Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Leaks: How Serious are they?

In one or two of my previous posts, we’ve talked about urgent and not-so-urgent repairs that every driver needs to know so that he can make a wise decision when he brings his car to an auto repair shop and is informed about a problem he doesn’t know is existing. Now, let’s take a look at one of these possible problems: a leak.

A leak is probably one of the most common problems that thousands of drivers encounter daily—leaking coolant, leaking oil, even leaking fuel. These actually seem very simple problems, but leaks can be the beginning of a major damage or even hazard.

An oil leak is relatively safe, as long as you notice it and you top the oil now and then to ensure that you replace the lost one. The only problem that you might encounter here is complete oil loss, which can lead to the damage of the engine because of loss of lubrication.

Another is coolant leak. Like oil loss, you won’t have any problem as long as you top it off and prevent it from getting totally depleted. When the latter happens, you’ll have a great likelihood of being stranded at the side of the road because of engine overheating. Engine damage may also result.

Fuel leak is a completely different story. No matter how small the leak, it has to be addressed, and fast. Why? All it takes is a drop of fuel for a fire to occur, and possibly lead to an explosion. So, wherever it’s leaking, it should be fixed fast.

There’s also a brake fluid leak, which must be addressed immediately to avoid compromising the efficiency of the brakes. Otherwise, accidents are also possible.

Very common, yes, but leaks are small problems that can just be the beginning of a bigger problem if they are ignored. So, they should be addressed at once.

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