Oil Changes: Is Your Vehicle Ready for Fall?
When it comes to oil changes for your vehicle, picture for a moment frying a steak or chicken for dinner. Would you put aside the oil or shortening in which you cooked the meat and then re-use that same oil week after week until it is burnt and full of tiny particles? It is likely that you would start with fresh oil each time you started to cook. Why, then, would anyone expect their car’s engine to function efficiently with gritty, used oil? Give your car the attention it needs with a quality oil change performed at the right mileage interval!
The purpose of motor oil is to lubricate the components of an automobile’s engine and in essence, protect the elements and cylinders of the engine. It would only make sense, therefore, that the oil is not gritty, grimy, wrought with overuse and broken down in its efficacy. Therefore, timely oil changes are critical to the life of an engine.
There are Several Ways to Keep a Timely Schedule of Oil Changes:
- Change the oil according to the mileage. It is recommended for most vehicles that the oil be changed at least once every 10,000 miles (3,000 miles for older vehicles);
- Change the oil according to a time schedule, i.e. perhaps develop a habit of changing the oil at the beginning of spring (March) and then again at the onset of fall (September). (If your average mileage is 20,000 miles per year, then that is similar to the mileage recommendation.) The strength of this option is that it is very easy to keep a schedule for your vehicles’ oil changes without having to track mileage, and finally,
- Adhere strictly to your owner’s manual’s recommendations for each specific vehicle, as this may differ from one vehicle to another.
Furthermore, along with changing the motor oil, the filter should always be changed at the same time. In previous decades, it was suggested to use a thicker grade oil, such as 10W40, in the summer and the thinner grade oil, such as 10W30 in the winter in an oil change. However, with the newer, fuel-injected engines, most manufacturers suggest using the 10W30 grade year-round. In the past, many people changed their own oil. However, with the technology in the vehicle today and budget-friendly auto shops, it is often more cost-friendly to have an oil change done by a professional.
Remember that needed oil change service before fall! Contact our ASE Certified technicians today at Elk River Tire & Auto for more information about oil changes and to schedule an appointment. Our auto shop in Elk River, MN proudly serves residents in the areas of Zimmerman, MN, and Otsego, Minnesota.
When it comes to oil changes for your vehicle, picture for a moment frying a steak or chicken for dinner. Would you put aside the oil or shortening in which you cooked the meat and then re-use that same oil week after week until it is burnt and full of tiny particles? It is likely that you would start with fresh oil each time you started to cook. Why, then, would anyone expect their car’s engine to function efficiently with gritty, used oil? Give your car the attention it needs with a quality oil change performed at the right mileage interval!
The purpose of motor oil is to lubricate the components of an automobile’s engine and in essence, protect the elements and cylinders of the engine. It would only make sense, therefore, that the oil is not gritty, grimy, wrought with overuse and broken down in its efficacy. Therefore, timely oil changes are critical to the life of an engine.
There are Several Ways to Keep a Timely Schedule of Oil Changes:
- Change the oil according to the mileage. It is recommended for most vehicles that the oil be changed at least once every 10,000 miles (3,000 miles for older vehicles);
- Change the oil according to a time schedule, i.e. perhaps develop a habit of changing the oil at the beginning of spring (March) and then again at the onset of fall (September). (If your average mileage is 20,000 miles per year, then that is similar to the mileage recommendation.) The strength of this option is that it is very easy to keep a schedule for your vehicles’ oil changes without having to track mileage, and finally,
- Adhere strictly to your owner’s manual’s recommendations for each specific vehicle, as this may differ from one vehicle to another.
Furthermore, along with changing the motor oil, the filter should always be changed at the same time. In previous decades, it was suggested to use a thicker grade oil, such as 10W40, in the summer and the thinner grade oil, such as 10W30 in the winter in an oil change. However, with the newer, fuel-injected engines, most manufacturers suggest using the 10W30 grade year-round. In the past, many people changed their own oil. However, with the technology in the vehicle today and budget-friendly auto shops, it is often more cost-friendly to have an oil change done by a professional.
Remember that needed oil change service before fall! Contact our ASE Certified technicians today at Elk River Tire & Auto for more information about oil changes and to schedule an appointment. Our auto shop in Elk River, MN proudly serves residents in the areas of Zimmerman, MN, and Otsego, Minnesota.
