What are the Neon Yellow spots under my car this Winter — Is My Car Leaking?
Let’s start with a short story about how this article came to being.
I work full time as a service advisor in Upstate New York, I started my career as a mechanic and have a degree in automotive technology. Last week my mother sent me a text message to tell me her car was leaking a neon yellow fluid. I was kind of perplexed by this leak. Not because of the leak itself, but the color of the fluid. Nothing in her Nissan Rogue is neon yellow.
Throughout the week I had a number of customers come into the shop I work at with the same complaint as my mother. Try as we might to find a leak we could not find a single leak on any one of these cars. And once more, the neon yellow description had us all stumped! Just like my mothers Nissan, not one of the cars we looked at did not have any fluids or oils remotely close to the description of the mystery fluid.
The investigation begins…
After a week of mystery leaks on numerous cars and customers I began to do some research. I've spent 20 years of my life in the automotive fields and have yet to experience such a strange series of events. After a few quick science lessons curtesy of google, I finally had my answer. Turns out the mystery fluid was a result of the recent snow storm we had. The state of New York isn’t very shy about their use of road salt. They must use mountains worth every winter. To fully understand the cause you have to know what kind of metal used in modern exhaust systems. The main culprit being zinc. Used to help prevent rust in galvanized metals, actually turns yellow when combined with iron and a catalyst. As it turns out salt makes a great catalyst for corrosion.
Mystery Solved…
In conclusion if you see a neon yellow fluid leaking from under your car after the next snow storm, there is a good chance it’s just a combination of water and salt from the roads dripping off your hot exhaust system.
P.S…..
If you do have concerns or see repeated drips under your car, don’t be afraid to seek the advice of your local and trusted auto techs. They will be happy to help you stay on the road. It’s what they do.
