Condo Harassing Over Oil Leak

[Discseven]

Condo's management has been bi***ing about oil staining concrete under my '85 3.2. Easy enough to brake-cleaner and wipe up (as I do)... but that's not good enough. Association charges $100 per event to clean this up. I checked Association rules and they do indeed spell out that garage parked cars "cannot leak fluids onto garage floor." Building Manager proudly told me, "Association makes a lot of money off residents who fail to follow the rules. Fix your car now." WTF. I'm not a violent guy but this manager deserves a wake up call to the face---he's just that obnoxious to deal with at every turn. (...Venting my frus. Pardon me. I'm not fond of disrespect from someone whose salary I contribute to. Many residents in building dislike this man---you'd think he was tenured with the right to piss on those that pay him. And we can't get ride of him for some reason.) With too much already on plate to immediately attend a full rebuild (engine definitely needs more than reseal)...and not wanting to deal with the toxic down'r of building's management... am seeking temporary solution to keep oil from reaching garage floor. Cannot put catch pan on floor---that too is not allowed. Catch pan that would slip into simple brackets mounted under engine...?? An annoying carry-around but what else can be done?

This is after being run and car has sat overnight. To listen to management... this is Valdez oil spill

[kyngfish]

I might suggest something a bit simpler? instead of rails, why not something that has hooks on all four corners and you just hook it up to suspend under the car? That way you don't have to set up any hardware on the car.

Obviously something flexible or foldable would be best but I don't know anything about the kind of heat generated under those things and whether cardboard would create a fire hazard.

I would go through the garage and point out any other parking spots with fluid stains on them.

[CCM911]

Why not just slip a piece of cardboard under the car when you park it?

[wayne robson]

Karl ,like CCM911 says,use a small piece of card board,when you leave place it in your
trunk, replace when parked. Card board is really good as it has a cavity, when the oil
drops on to it , it spreads out but does not go through, In fact, the subject, card board, all my classics have cardboard under them especially in cold areas ,it acts as a barrier and
keeps the under side of your chassis from getting, cold, damp, from cold concrete.I was born in New Zealand, south ,cardboard was always used to keep damp cold away from
under my classics.

[PCA7GGR]

Get a pan from your local auto parts store.

[kyngfish]

Condo won't let him put a catch pan on the ground, so I imagine the same goes for cardboard, hence him looking for suspended solutions.

[LUFTKUL]

Cannot put catch pan on floor---that too is not allowed.

He can't leave anything on the floor: metal catch pan, cardboard, etc. with his car there or not.

Only thing you could do is some kind of underside elastic diaper kind of material with circle grommets and use small bungees on to the 1/4 panel support bars. Of course, putting that on the bottom of a hot engine won't work... tough situation.

Is this your daily driver? Do you pay for that parking spot? Could you use the money from that parking spot and put it toward local storage where you can park your car. Inconvenient for sure, but extra storage is nice bonus.

[75 911s]

Looks like it's concentrated. What about a small metal pail. So when the car is hot, you hook the pail on a nearby bolt or use some other custom metal wire hooks made from hangars.

Whenever you get singled out in a HOA situation, I've found that documenting all other infractions with all other residents is a way to keep these busy bodies in check. Typically there is someone else who has taken the manager to task and has beaten him. In my neighborhood a local judge fought the "basketball hoops in front driveway" battle for me already.

It is best to stay compliant if possible, and personally oil leaks are a nasty nuisance and should be fixed. Kids walk through them, it gets tracked everywhere and it sucks for the environment.

[nvr2mny]

Hard to believe they would disallow him putting cardboard under the car while parked. It's not like he's leaving it there after he drives away for pete's sake. I would think I would be attending your HOA meetings to introduce some common sense and formally register some complaints against little hitler.

[tirwin]

Karl,

Do you have an assigned space? Before I fixed my oil leaks I found a product that is a little bit better than cardboard. It's called Absorbz Oil Mat and is 3' x 8'. Don't know if something like that would be a viable temporary solution. You can find it on Amazon.

