fluid loss

[kagey]

went back to my car last night and noticed that i had lost a lot of fluid from the radiator ( expansion tank?). it was coming from the front drivers wing where i guess the cooling fan is located. i checked the expansion tank and it was below the min...obviously. i filled it up and have driven around today and the level is fine. question is.. what caused it. should i get it checked by a garagr. car is a 2004 c4s

[DaGinge]

The radiators are under the front bumper, so possibly a leaky rad.

Are you sure it was coolant? Greeny, strong smell (open your coolant cap in the engine bay to get a sniff of what it would smell like)?

Could it be brake fluid, a more yellowy and oily liquid - did you check the brake fluid level.

If it was expension tank the puddle would be under the engine bay.

[supersport]

How about head lamd/windscreen washer tank?

[nel]

Not just puddled condensation from your air-con heat exchanger? My beast always leaves a wet patch because of that (and I'm not talking about my wife).

[kagey]

greeny colour. it was still dripping when i got back to the car

[DaGinge]

If greeny and under the front it must be a radiator or one of the hoses leading to the radiator - worth getting checked out. An OPC can pressure test the system for you, but its gonna cost.

[340ragtop]

yup-that sounds like a rad..

I have one on ebay but it finishes in about 1 minute!!

[t urbo]

Take the front bumper off and check to see where the leak is, hopefully its just a leaky union that needs tightening. The bumper takes about 15-30 mins to remove its really easy!