Remember the
What does this have to do with me? Thinking about your vehicle; ask yourself, “When I park my car, does it leave a little spot of oil on the ground? (Or maybe even a large spot.).” Well, if you answer yes, you may be the land equivalent of Capitan Joseph Hazelwood. One pint of oil will create an acre sized oil slick.
Oil leaks in our daily driver add up to a considerable amount of hazardous materials being added into our environment every day. These seemingly small amounts of waste, when added together with thousands of other fluid leaks, from planes, trains, trucks, cars and boats add up to heaps of oil. I would be willing to guess that annually this would almost equal as much as the
Fluid leaks in cars are a major contributor to pollution on the planet. They soak into the soil, evaporate into the air and wash into our rivers and oceans. Once they’re released from your vehicle in an uncontrolled environment they are virtually impossible to clean up.
What should I be looking for? There are several types of fluids that will leak out of a car. Good examples are; brake fluid, engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, anti-freeze, gear oil and gasoline. When a car comes in to Water Star Motors with an oil leak, for instance, we check the oil level to get an idea how much is missing. It is not uncommon to find these cars being one to three quarts low. This means that as much as one quart of oil a month is flowing into the
Gasoline leaks, too, are especially dangerous. Let’s say a fuel leak has started under your hood. It could be ignited by the engine’s heat or a stray spark. Then, whoosh – time to pull over and exit the burning vehicle.
Make every day Earth Day have your car inspected for oil leaks. Consider repairing fluid leaks a priority!
