We’ve all seen them—those spots on the driveway or on our garage floor when we move our vehicles.

Not only are these nasty and problematic to remove, most non-techie people don’t understand where the leak is coming from or what it means. Maybe you have a neighbor who knows it all and tells you it’s just “water condensation.” It’s probably not, and beyond your own driveway—you don’t want to leave nasty spot leaks on someone else’s driveway either.

So, how can you determine what the leaky spot means? We asked a Master Technician to help us better understand out spots!

Identifying the Fluids

First, you need to identify the fluid that is leaking. Our technician told us to place a pretty ample piece of white cardboard under your car. It’s important to put the cardboard in the place you see the spot. Now, go off to dinner and bed and let it sit overnight.

In the morning, carefully slide the cardboard out so you can examine the fluid leak or leaks. The color of the spots and their textures can give you a pretty good idea of what may be leaking.

• Engine Oil – If the spot is black and oily, it’s probably engine oil. The best trick to determine this is by using that oil dipstick and placing a few drops of your engine oil next to the spots—if it matches—you now know what it is. Keep an eye on your leak and if the spot is larger than a silver dollar, call your mechanic.

• Transmission Fluid – If your spot is red and oily, it could be transmission fluid. Your car needs this in order for the transmission to run correctly. Have you ever heard the term, “he burned up his tranny?” Well, that’s probably because his transmission fluid leaked or hadn’t been level checked for a while. Visit your repair shop for this type of leak so you don’t cause damage to your transmission, which cost thousands of dollars to replace.

• Coolant Leaks – If the spot is green, yellow and a little oily, you may have a coolant leak. You should be able to identify a small black rubber hose attached to your radiator. Follow the trail of this hose until you find a tank shaped component. This is your coolant recovery tank. If this tank is empty, you have a coolant leak problem so ask your technician to pressure test your coolant system to identify where the system is leaking.

• Brake Fluid – if your spot is oily but clear, it’s probably the brake fluid. These spots are found more by the tires and wheels. Take heed with these types of spots and leaks! Your brakes could fail if you lose all your brake fluid.

• Other Spots – If you have a spot that is clear in color and not oily in texture, it could be your windshield washer fluid or air-conditioning unit. Both of these have hoses and if you can’t see any cracks in the hoses and your vehicle continues to leak, you should have your mechanic check this type of leak out.

Our Master Technician told us that any vehicle can run on “low” fluids but if they get too low in level or diminish all the way (meaning empty), you could do some serious damage to your vehicle. Prevent these leaks by performing regularly scheduled maintenance on your vehicle. Preventative medicine is not only good for you; it’s good for your car and will keep your extended car warranty in force.

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