It's is many years since I have had a car that has left "calling cards" on my drive............................

Yesterday morning I moved the RRS off the drive and was horrified to see what looked like oil marks on the red chippings between the slabs, where the RRS has sat for a week. I have had both cars on the drive for the last week but have been using the Defender to give it some exercise, it was sat in the spot where the RRS has been.

Now I have checked underneath the Defender (coz it is the easiest and safest to crawl under on a wet day!) and there are no signs of an oil leak or any other fluids leaking from her. The stains on the drive are "clean" oil (the engine oil on my TDv6 is quite black on the dipstick) so I assume that it isn't engine oil.
I haven't had to top anything up other than the washer bottle so haven't spilled any clean oil. Power steering and coolant appear to be OK, so the only thing I can think of is that there is some sort of lubricant in the Aircon unit as that is the only other thing i can think of - I run the climate control all the year round so wondered if the condensate that drips down after a run might have oil in it.

I haven't yet crawled under the Sport to look, mainly because the weather is blowing a storm and there is driving rain.

Anybody any ideas? A Carbon Footprint is the mark a lump of coal makes when it's dropped on the ground.

Tata TDv8 HSE - Stornoway/ebony and straight grain walnut with towpack, Tasmods and an HST grille. Coming soon LEDs in the headlights
Staying - Epsom Green Defender 90 for playing off road

The condensate from the air con should just be plain water
Diff oil?

Could be diff oil as Cliff said, my last D3 leaked from the rear diff and this was a very thin/clean oil. Zambezi Silver TDV6 D3 HSE, Privacy glass, Side steps and Maxxraxx 5 Bike carrier.

Go by colour and smell Tim.

PS fluid is red and smells different to gear oil and engine oil so it can easily be eliminated.

Diff oil, as you know has its own smell too, but looks the same as many other oils

It could be a small amount of oil that is exhausted by the air suspension system, and has somehow dripped to the ground. If you can't find the source, then your dealer needs to know about it, as I'm certain you have thought by now!

Hope you find out what it is. Let us know. Now: Range Rover Vogue TD6, JE Stage 1. (Green!)

*Gone: Range Rover Sport Supercharged 4.2V8 (Silver)
*Gone: BMW M5 5.0V8 (Silver)
*Gone: Subaru Imprezza Turbo (Silver)

I ruled out the suspension as I lower the car before I drive up the drive and have never heard it vent once lowered, but suppose that it may take some time for the oil to drip off. Must admit that the stains on the chippings are offset to the driver's side, if the weather is better tomorrow (we have a full blown storm up here at the mo, c/w driving rain and sleat.) Thanks for your thoughts guys, it looks like I will be booking an early 2007 visit to the service bay at Morrsion's Land Rover. A Carbon Footprint is the mark a lump of coal makes when it's dropped on the ground.

Tata TDv8 HSE - Stornoway/ebony and straight grain walnut with towpack, Tasmods and an HST grille. Coming soon LEDs in the headlights
Staying - Epsom Green Defender 90 for playing off road

See if you can put something below the drip that is white in colour like plastic sheeting or a large ice cream carton, then you can catch the oil to examine it before it soaks into your driveway and ruins that!

You may need to weight it down or surround with house bricks to prevent it blowing away but its worth it. Now: Range Rover Vogue TD6, JE Stage 1. (Green!)

*Gone: Range Rover Sport Supercharged 4.2V8 (Silver)
*Gone: BMW M5 5.0V8 (Silver)
*Gone: Subaru Imprezza Turbo (Silver)

Drive is 2 lines of 3x2 concrete slabs with gravel up the middle RR, so all the oil does is kill a few weeds or get washed off the stones, it's quite a good system until I want to wash under the Defender and then I get tons of silt with seeds in it! A few months later I have my own mini grouse moor and have to attack it with strong weed killer! Because there is no foot path I have to park both cars with the nearside wheels on the grass (now a mud bath which looks good on the RRS tyres!) so the postie can deliver the mail without scratching the car with her mailbag.

Once the wind has calmed down then I'll put a tray underneath - the cars won't fit into my garage so they have to live outside A Carbon Footprint is the mark a lump of coal makes when it's dropped on the ground.

Tata TDv8 HSE - Stornoway/ebony and straight grain walnut with towpack, Tasmods and an HST grille. Coming soon LEDs in the headlights
Staying - Epsom Green Defender 90 for playing off road

I am posting from a position of no knowledge (don't you just love wannabees)

My Discovery was leaving mysterious patches on the drive which foxed both me and the Dealer for a short while. Inspection underneath showed an oily trail down one of the suspension arms. As the arm is "passive" ie has no oil, grease or moving parts this was a complete mystery.

Eventually it was decided that it must be coming from elsewhere and just dripping in some way onto the suspension arm. A close inspection showed it was coming from a leaking bottle jack which on the Disco is stored, layed on its side, in the battery box under the bonnet Real Off-roader - Suzuki Jimny (SN413), KAP 3" Lift, KAP Full Roll Cage, ARB Locker, On-board Air, Winch bumpers front and rear, Wrangler MT's, Recaros.

OMG an RRS has a jack?????????????????????????????? I thought the butler looked after things like that

















Cheers mlines, RRS screw jack is in the boot in a moulded polystyrene tray A Carbon Footprint is the mark a lump of coal makes when it's dropped on the ground.

Tata TDv8 HSE - Stornoway/ebony and straight grain walnut with towpack, Tasmods and an HST grille. Coming soon LEDs in the headlights
Staying - Epsom Green Defender 90 for playing off road

The bottle jack is only for 5 seat D3's

Jack's the name of my butler! I thought bottle jack was when I wanted another Claret decanted. Unfortunately Jacks off at the moment! RRS 2.7 TDV6 HSE Zambezi silver,Alpaca.
On Order - LRX expected 2010
DO NOT CLICK HERE!

Tim, what was the outcome? There are oils stains on my drive.....

Very Annoyed wrote:

Unfortunately Jacks off at the moment!

You won't get a reply from Tim at the moment, given he's at work in the middle of the sea somewhere. 

Took car to the dealer, who kept it overnight and called to tell me "some bolts on the sump were loose - we've tightened them and you should be ok."

Collected car, went home - more oil stains the next morning!!!

Does anyone know of a TSB for oil leaks from the engine, or diffs? I doubt the dealer even looked under the car.......

Thanks in advance!