooner you can get this checked the better.
Oil Drain Plug leaking
This is a tricky one to diagnose for a non-mechanically minded car owner but your local garage should be able to spot it right away. A leaking oil drain plug on your car could be caused by simply a loose plug or the thread on the plug wearing over time. This plug is removed during an oil change to allow the old oil to flow out, so if this has been done recently you may find the plug was loosely replaced.
Oil Filter worn or damaged
Slightly less of a concern for regularly serviced cars but a worn or damaged oil filter can be the cause of oil leaks. If you haven’t had this filter replaced recently then this could be the issue and is relatively simple to fix the oil leak by replacing the oil filter – plus it’s less costly than the other issues.
What should I do to stop the car oil leak?
Whilst these are some of the common causes of oil leaks this is not a comprehensive list and your oil leak could be completely different cause. We do recommend you get your vehicle checked out by a mechanic or local car repair garage and if you’re in the Radstock or Bath area please give us a call on or contact us via our online form to book an appointment. We’ll even set you up with a courtesy car whilst your car’s being repaired.