New Car Covered in Hydralic Fluid

[rodowd]

Up front I don't know whether this is your area of expertise. I have a brand new Honda Odyessy, about a month old. I took it to a car wash and a hydralic line broke. It covered the entire car with fluid. They hand washed the car twice and fluid was still dripping out of crevices etc. It is under the car and the entire outer surface, even some is inside the engine compartment. They admitted they didn't have anything that could cut through the oil. They have the car all day today to detail it and remove the fluid.

It is in every nook and cranny, they admitted they will not be able to remove the oil from all crevaces etc. My concerns are:

Will this have any effect on the paint, plastic surfaces and rubber seals?
Over time will the fluid sitting in crevaces have any negative effect?
And most important if this was your car would you feel this incident has devalued the car?

Again I know this is probably not the the normal sort of question you recieve. If you could please give me your best advice or even some referrals as to who I might I contact. I am really sick about this, it is the first new car we have had in 14 years. Thank you very much for your time and any info you can provide.

Thank you,
David Rodowicz

 

[Metalguy]

I don't think you have a real concern here. Most hyd. fluids are pretty mild in their "solvent effects". You could have the affected areas underhood and under-car steam-cleaned.

Anyway, I have Honda bikes and a car and they're very well made and tough as nails.

 

[grogg]

Hi,
I have to agree with Metalguy, I have seen many cars with hyd. fluid leaks, and I have not seen any damage done. I have seen more damage done to cars by road-salt.

Mechanical failures are going to happen. All cars break down at some point.I have a customers car in the shop rightnow with a blown motor, the car is only 4 months old. I have also seen the same type of motor do 200 000 miles no problems.

I am also a fan of Honda, they are very tough and can take more abuse than most.

If It was my car and the pipe burst I would be a bit peeved, but as long as the dealer repairs the car correctly and has washed the car properly I would be happy.
What else could you realy ask for?

 

[romke]

one thing you could do to remove visible oil is to spray those area's with a degreaser. this is a stuff that emulsifies the oil (covers the oil particles with a thin coat soluble in water). when you then spray the car with water a milky substance flows away and all the oily stuff will be gone. degreasers can be bought both in fluid form and in spray cans. the latter is much more handy. for those parts that cannot be reached this way, the dripping will stop after a prolonged period of time. and, as already said before - it is quite annoying but not causing permanent damage to the car.

 

[Chumley]

Certain types of mineral based hydraulic fluids are very
reactive towards some rubber bushings and protective rubber
grommets used in the suspension components such as control
arm bushings, sway bar bushings, subframe bushings, tie
rods, motor mounts and other isolation mounts. Most
hydraulic oils are soluble in water based detergents. A
pressurized water based degreasing solution similar to what
you would find at most do it yourself car washes should
remove any residual hydraulic oils with minimal effort and
minimal damage to any painted surfaces. You shouldn't have
to go through the effort though, the car wash should! A
few complimentary follow up washes should be in order too!

If the underside of the car and the engine compartment were
soaked in hydraulic oil, it would be a good idea to get it
off ASAP if for no other reason than to minimize any future
dirt accumulation. Once removed it really shouldn't be any
further cause for concern.

Chumley