An oil change is extremely necessary and if you are like many, you probably enjoy that your car safely operates on the roads and gets you to where you need to go. If you do enjoy the fact that your car runs, you should make getting routine oil changes a high priority on your auto care checklist.
What Does Oil Do for a Car’s Engine?
Your car’s oil is the lifeblood of the system; getting regular oil changes is one of the most important factors in giving in your car great auto care. Your engine operates through a series of moving pieces that work together. Those moving pieces rub together and create friction and heat; without oil, they destroy themselves. The oil in your car’s system works as a lubricant that keeps everything chugging along like a… well-oiled machine (literally). The oil also absorbs the heat and allows all the moving pieces to work together. This is why a good auto care routine involves oil changes on a regular basis.
What Happens if you Skip Oil Change Auto Care?
Are you on the fence about including regular oil changes on your auto care checklist? Here’s the science behind skipping oil changes:
- As it does its job, the oil in your engine picks up dirt and sediment. Over time, all that gunk gradually turns the oil into sludge. As you can imagine, an engine running on clean oil runs more efficiently than an engine running on sludge.
- In addition to acting as a lubricant, oil includes additives that improves the engine’s performances. Some additives protect it from rust, while others work as detergents that prevent the oil from turning to sludge, as mentioned above. As the oil does its job, these additives burn off and eventually it isn’t as good for the engine.
- Most importantly, your car’s engine operates at a very high heat. Over time, that heat causes the oil to break down and impairs its ability to lubricate the engine’s critical parts. Without a good lubricant, your engine will seize and make an early departure to car engine heaven. In the auto care industry, we call this, “Not good.”
How Often Should Your Oil Change?
How often you should get your oil changed is a highly debated question in the auto care world. If you learned everything you know about auto care from your grandma, you might think you should be getting oil changes every three months or 3,000 miles. Truthfully — while your car isn’t going to hate you for being an auto care overachiever — this is probably more often than necessary.
Changes in the way oil is refined and how engines use it now make it last a lot longer than it used to. Now, the best oil change routine depends on your driving habits, your car’s make and model, and the condition of your engine. Following the directions in your owner’s manual is probably your best bet; otherwise, it’s generally safe to go about 5,000 miles between oil changes. You might want to consider more frequent oil changes if your driving habits fit into any of the following categories:
- You do a lot of stop-and-go “city” driving.
- Your engine is old or has a lot of miles on it.
- You regularly take rough roads.
- Your climate is extremely hot or cold.
The Bottom Line.
The greatest takeaway we hope you got from our article is that oil changes are an essential part of giving your car great auto care. Getting an oil change on a regular basis is an inexpensive insurance policy that helps your engine happily live to see a ripe, old age. If you really want to reap the benefits contact us the auto care professional.
