Posted on 3/7/2024
Oil leak - when is it a problem? Shops often find oil leaks when doing maintenance or repair on a car. So how does the technician accurately describe the leak and how severe it is and how serious it is? Oil leaks can range across the full continuum from effectively dry to fluid continuously running out and onto the ground. One end of the continuum is not serious at all and the other end is very serious as the component itself (engine, transmission, differential) may be damaged by a lack of lubrication, leading to very expensive repairs. The severity of the oil leak needs to be described in some system that makes sense for the technician and the service advisor and then the service advisor needs to be able to relate the information to the customer in such a way that the customer can make a reasonable decision about resolving the leak now versus waiting. The Society of Automotive Engineers has previously produced this chart: This chart is a good beginning in h ... read more