Changing your oil every 3,000 – 5,000 miles is common sense, buy why do you need to do it? You take time out of your busy life, to sit in a waiting room, wondering how much longer you will have to wait for your car to be done. You sit there and think “how long can I go before my next oil change?”
What’s the point anyway? That is a great question! While an oil change might be one of the cheaper car repair services, its importance can not be overstated. Regular oil changes is critical to the life of your vehicle and will save you from a much more expensive repair in the future. This is simply because, oil is the basic life-blood of your automobile. Your oil keeps your engine and its many parts running smoothly and efficiently. It helps to keep your engine clear or accumulation and carbon buildup. Your motor gets very hot and oil helps to pull that heat away from the combustion chambers to prevent your engine from blowing up. As time passes as your oil protects your motor, and as your oil collects heat, varnish and carbons, it eventually loses its liquid viscosity and becomes a sludge. That is when it is time to get an oil change.
The amount and type of oil used in your car will depend on many factors, including the type of car and how often you drive. The old standard of every 3 months or 3,000 miles is still a great standard to go by, however mileage and driving conditions are more important than the time that passes. You may take a trip and drive 5,000 miles in a few weeks, or it could be 5 months before you reach the target mileage. Be observant of your odometer and how you have been driving your car, because the life of your oil can be affected by weather or towing as well.
Whether it is time or money that you reason as your excuse for waiting, over time your oil will get worse and worse and will eventually clog your engine. Repairs can become very expensive and time consuming if you do not set aside the proper time to care for your car. In summary, it is worth the small cost and small time to properly maintain your vehicle. You won’t regret it.