# Car damage possibility question... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 22, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454 "2019-07-22T15:29:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454/1 "2019-07-22T15:29:43Z")
Yesterday I took some deceptive potholes too fast and felt the results. A passenger didn’t see anything leaking right after, and I drove over two hours (varying speeds, not in a row) with no apparent problem. This morning, there was a quite small puddle, located about where the back of my front passenger side tire would have been. I specifically noted that the space looked dry when I pulled in last night. I looked under my car in that region and saw no apparent drips. Advice? Possibilities? Worst case? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454/2 "2019-07-22T15:39:22Z")
That’s the area where my car’s a/c drains - could it be the same for you? Otherwise, I go nuttin’. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454/3 "2019-07-22T16:04:04Z")
Front or all wheel drive car with a transverse mounted engine (sideways) or a longitudinal mounted engine? Does the leak look like oil? Water? Colored like coolant? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454/4 "2019-07-22T16:11:53Z")
Sorry, I should’ve mentioned this is a 2000 Civic, shouldn’t I? I was in a hurry to get to work, so I didn’t think to look closely at what it looked like, I’m afraid. If there’s anything in my park and ride parking spot this evening, I’ll report back. ---
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454/5 "2019-07-22T17:51:40Z")
Best guess is that it’s what FairyChatMom says and you just noticed it out of concern. Even if that’s all it is, you should still have your tire alignment checked. This was an older Accord, but I even had a rear wheel out of alignment that caused wear issues. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454/6 "2019-07-22T18:01:09Z")
If it’s just water, it’s the condensate drain from your car’s A/C. Nothing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454/7 "2019-07-22T18:35:18Z")
If it’s blood, something to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454/8 "2019-07-22T19:05:18Z")
Dog peed on your tire? StG ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454/9 "2019-07-22T19:10:32Z")
Get a white napkin or paper towel and see what color the liquid is. If it’s clear and watery it’s probably just water draining from the AC, that’s a good thing, it dehumidifies the air. Black/brown is oil, green or orange is coolant, red is transmission fluid. Generally. ---
**Author:** ![pabstist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-damage-possibility-question/837454/10 "2019-07-23T04:26:47Z")
Could you blow out a strut and have some kind of fluid leak out? My motorcycle forks have oil in them, which does leak when the seals go bad.