When you see a puddle of liquid under your car, there are a number of things that it could be. Some of them are fairly benign, but there are some that are serious issues that you need to get checked out immediately. It can be hard for you to tell what each one is, especially if you have something like an asphalt driveway, and all you can tell is that there is something under your car. You can try to figure out what the liquid is by putting something like a piece of cardboard or some newspaper under the car because it will absorb the drip and allow you to see what color it is, which can help you figure out what it is. So, what are some of the things that it could be?

Water

One thing that the puddle under your car could be is just plain water. You are going to see this more in the summer or any time that you have your air conditioner running. That's because water can condense on your air conditioner, and once you turn your car off, all that water is going to just drip off all the air conditioning parts in your engine and onto the ground. This is perfectly normal, and it isn't anything that you really need to worry about. 

Oil

Even though oil is generally a nice, clear, amber color when you put it in your car, it ends up turning black as it gets used. The older the oil in your car is, the darker it's going to be. It's pretty common to have a drip or two of oil show up under your car, no matter how old your car is. Even though it's a closed system between your oil reservoir and your engine, there are joints, valves, and seals and oil can leak through. As your car heats and cools while it's in use or stopped, everything expands and contracts. That means you are going to lose some oil and end up with drips and drops on your driveway. When you need to worry is when you have a lot of oil under your car. If you have put a piece of cardboard under your car and you see a large amount of oil, you need to take your car in to get it checked out because you have a leak. Your car depends on that oil to keep working, so a leak is dangerous. 

If you have puddles under your car, you need to make sure that you figure out what it is and get it fixed as soon as possible. Contact a company that offers car repair services to learn more.