# Oil Leak

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-leak/36995>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** pontiac, oil, leaks\
**Created:** [September 22, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-leak/36995 "2009-09-22T17:39:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![curious1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/41988e/32.png) [@curious1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/curious1)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-leak/36995/1 "2009-09-22T17:39:55Z")

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Hi,  
  
 I took my Pontiac Grand Prix in to a local repair chain to get the oil leak fixed. Before repair they wiped everything down to determine where the leak was coming from and concluded I needed to have the transmission gaskets replaced. Almost $600 and two weeks later the leak returned. When I took it back they said the leak is now coming from the oil pan and possibly the manifold and estimated it would cost around $1,000 to fix both. Since my car is old, is it possible that a new leak has occurred or am I dealing with quacks? Is it possible to tell for sure where an oil leak is coming from? Should I get another estimate somewhere else to confirm their diagnosis?  
  
 Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Roadrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@Roadrunner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Roadrunner)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-leak/36995/2 "2009-09-22T19:02:39Z")

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Different colored dyes can be added to the fluids to see which is leaking.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![curious1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/41988e/32.png) [@curious1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/curious1)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-leak/36995/3 "2009-09-22T19:17:12Z")

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Thanks. Most places charge about $75 and up for that kind of diagnosis. Is that a worthwhile investment over the “free” estimates?

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**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil-leak/36995/4 "2009-09-22T20:41:24Z")

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Different colored dyes? The first was a transmission leak with red fluid for $600. The second time they are talking about an engine oil leak which will be black. You don’t need dye to tell the difference in engine oil or trans fluid. These people don’t know what they are doing. You probably just have a pan gasket leak or loose bolts. Of course it is possible that you have a rear main seal leak where the engine mounts to the transmission that could cause a little confusion but they should have known better. At least get a second opinion and you may have some recourse on the first shop.