[aread]

Originally Posted by nvr2mny

Hard to believe they would disallow him putting cardboard under the car while parked. It's not like he's leaving it there after he drives away for pete's sake. I would think I would be attending your HOA meetings to introduce some common sense and formally register some complaints against little hitler.

That's what I'm saying, run for your HOA and un-seat that a-hole. I find it hard to believe that is the only oil spot in that garage

[Otter74]

Plot and stage a coup and overthrow the building manager?

En serio, I'm sorry for your condo-Nazi PITA. No better idea than those already mentioned.

[75 911s]

His car is leaking a fair amount after every park. If it's not assigned spots, in a matter of weeks he could be staining up the entire condo garage floor. And pouring brake fluid on the concrete sounds less than ideal.

You ever pull into an auto parts store in an old part of town? Every spot is wet with oil. Half the time there are piles of kitty litter as well as coolant. It's awful. If I lived in a condo I would not want cardboard or oil pans on the ground either.

I get notices all the time from my HOA, so I empathize. I got a mailed letter for a plate sized area of dead grass last year. I got another for a "inoperable vehicle" parked in front of my house (buddy got a flat tire, was only there for 4 hours). So yeah, these guys can be a pain, but if you've lived in a neighborhood/community where anything goes, that can be hell too.

Time to man up and fix the oil leaks for the good of the community. A small weep is expected from these cars, but that thing is leaking a fair amount if that's one night. :-D Either that or suspend a heat resistant solution in some kind of suspended setup.

[Todge]

First off, holy f word, what kind of fancy pants HOA do you live in????

Secondly, and my solution, as I've had my bouts with my old HOA in the past, hence my home ownership today. Read the CCR's really well, there's probably a work around for kitty litter. Oil is not on the ground, and neither is a drip pan. If they want to whine about loose impediment, they're gonna have a hard time explaining complaints about leaves and other miscellaneous aggregate finding it's way into the parking structure.

[Todge]

This is the kind of BS that gives HOA's a bad name. They make a lot of money on people that don't fix their cars, yet from the pic it would appear they're not using those "profits" at the very minimum keep the lines looking fresh.

[pmax]

If I have another daily driver, I would put the 3.2 into storage and not drive it until the engine can be rebuilt.

[75 911s]

That gives me an idea Todge.

If you continue to face fines, start finding things that need to be fixed. Repainting lines, fixing the stucco. Landscape can take vast amounts of money to upkeep. Keep that busy body busy!

But seriously, fighting these guys is SO not worth it. Neither is getting involved with neighborhood politics. It's not fun or profitable.

Take the high road. Tell the manager your situation and that you are trying to fix the problem. Offer to take him for a ride.

[tobluforu]

Find out where their cars are parked, grab some old oil, start dripping under theirs.
Now that's the grown up thing to do.

[75 911s]

Originally Posted by Todge

First off, holy f word, what kind of fancy pants HOA do you live in????

Yeah they get a bit ridiculous. The HOA letter always includes a photo of the offending matter. So I have a nice black and white photo of a dead spot in my yard (Probably from the HOA presidents dog pissing on my lawn). My immediate neighbor had to have me sign a paper because he had a dead bush in his front yard too long. The silver lining is that they almost always do warnings and never actual fines.

The best part is when you pull in, the neighborhood looks clean and well kept. Everyone likes that.

[boyt911sc]

Karl,

There are several ways to solve your oil drips getting to the garage floor aside from resealing your motor. If you want a temporary fix and abide by the condo rules, we could start designing and making proto-type contraptions. I enjoy this kind of work. Please specify exactly where the oil drips on the engine accumulate then fall on the floor. A picture would be great. Are there multiple sources or just confined to a single spot?

I will make a prototype and post a picture. You could choose from these submissions the contraption that appeals to you. I will get in touch with Mr. McGyver ASAP. Relax, we will fix it!!!!

Tony