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Oil runs downhill before it drips, so where it lands is rarely where it is coming from. Finding the source is the whole job.
An engine coated in oil can have one leak or five. Cleaning it and tracing it properly is the difference between fixing it once and fixing it repeatedly.
- 4.3 ★1,533 Google reviews
- 6 monthsor 6,000 km workmanship warranty
- Red SealQualified artisans, some ex-dealership
- 9 regions1,700+ suburbs, we come to you
R952 to R1,104
Any diagnostic inspection, any car. Labour only, no parts.
The price depends on your car, never on which fault it turns out to be.
The same puddle, four very different bills
Oil arrives at the ground from wherever it started, so the drip tells you almost nothing about the repair. These are the usual sources, cheapest first, and the gap between the top and the bottom of this list is the reason to find out which it is:
An oil filter housing or sump plug seal
The cheapest end. Often a seal and a short job, and one of the most common causes.
A rocker or cam cover gasket
Reachable from the top on most engines. A gasket and the labour to get to it.
A sump gasket
More labour, because the sump has to come down and on some cars the subframe with it.
A crankshaft or camshaft oil seal
The front seal is reachable. The rear one usually means the gearbox comes out, which is the expensive end of this list by a wide margin.
Finding out which one it actually isR952 to R1,104
What is the oil actually doing?
How much, how fast, and where it sits narrows it before anything comes apart.
A few drops overnight, same spot each time
A steady, slow leak from one place. The cheapest kind to find and usually the cheapest to fix, provided it is found rather than guessed at.
Burning smell after a drive, but no puddle
Oil landing on the exhaust rather than the ground. Often a rocker cover or a turbo feed line, and worth dealing with promptly because it is a fire risk.
The level drops but nothing appears on the driveway
Either being burnt, or landing on something hot enough to evaporate it. Different repair, and a compression test usually settles which.
Oil across the whole underside, engine filthy
Could be one leak spreading or several at once. The engine gets cleaned, dye goes in, and we read it properly rather than condemning the most obvious gasket.
Not sure which one yours is?
Tell us what the car is doing, in your own words. A mechanic reads it and calls you back within the hour. You do not need to know what is wrong, that is what we are for.
Tell us what your car is doing
How we find the source
✓
The engine is cleaned firstYou cannot trace a leak across an engine already covered in oil. Degreasing is part of the job rather than an extra.
✓
UV dye and blacklightDye goes into the oil and the leak glows at its actual source. This is what separates one leak from three and stops the wrong gasket being replaced.
✓
Pressure and level checkedHow fast it is going, and whether oil pressure is still where it should be, decides how urgent the repair is.
✓
Compression tested where it is being burntIf the level drops with nothing on the ground, this establishes whether oil is going past the rings or the valve stem seals.
The kit that comes with the mechanic
A mobile mechanic is only as good as what is in the van.
UV dye and blacklight
Dye goes into the oil and the leak glows at its source, which separates one leak from several and stops the wrong gasket being replaced.
Degreasing before tracing
An engine already covered in oil cannot be read. Cleaning it is part of the inspection rather than an extra on the bill.
Compression tester
Used where oil is disappearing with nothing on the ground, to establish whether it is being burnt rather than leaked.
Autel and Launch scan tools
Oil pressure and temperature read live, which says whether the leak has already started to affect how the engine runs.
Oil on a hot exhaust is a fire risk
If you can smell burning oil after a drive, it is landing on something hot. That is worth looking at quickly rather than leaving until the next service.
What you get for the money
A named fault, in writing, and a price to fix it
What has failed, why, and what the repair involves. If the repair is ours you get the quote before anything is touched, and the inspection is not charged twice.
Other inspections we do
Every one of these is a mechanic coming to you. See all 22.
Car overheatingR952 to R1,104Running hot, losing coolant, or both.Water or coolant leakR952 to R1,104A puddle under the car.Cooling system pressure testR952 to R1,104Losing coolant with no puddle.Engine light onR952 to R1,104Steady, flashing, or on and off again.Dashboard warning lightsR952 to R1,104A light you do not recognise.EPC warning lightR952 to R1,104VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda.Traction control or ABSR952 to R1,104Both lights on, usually one sensor.Drivetrain malfunctionR952 to R1,104BMW and MINI, power cut back.
Where we come out to
Nine regions and more than 1,700 suburbs. Check your suburb.
JohannesburgPretoria and TshwaneCape TownDurban and eThekwiniEkurhuleni and the East RandGqeberhaPolokwaneRustenburgEmalahleni
Questions we get asked
Is a small oil leak actually a problem?
For two reasons. It gets worse rather than better, because the leak path keeps opening up. And oil reaching a hot exhaust is a genuine fire risk, which is why a burning smell after a drive is worth acting on.
How do you tell which gasket it is?
UV dye in the oil and a blacklight. The dye glows at the actual source rather than where the oil ends up, which is how we avoid replacing a sump gasket when the leak was a crankshaft seal sitting above it.
Can you fix it at my house?
Many of them, yes. Rocker covers, sump gaskets, sensors and filter housings are regularly done in a driveway. Where a leak needs the gearbox out, we say so plainly and tell you what it involves.
What does the inspection cost?
R952 to R1,104 depending on the car, labour only, with no parts in that figure. The repair is quoted separately and you see the price before anything starts.
Oil Leak? Mobile Inspection At Your Door
Tell us what it is doing and where you are. Price and a slot, no phone call.