You see it in every parking lot you go to— that dreaded black oil stain spot.  You don’t want to step on it, because you know it’s leftover oil residue from a leaking car that you don’t need on your carpet.  You may even be leaving the spots yourself, however small they may be.  But other than saving the environment and keeping your vehicle properly lubricated, did you know there are other reasons to have those fluid leaks fixed?  It may not be something you think of every day.

What’s a better reason to fix a leak?  Here’s a hint:

Oil burns…

In our experience, we have come across multitudes of cases in which a fluid leak, even a small one, got too hot and burst into flames.  All it takes is the fluid to be blown onto the exhaust, for example, during normal driving conditions.

But it doesn’t stop with engine oil.  Other types of fluids are flammable, too.  There have been several reports of fires from power steering fluid in the 2004 and 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix and from transmission fluid in several late model Mitsubishi vehicles.

Those who look at the issue from an environmentally friendly perspective say the focus should be on tanker spills.  However, less than 10% of all oil that makes its way into nature and the ocean is from tanker spills.  The rest comes from such things as that tiny oil leak on your car.

Do yourself and the environment a favor: fix fluid leaks.  You won’t be polluting the waters and putting yourself at risk of fire.