One of the best ways to ensure you get the most out of your car’s life is by making sure you stay up to date with your oil changes. This simple task performs wonders in keeping your car healthy, yet it’s still so often overlooked and put off to a later date by drivers. Here are a few reasons why staying up to date on your oil changes is vital to your engine’s health:
What’s the Worst That Could Happen?
Oil’s main purpose is to keep your engine lubricated. Without clean oil, the parts of your engine that need to be lubed up start rubbing against each other. This creates friction, which creates heat, as well as general wear and tear. Over time, your engine will damage itself and eventually stop working entirely.
Sometimes, the heat your engine creates becomes so severe that it can weld itself together. This is a sure-fire way to completely ruin or destroy your engine. The oil draws the heat your system creates away from your engine, keeping it cooler and in working order.
When an improperly oiled engine breaks down, it could cost you thousands of dollars in repairs to bring it back to working order, assuming it can be done. If your engine is damaged enough, it may be more cost-effective to sell your car to a scrap yard and use the money to buy another car. Save yourself some money by making the small investment of regular oil changes for your car.
Why Do I Need to Replace My Oil?
As your oil does its intended job, its quality worsens. This is because as it moves through your system, it picks up dirt and particles that would otherwise get stuck in your engine. This is another task oil performs for your engine and the reason why you have to change your car’s oil. The dirtier your oil becomes, the less it lubricates your engine.
If you’re regularly checking your car’s oil levels, and you notice it’s consistently low on oil, you may have an oil leak. Taking your car in for regular changes gives your mechanic a chance to catch these leaks and fix them before they make you lose more money.
How Often Should I Get My Oil Changed?
How often you should get your oil change varies from person to person and mechanic to mechanic. The most common suggestion is that you get your oil changed every 3,000 miles, but many experts say this is an antiquated number. As cars improve, their ability to go longer without an oil change increases.
That being said, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have your oil changed every 3,000 miles, especially if you’re on the road a lot or you’re driving an older model. But some experts say you should get oil changes even shorter than 3,000-mile intervals if your driving habits call for it.
If you want an expert, personalized suggestion on how often you should change your oil, talk to a technician at the dealership you purchased your car from. Explain to them what your driving habits are, what kind of oil you’re putting into your car, and what kind of car you have, so they have all the information they need to make an educated suggestion.
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