Why does my garage floor look like a Jackson Pollock painting? Swirls of lubricants and oils, yellow, red and blue. Something is leaking from somewhere and I need to get to the bottom of it before it’s too late. My car is slowly bleeding out and I don’t know what to do. It would be a whole lot cheaper if I could just put a tourniquet on it. And, boy do I wish my mechanic would just accept a co-pay. Before my car runs hot, loses its brakes, or has a transmission that slips due to fluid loss, there is a window of time that the fluids involved are visible around the car. This would be prior to your car’s instrumentation detecting a problem. This is why it is a good idea to walk around your car. Antifreeze will show up in the extreme front of the car, while transmission fluid is usually further back and brake fluid will be found around the perimeter. In addition to fluid leak issues, there are other tell-tale signs of an impending issue with the health of your car. A front end that shakes badly may be due to a bad tire or perhaps suspension issues. Alignment and rotating your tires regularly will make your tires wear evenly and will make them last longer. Axles sometimes begin to make noises which may be the result of a bad wheel bearing or hub. This can be a very costly fix and the longer you let it go, the more expensive it is going to be to fix. The grinding will wear down the metal and at some point, they can’t just be ground down, they will have to be completely replaced. Trust me, I know. The louder the grinding noise gets, the worse the problem is getting. Just like your relationship with that nagging, angry significant other. Either way, turning the music up to drown out the sound will only prolong the problem.
Until next week…take care of your ride. And, in turn, it will take care of you.
Daun Thompson