When to change your car engine oil?
The engine oil holds high importance in the smooth running of the engine. The reason behind this is that the oil provides lubrication to the moving parts of the engine. But why engine oil needs to be changed after a specific time interval or after a bike or a car has traveled specific kilometers? The answer is, oil gets deteriorated when it is subjected to friction and heat and loses its important properties of lubricating the engine. Moreover, the oil is prone to contamination which leads to the formation of sludge, thereby harming the engine if not changed. But the question still remains the same.
When to change the engine oil?
The answer to the question is simple, refer to your car’s manuals or guide which was provided by the manufacturer along with the car. Various engines have different oil change time because it all depends on the design and structure of the engine as well as the lubricating system of the engine.
These days the answer to the question can be obtained from the car, because modern cars are equipped with sensors which sense the total kilometers driven and in few cars also sense the driving style and display the message to change the oil if found necessary.
Though old cars don’t have such sensors the sound of the engine sometimes easily suggests the oil change irrelevant to the kilometers driven.
Usually, mechanics suggests changing the engine oil after every 5000KM which is not true for every car or bike. It is always advisable to ask this question to the person from the manufacturing company.
Other factors which make oil change timing tentative
Following things can effectively change your oil change time.
- The type of Oil previously poured into the engine.
- Age of the Vehicle.
- Age of the oil.
- And above all driving style.
Reckless driving obviously reduces the oil change time as abrupt and sudden changes in rpm make oil flow rapidly and speed up its deterioration.
- Regular oil level check is always crucial as sometimes even new cars eat up some oil and need some to be poured between complete oil changes.
- Color of the oil reveals many things, new oil has a transparent light color and it gets darker after use and at excessive usage, it gets thick and completely turns black. Once the oil becomes completely black it engine needs an oil change.
- Check for the consistency is also mandatory, for this take the dipstick between your two fingers and rub the oil between two fingers and if the oil feels coarse then it is the time for an oil change.
- Engine’s sound also acts as an alarm, engines start making unusual noise when oil level drops or oil gets deteriorated.
So keeping in mind the above points will definitely help to maintain the health of the engine and will ultimately increase the life of the engine.
List Of All Car Companies And Their Dealers and Service Centers: Check Here
Also, read about When to change your Bike engine oil?
