There is an accumulation of droplet marks on the asphalt of my parking space in my town-home neighborhood. Every fiber in my body is screaming “no!!!” (I don’t make generous paychecks), but if there is an elephant in the room…you need to look at it. I took my car in today to a shop that has been voted “best in Maryland” a couple times and they are going to inspect every nook and cranny of the car, just because this car was a hand-me-down and I want peace of mind.
How much does the standard oil leak repair set you back?
No one can answer that until it is known where it is leaking from. Could range from $100 up to $1000+. Sorry I can’t be more specific.
How much oil are you using (in miles per quart)? You’ll want to check more frequently now. Are you sure it’s oil? It could be transmission fluid, power steering fluid, or coolant, too.
Depends on what’s leaking.
If it’s the drain plug, it’ll be cheap. Especially if it’s a nylon washer that needs replacing. If they tell you a new oil pan is needed GO ELSEWHERE!!! This seems to be the latest way of stealing money. Even a stripped bung hole can be cheaply repaired.
If the seepage is around the oil pan and they tell you you need a new pan gasket GO ELSEWHERE!!! Oil seeps past oilpan and valve cover gaskets due to pressure in the crankcase not being properly relieved by being drawn into the induction system, often due to a plugged PCV valve. Granted, the gaskets get tired, but replacing an oil pan gasket can require a lot of disassembly underneath the vehicle, and it can get expensive. Not worth doing IMHO.
If it’s seepage around the valve cover gasket(s) (what kind of car is this again?) it might be as simple as a new PCV valves and new valve cover gaskets, modestly priced.
If it’s from the main and/or cam seals, and it’s a timing belt engine, expect the cost to be in the hundreds… 'cause the water pump SHOULD be replaced along with the timing belt and tensioner when the crank seals is changed. And oil can cause a timing belt to fail prematurely, so if it’s a seal it should be repaired.
Also, monitor your oil level. No engine ever got damaged due to an oil leak unless the level was allowed to drop below the oil pump’s pickup tube. As long as the pump has an oil supply, the internals will be properly lubricated.
Of course, if you have a Ferrari, ignore everything I’ve said and get ready to mortgage your house…
So, again, what kind of car do you have and how many miles are on it?
As has already been said, nobody from afar could provide an accurate answer this question in regard to a mystery vehicle that we cannot examine.
If you don’t understand why this is so, try to think of your question in human medical terms.
If you phone your doctor and ask, “How much does it cost to cure me of headaches?”, he/she will be unable to give an accurate response, simply because w/o examination and diagnostic testing, nobody could possibly know if you have cluster headaches, or sinus headaches, or migraine headaches or…God forbid…if you have a brain tumor.
Only after examination, diagnostic tests, and informed interpretation of the information that was gathered could your M.D. even hazard a guess, and…believe it or not…diagnosing an automotive problem can be equally difficult–especially when we have no idea about…
the make, model, model year, and odometer mileage of the vehicle…
the maintenance history of the vehicle…
and…
when we are unable to examine the vehicle.
I’m sorry but nobody can possibly answer your question with any hope of accuracy at this point.