Truth be told I am not entirely sure whether this is a problem or not. I am driving a 2022 Skoda Fabia with 35 miles on the odometre. I got it yesterday. The vehicle seems to leak tiny puddles of water out of the exhaust system upon startup. This also happens when stationary with the engine running. Is this water condensation or something else? Should I take the car on a longer trip to get rid of this?
Thanks.
Christian
It sounds like normal condensation. All cars do that to some extent on cold start ups depending on temperature and humidity. The water will evaporate away once the exhaust components warm up to normal operating temperature. Yes, take a nice long drive in your new car and when you stop the drips should be gone until the next cold start.
This is a simplified reaction formula for the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels:
Fuel + O2 → CO2 + H2O
Do you see the last reaction product (H2O)? That's water.
Totally normal for condensation to come out the exhaust on startup, nothing to worry about.
