2007 SantaFe Oil Leak
 

Hello. My wife's 07 Santafe has a small oil leak. The car has 37000 miles on it. She took it to the dealer the 1st time and they told her that they just did not wipe up the oil after the oil change that was done a month ago, still leaking. She took it back the 2nd time, this time they said that the pressure switch was the source of the leak, she picked it up, drove it home and the next morning again there was a small leak on the driveway. I tried to get underneath the vehicle, but just can get enough clearance to see where the source may be. The vehicle is back at the dealer.

Any ideas or experiences with a similar problem would be appreciated. Thanks.

RE: 2007 SantaFe Oil Leak
 

Craig, the "Gold Standard" for finding oil leaks is to wipe all the oil off as well as possible then add s special florescent dye to the engine oil (or trans oil if the trans is the suspect) and run the car for a while. Then, using a UV light, the oil that has seeped out will glow (like one of those black light posters from the '70s ;)) and the mechanic should be able to figure out where the leak is.

Your dealer isdoingtheir usual half-a$$edjob instead of fixing the problem. I went through this with an air conditioning freon leak in a Villager minivan I once had (it was out of warranty). I made the mistake of taking it to a dealer who said it was the seals in the pipes used in the system ($200). It worked fine for a few months then no more cold air. Took it back and complained and they said there was no warranty on a/c leaks. I took it to a local independent mechanic who I trust (should have taken it there in the first place) who put dye in the system and had me drive it for a couple of days and then bring it back to him. He shined his UV light around and in about 2 minutes he spotted the leak - in the line that runs to the secondary a/c unit that cools the rear passenger area.

Since you are still under warranty, you will need to prod the dealer to do this type of test. Otherwise you could be doing this "we replaced the <put the name of some part in here> - that should fix it, you drive it and it stillleaks, then you are backto thedealer for round <insert number here> again" dance for a long time.

Keep us posted on what the final solution is.

RE: 2007 SantaFe Oil Leak
 

So you drive from Northern Ohio to Baltimore Maryland and have used his dealer? How do you know his dealer usually does a half-a$$ed job?

Cleonescu, the problem could be any number of things. The most common would be the drain plug itself. It has a metal washer that is supposed to be changed every oil change. It's very possible the washer was not changed and that is the source of the leak. First try tightening the plug, but not too much or you will strip the threads. If you can get under the car (that should be easy on a Santa Fe) try to see where the drip is falling from or at least where on the ground it is falling (closer to driver side or passenger side; in front of the wheels or behind; etc).

RE: 2007 SantaFe Oil Leak
 

No, I don't know anything about his dealer other than what cleonescu described. And from what he described, the dealer had two tries at fixing the leak anddid not. Now they get a third try while the customer is inconvienced.That is not doing a good job,as I see it.

Hopefully, it is something as simple as the metal washer as you describe. However, unless thewind is catching the leaking oil from the drain plug and throwing it somewhere else on the undercarriage, a good technician should have either confirmed or ruled out the drain plug right away.

I am just trying to help cleonescu solve his problem by giving him suggestions for what I would try to get the dealer to do (florescent dye). My comments are no doubt colored by the frustration I am having getting problems fixed with my 2008 Santa Fe.

RE: 2007 SantaFe Oil Leak
 

Maybe there is more than one place that oil is leaking. Maybe drip now is just residual oil left over from the leak or the oil change. Bottom line, don't assume the dealer is "half-a$$ed" unless you have personal experience with them. Oil leaks can be very difficult to find sometimes.