As a vehicle owner you must know that it's the engine oil that is responsible for smooth functioning of the engine by acting as a lubricant for its parts. It fights against the two biggest enemies of any motor: friction and heat. Since the engine oil does a lot to protect your vehicle it needs to be replaced regularly.
There is a lot of misinformation about when is the right time to change the car engine oil. We will clear your doubts through this article.
When is the Appropriate Time to Change the Engine Oil?
To know the answer to this you will need check your owner's manual to figure out the right intervals; you must know what type of car you own. There have been many advancements in the automobile industry in past few years so, it is not recommended to take any decisions on changing the oil based on your previous experiences from the cars you've driven in the past.
Nowadays every car comes with advanced electronics installed in them. There are indicators that light up when there's a need to change the oil.
How to check the oil level?
You should check your car's engine oil at least once a month to make sure that there's enough oil and that it isn't polluted. You can also check the levels and quality using the oil dipstick.
Before checking the oil make sure engine is cold. All dipsticks have a demarcation for oil levels. If the engine oil reaches the "Add" part of the dipstick, you'll need to add more oil. While doing this keep an eye on the colour of the synthetic oil. Ideally it should be black or brown, but if it's different from this then probably there is some problem.
How often one should change their vehicle's engine oil
It seems like a question with a universal, well-known answer: every three months or 3,000 miles. Even people who know nothing about automobiles know this answer. But the fact is, due to different types of engines this rule is not ideal. There are many manufacturers that are assuring that the cars designed by them can run 7,000-10,000 mile intervals before an oil change is required.
Also, you must not abide only by the words of a mechanic on how often the car oil need to be changed. Your car comes with an instruction manual which has all the accurate details. Refer to it if you have some doubts.
Effects of Not Changing Synthetic Oil
If you don't change your car's engine oil at the right intervals, you might face some serious consequences which will motivate you to not repeat the mistake again in future. Here is a list of some problems that can occur:
Corrosion - As the oil breaks down it will lead to creation of corrosive compounds. These compounds also create sludge and varnish buildup on engine parts and cause havoc to the smooth functioning of your vehicle. This leads to increased oil consumption, which will cost more over the long term.
Wear - As the oil breaks down it loses its ability to properly lubricate certain parts of the engine, which results in wear and tear of those parts at a faster pace greatly shortening the overall life of the engine.
Poor Performance - The overall performance of your engine goes down once the oil breaks down. This can lead to the engine performing sluggishly.
Conclusion The crux of the whole information is that you must change your car's synthetic engine oil based on its model. Check the instruction manual provided with your car to know the right time for an oil change.
Also, make sure that there's no leak and if there is some leakage, get it fixed in time. It is recommended to develop these positive habits if you want to be a responsible car owner.