When it comes to car maintenance, few things are easier or more important than sticking to a schedule of regular oil changes. The benefits of changing your oil on time are numerous.
Regular oil changes improve your engine’s performance, extend its longevity, and help your car achieve its peak gas mileage. Clean oil is essential for keeping the engine and all the engine controls properly lubricated and running smoothly.
Why Do Cars Need Oil to Run?
The main role of engine oil is to lubricate the moving parts of your engine. Since there are so many intricate and fast-moving parts in an engine, engine oil is necessary to keep components running smoothly by reducing friction and wear. Sometimes, the only thing preventing engine parts from grinding together is a thin layer of engine lubricant!
Yet, even a well-lubricated engine generates a lot of heat. That’s why another critical function of engine oil is to draw heat away from the various components, helping to keep the engine running at optimal temperatures. Without engine oil, your engine would quickly seize and may overheat.
Along with understanding what engine oil does, it’s important to know how to check your oil, so you know if your vehicle is running low on oil. Regular oil changes are crucial to getting reliability and peak performance from your vehicle. Skipping routine oil changes can have serious consequences for the health of your car and can even lead to complete engine failure if run without oil.
The standard recommendation used to be to change your oil every 3,000-5,000 miles, but you may need to change it more or less frequently depending on your Manufacturer Suggested Maintenance Schedule.
Always refer to your owner’s manual for the recommended oil grade, type, and maintenance schedule for your vehicle. If you see a red oil light appear on your dashboard, have your vehicle serviced right away, as you may be dealing with low-to-no oil pressure or a serious oil leak.
Benefits of Getting Regular Oil Changes
Getting your oil changed is a relatively quick and simple process, yet there are many drives that ignore doing it, assuming it as unnecessary routine engine maintenance. Here are the top seven reasons for getting your oil changed regularly.
#1. A More Efficient Engine.
Regular not only keeps your engine clean, it likewise improves its efficiency. Oil naturally carries dirt, debris, and other bits as it flows into the engine. Consequently, sludge starts to build up inside the machine over a course of time.
Those that are not changing the oil in proper time periods may observe a significant change in their engine efficiency and output as a result of the accumulated fragments inside. Changing your engine oil and replacing your filters on time will certainly assist you prevent a slow-working, inefficient engine.
#2. Better MPG.
An efficient engine provides the most effective gas mileage when traveling. To do that, it is essential to keep your engine clean and devoid of particles. As engines run smoothly with fresh oil, their performance changes and so does the capability to use fuel a lot more efficiently. This means, expectedly, better gas mileage and major cost-savings.
#3. Improved Engine Life.
Unclean engine oil often has crud that causes boosted friction and quicker wear-and-tear. A cleaner engine runs more smoothly, functions efficiently and normally has a longer life too.
#4. Eco-Friendly.
Over time, heat breaks down oil and releases gases. This process additionally helps with the build-up of sludge inside the equipment. Consequently, the discharged gas from your car will contain hazardous hydrocarbons that are harmful to the environment. Changing your car’s oil consistently assist you pollute less.
#5. Engine Protection.
Regular cleaning absolutely shields your vehicle’s engine from excess wear-and-tear, friction and sludge build-up. That means, by changing your automobile’s oil, you can safeguard its engine and help it run flawlessly and effortlessly.
#6. Cools Engine Components.
Engine parts, under the hood, produce a lot of heat as they move at high rates of speed. Fresh oil preserves correct lubrication, so all moving components create minimal friction which subsequently prevents overheating the engine parts.
#7. Worry-free Emissions Test.
A smooth-running engine means effective performance and far better mileage. Plus, it helps you in quickly passing the vehicle emissions test with no issues. Simply by doing regular oil-changes, your car will run efficiently with much better mileage.
What Are The Different Types Of Car Oil?
Whether you’re getting your oil changed by a mechanic or doing it yourself, it’s best to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations when selecting the type of oil. In some vehicles, you’ll find a sticker under the hood that lists the oil best suited for your engine.
Or you can always consult your owner’s manual. There’s a wide range of motor oils on the market, which differ based on weight and viscosity (or thickness) levels.
Generally, oil falls into three main categories:
- Synthetic: Many high-performance vehicles require this more expensive, chemically enhanced oil to last longer, run cleaner, and maintain viscosity.
- Semi-synthetic: As the name suggests, this oil features many of the enhanced properties of synthetic oil but at a lower price than top-end products.
- Conventional: This is the traditional, old-school oil used for decades, and manufacturers recommend it for older cars.
So how often should you change your oil?
It depends on many factors, including the way you drive, how old your engine is, and where you live. Many mechanics will recommend you change your oil every 3,000 miles. Automobile manufacturers might suggest a longer interval, such as 5,000 miles. If you use special synthetic oil, you might be able to go 10,000 miles between oil changes!
For most people, an oil change every 5,000 miles would probably be just fine. You might want to consider changing your oil more often, though, if you tend to drive at high speeds. That’s also true if you have an older engine or live in an area that is particularly hot, cold, or dusty.