What You Need To Know About Oil Maintenance

Oil maintenance is essential for keeping your engine running smoothly throughout your vehicle’s life. With regular checks and changes, you can ensure a safe and smooth drive on highways and city streets. Let’s look at some of the essential details of oil maintenance.

How Often Should People Change Their Oil?

Your oil change intervals can vary depending on the year of your car, model, and engine type. Generally, it would help if you got an oil change every 3,000 to 6,000 miles. Here is some additional guidance on older and newer cars:

Older Cars

You might not have oil change sensors with older cars, forcing you to track the mileage to know when to bring it in. You might want to get more frequent oil changes if you drive in severe conditions, like stop-and-go traffic, regular short trips, or extreme climates. For regular driving conditions, the standard for old cars is typically every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever comes first.

Newer Cars

Newer cars often have sensors to indicate when your car needs an oil change. These might gauge your mileage to determine when your car is ready or monitor actual driving performance to alert you. On average, these vehicles require a change every 5,000 miles. When you receive an oil change, the technician resets your oil-monitoring system to alert you the next time your vehicle is ready accurately. Even if you get less frequent oil changes, you might still check your oil levels and add more in to ensure proper lubrication and avoid wear and tear.

What Type of Oil Is Best?

There are four main oil types available during a change, including fully synthetic, synthetic blend, high-mileage, and conventional. Full synthetic is the most common in newer cars, especially high-performance vehicles. This can be pricier, but you might not have to change your oil as frequently. Synthetic blends are familiar with SUVs and trucks that carry heavy loads. It can be best for stop-and-go traffic, long drives, and extreme weather.

If you have put 75,000 miles or more on your vehicle, you might consider the high-mileage oil to prevent leaks or burns. This can help increase your engine’s lifespan. The last type, conventional, is familiar with older vehicles. Though it has fewer protection benefits than synthetic, this low-cost option can still smoothly help your engine run.

What Type of Viscosity Is Right?

Viscosity is how resistant your oil is to flow. There are two main types of viscosity you can find:

High Viscosity

High-viscosity oils are thicker and can help you fill gaps between different engine parts. Sometimes, it’s more challenging to move through the engine, which causes engine wear or decreases your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. This type of oil gets thicker in colder temperatures.

Low Viscosity

Low-viscosity oil is fragile. Some newer engines require this for minimizing friction and improving your vehicle’s fuel economy. You might add unnecessary wear and tear to your vehicle if it’s too low, as the oil can become thinner with additional heat or conditions. This type of oil can also help transfer heat to different components in the engine easier.

When choosing the proper viscosity could depend on a few things. First, you should always check your manufacturer’s specifications in the owner’s manual to see what they recommend. This can help ensure any issues fall under your vehicle’s warranty. Driving style can also affect your oil. City driving can mean you use a higher viscosity to handle more stop-and-go traffic, while highway driving can mean you use a lower density to keep oil flowing. Since weather affects thickness, you might choose a lower viscosity in cold temperatures and a higher viscosity to handle extreme heat.

Why Change Oil Regularly?

There are many reasons to get your oil changed regularly, we listed a few of those reasons below.

Better Gas Mileage

With proper oil maintenance, you can maintain a better gas mileage on the road. This is especially true if you drive long distances frequently, as your engine constantly uses oil. Without regular changes, you might fill up your tank more often than usual.

Avoiding Wear and Tear

If you neglect your oil changes, the quality of your engine can decrease as the components might not function as intended. Sludge and dirt can build up in your engine, and each time you get an oil change, the technician cleans this up. With a clean engine, you can safely, securely, and efficiently with less damage to the engine.

Longer Engine Life

Car engines are often effective for about 150,000 miles or more. Although there are some unforeseen events that can affect the life of an engine, keeping it clean and well-maintained can keep it running longer.

More Lubrication

Perhaps the most important reason why it’s important to perform regular oil changes is to keep your engine well lubricated. Engines can get hot, which can thin your oil. Though this can help it move between components in an engine, it can also cause overheating. A dried engine can also cause unnecessary wear and tear and affect the engine’s lifespan.

Why Change Oil at a Dealership?

It’s possible to change your oil at several locations, including your local mechanic or the dealership. There are several key benefits to changing it at a dealership. For one, you can receive specialized service from technicians familiar with your vehicles. This expertise can be invaluable in finding any additional issues with your car and ensuring they use the proper oil. Another major benefit is that you can also accomplish other important tasks if you have any recall or warranty updates to make on your vehicle.

Dealerships also keep a record of your vehicle maintenance, so this can be helpful when monitoring vehicle health over its lifespan. You might also get a loaner vehicle to pass the time if the oil change takes time or if you need additional repairs.

Now that you have all the details about oil maintenance, consider contacting the service department at Bill Volz Westchester today to schedule an oil change. While you’re there, check out the rebates section for any potential deals on service.

Tags: Engine Oil
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