Hey fans and people who just want to be in the know!
Have you ever had a shop tell say that you had an oil leak, but yet you never see any oil on your driveway or in your garage? It makes you wonder what they are looking at. If you are a client of Toole's Garage, you already know that we send pictures so you can see what we are looking at. Just because an engine or transmission has an oil leak doesn't necessarily mean it will travel and hit the ground.
Sometimes these pesky oil leaks will slowly seep down the sides of the engine or transmission and get enough dirt and debris stuck to it to where it just puts a coating on everything. The reason shops will recommend doing oil leak repairs is because when the oil gets on any rubber components, like control arm bushings, engine mounts, or strut bushings, it will cause the rubber to deteriorate.
Most cars of todays oil sealing gaskets are made out of rubber. They do a fantastic job of keeping engines fairly leak free. The rubber however, over time, will turn to a plastic type state and will lose its sealing capabilities. This is what causes engines or transmissions to leak oil/fluid. If your shop is doing a great job of keeping an eye on your vehicles future for you, they will notice these things start to seep. That is usually a good opportunity to replace the gaskets before they become a leak which may cause other components harm. Another reason that our shop likes to have oil leaks that are a little more severe repaired, is to just keep the oil from hitting the ground. If at all possible we would love to see the oil do its job inside the engine, have us drain it out periodically, and send to recycle. Eliminate the oil getting into the Earth..