Believe it or not, an oil leak is considered to be one of the most common misfortunes that a modern-day driver can encounter. Actually, if you ever owned a car for at least a couple of years, then I believe you already know what that’s all about – sometimes pretty harmless and sometimes pretty nasty. Here’s the thing: while some cases of oil leaks are resolved relatively easily, the rest are very serious and usually require expensive service and/or repair.

The price of an oil leak repair heavily depends on the complexity of the problem, so to speak, the extent of the leak, your current location (and that means not only different corners of the world, but also different states of America), and last, but not least – the mechanic that’s going to fix the problem for ya. So, how much does it cost to fix an oil leak? There’s no fixed price, I’m afraid. It all depends. Let’s dig into the subject a little bit more and try to make sense of all the small (but very important) details.

See also my other posts:

Vacuum Leak Repair Cost
How to change car’s tires – FULL GUIDE
How to change the oil in your car
5 Tips For Keeping Your Old Car Healthy
Winter Is Coming… Getting Your Car (And Yourself) Ready. The Step-by-Step GUIDE
Symptoms Of A Clogged Catalytic Converter
Coolant Leak Repair Cost

How Much Does It Cost To Fix An Oil Leak – The Step By Step Guide

Obviously, the cost of repairing your vehicle’s oil leak will largely depend upon the part of the vehicle where the leakage is happening. Because an oil leak can happen in pretty much every corner of your car, the professional (the mechanic, that is) will have to use different set of tools and approach the leak differently to solve the problem. If you want an average price of a complete oil leak repair service, then here are the numbers for ya – from 400 dollars to staggering 1,8K dollars.

Yep, that’s a lot of money! I mean, 400 bucks is pretty steep, but almost 2 thousand dollars?! Well, it is what it is – that’s how much does it cost to fix an oil leak. By the way, you should know, that the labor makes up approximately 80% of the total price, so, if you’ve got a mechanic friend (a cousin maybe?), don’t hesitate to ask him to take a look at your oil leak – who knows, maybe he’ll fix your problem for 1/2, or even 1/3 of the ‘legitimate” mechanic’s price?

The Reasonable Price

Actually, don’t call your cousin yet – maybe your leak is not that serious. For instance, if it is happening in the oil pressure unit, or, say, the valve cover, then that won’t cost you nearly as much. The average price of a leak fix like that will be around 100 – 300 dollars. So, it depends on your luck, I guess. On the other hand, if you’re unfortunate enough to have oil leaks from the seals or the pan, then expect something between 700 – 1000 thousand dollars.

Various web-sites all around the Inet claim different costs and tell different stories. Just go to your favorite tech forum and ask folks around – you’ll get completely diametric answers. If you ask me, I’ll say that a middle-class mechanic will charge your around 70-120 dollars per hour. Fixing an oil leak can sometimes be pretty tricky and take up as much as 8 full hours. So, with that in mind, I’m guessing you shouldn’t even call the local mechanic unless you have at least 1K bucks or more. You just have to understand that oil leaks are a very messy and a very pricey problem, so, as long as you don’t have one, you should be happy as a sand boy and lively as a cricket! I know I would.

How Much Does It Cost To Fix An Oil Leak – Extra Expenses

Like that 1.8K bucks wasn’t enough, huh? Keep in mind, that after the mechanic successfully fixes you leak, you’ll have to add in new oil. Most experts will insist on a complete oil change. And while some will be happy to do that for you for the initial bill, others will do it only for extra cash.

Fortunately, the average oil change costs around 30 dollars or so. That’s not all. Sometimes, in order to fix the oil leak, the mechanic will ask you to buy some new parts to replace the damaged ones, and that is all on you. Those parts are usually shafts or gaskets (or both). Generally, the mechanics run diagnosis tests to find out where exactly the ill-fated leak is coming from. And so, in some cases, they have to completely replace your car’s old parts to permanently fix the leak. So, if you ask the mechanic – How much does it cost to fix an oil leak – he’ll say that only the tests will tell. And that’s the truth.

What You Should Know

Remember – a lot of drivers mistake oil leaks with transmission fluids. I recommend you get a diagnostic test at the nearest auto parts shop to understand what you’re dealing with and what needs to be replaced. Knowledge is power, my friends.

Replacing an oil seal is a pretty tricky job – it can take the mechanic as long as 8 hours. That means the labor cost will be very high.

If you refuse to pay that kind of money for a “stupid oil leak fix”, don’t – leave that for later. You can do a temporary fix by really snugging up the mounting bolts and thus tightening the gasket. However, those bolts often “relax” back off due to the vehicle’s vibrations. And also, if you’re not sure that you’re doing it right, you better leave it alone; otherwise, you could damage your car.

Tips For Saving Some Money

If your vehicle is under warranty, then you should drive it to the closet dealership and ask whether an oil leak fix is covered or not. If it is (it very well could be), then the job will be done for you for free! Furthermore, if you’ve got warranty for your car, try calling 3 to 5 local mechanics. True, most of them will tell you that an in-person inspection is necessary; on the others hand, a lot of experienced mechanics will tell you the rough price over the phone.

As mentioned before, fixing an oil leak is not a particularly enjoyable and easy procedure. So, again, if you’re not 100% sure what you’re doing, it is best to leave it all alone. Fixing an oil leak often takes a lot of time, and you may actually end up causing more damage than good. If you are an experienced driver, and know a thing or two about fixing your own car, then you should check the filter and the oil pan; plus, use a solvent to clean around. If you’re confident you’re up for the task, get an oil leak repair kit so that you are not short of a couple of very important tools.

Alright, that’s it! That’s all I wanted to tell you about fixing oil leaks. Wanna know how much does it cost to fix a coolant leak, for example? Stay tuned and check for my latest posts – I’ll make sure to cover that as well. Oh, and don’t forget to comment!

See on video how you can fix a very common oil leak that many engines get as they age: