Dear Tom and Ray:
So, my 2003 Kia Rio has a brake-fluid leak. A reeeeally bad brake-fluid leak. So bad that the floor of my back seat is fully littered with empty brake-fluid bottles! Now, I am pretty low on money. Quite broke indeed. And it will be a while before I can take my car in to be fixed. My question is, If I can manage to locate the leak, can I (as a temporary solution) duct-tape the leak until I can take it in?
-- Sarah
Tom: No.
Ray: Absolutely not. I'll grant you that duct tape is an amazing product. It can be used in everything from outerwear to appendicitis surgery. But it can't fix your brake lines.
Tom: The problem is twofold, Sarah. First of all, it won't work. When you step on the brake hard (i.e., when you really need to stop the car), the brake fluid is under hundreds of pounds per square inch of pressure. For comparison's sake, your radiator is under about 14 or 15 psi. And no amount of duct tape will hold under hundreds of pounds of pressure.
Ray: Second, the downside risk is too great. Let's say you were to use duct tape to fix a side-view mirror that was falling off. Well, if it didn't work, you'd lose a mirror. But if you use duct tape to fix a rusty brake line and it doesn't work, you could lose your life. Or take the lives of other people.
Tom: So, even though you're broke, this is one of those times when you have to beg, borrow, steal or charge it. Or walk, Sarah. Don't mess around with your brakes.
(Car Talk is a nationally syndicated column by automotive experts (and brothers) Tom and Ray Magliozzi. Write to them at the Car Talk website.)
2 Comments
By Buds101 on October 20, 2011 11:52 PM
Duct Tape will not work on Broken Spark Plug, just as bad as break lines, I have seen folks try this method, but it did not work, great try though spark plugs are only a couple of bucks each.
By Flatbed printing, UV Flatbed prints on November 5, 2011 12:28 PM
Many successful organizations also include employee's family into on-boarding process. For instance, an employee's spouse receives flowers from the company with a welcoming note. Handwritten notes from higher management to a new comer are also effective - they can be sent to an employee's home as well.