Is an oil leak a big deal?

I think my oil has been leaking for months now. I want to take it in to get fixed, but was wondering if anyone knew if this is an expensive repair?Is an oil leak a big deal?
Yes and No.


Depends. could be something simple like a place like wallmart left the filter loose or drainplug not tight enough.


Could be oilsending unit. under a 100 dollar repair. Could be valve cover gasket. Could be oil pan gasket. or could be rear main seal. the range as you see can be as little as 25 bucks to 500 bucks.


Do yourself a LARGE favor. Take it to a shop and have them take a look and then give you a price. Then take it to another shop and have them take a look and give a price.


Do NOT take one shops word for it unless you have known their work for a long long time.


with oil leaks its always best to get 2 opinions as it seems alot of mechanics can never agree on anyting anymore. I owned 3 shops with an average of 10 mechanics in each one. Its very hard to quality control each mechanic. so always get a second opinion.Is an oil leak a big deal?
Felicity, to help you, we need to know a lot more about year/make/model and where the oil is leaking. If you can, park it overnight in a sheltered place (garage) and spread newspapers generously under the whole front end of the car from the bumper to behind the front wheels. This will help you narrow down what part of the powertrain is dripping oil.
It's hard to say....it could be something as simple to fix as a oil filter that's not sealed tightly, or it could be something very expensive to fix like a crack in the engine block....or a lot of other things. Best bet is to get the problem checked by a dealer's garage.
It would all depend on where the oil is leaking from. If it's a valve cover gasket , it pretty cheap to replace.
the price depents were you go


it should get fixed tho
I personally dont know how to repair it but i dont think it is easy. i know that you need to check your oil all of the time because thats what keeps cars running!
It really depends on where the oil is leaking from. It could be something as simple as a loose oil filter or oil pan plug.





Also, check the pan plug gasket.... these wear out after a while and need to be changed out. They are very inexpensive, $2 or less in most cases.





Other common leaks are the valve cover gaskets, which is at the top of the engine, the pan gasket, which is at the bottom of the engine and the main seals, at the front and rear bottom of the engine. If you have a bad main seal, the engine will be leaking a lot of oil and not just a little bit in most cases. Valve cover gaskets tend to slowly seep oil over time. Pan gaskets can vary from slow leaks to gushers. Valve cover and pan gaskets can be moderately to very expensive to replace depending on the labor involved. A main seal is always quite a chore and thus is never cheap.





Another leak source is an oil cooling device. These are connected to the engine via hoses or pipes and these hoses or pipes can sometimes leak. These are usually inexpensive to repair.





In any case, if you know you have a leak, check your oil level OFTEN, at least every time you fill up, more if the leak is bad. Check the oil with the car on level ground and the engine cold for an accurate reading. Keep a bottle of extra oil with you.
it depends were its leaking from.each part or gasket is different. Labor is the real stickler. Good Luck.