Spotting the source of a leak in your car can be done at home, and this is how you do it.

The fact that you have a leak will be fairly obvious. The sad little puddle of black will also tell you what sort of leak you have if it is definitely a puddle, rather than drops here and there, you have a leak; if there are drops, you have a seep. These are very different things, and the good news is that cars fairly frequently seep various fluids (oh, how wonderfully tasteful that sounds) in the natural course of things.

If you have puddles, your next step is to see what kind of fluid is being leaked. If there is enough fluid for you to take a sample, get a cotton bud (or, if you don't have to have your CSI or beauty kit handy, get some toilet paper) and take a smear of the stuff to see what colour it is. Engine oil is generally black. Transmission fluid and power steering fluid start out red, but can turn brown as they make their way through the system. Other fluids such as antifreeze come in a rainbow of colours. If the sample is predominantly black, or a dark brownish black with grit, you're likely looking at oil if not, you're looking at a different kind of leak that might be easier to fix.

Other signs that you have an oil leak are also fairly obvious. If your car seems to be eating up oil, and you have to top up frequently, you probably have an oil leak that needs replacing (if only because it's costing you a fortune in oil). Lots of oily smoke when you drive is another sign that oil is leaking, coating the engine and burning.*

Your next step is to find the source of the leak, and there are a few ways you can go about this. You can put paper down under your car to see where the drips land, but this is only a start as drips have a long way to travel before they drop. Once you know where they land, get a small mirror, a long stick and a flashlight, affix mirror to stick and use it to look under your car to see if you can pick up the oil trail. If you can, pursue it to its source.

Another option: give the engine a good clean with a de-gunker from an auto parts store, run the car for ten minutes, let the engine cool and pursue the leak from the top down. Be aware that some types of leak/seep spray oil around the engine, but there should still be a trail for you to follow. Close inspection should reveal your leak.

One last method I've heard of but never tried is to clean the engine and cover it in foot powder, then run it and inspect after it cools. This has

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