An oil change is one of the most regular vehicle maintenance tasks that most vehicle owners perform on their vehicles. It is a well-known fact that the oil in your vehicle needs to be changed after a certain number of miles. However, there are a few more nuanced things you need to know about oil and your engine in order to take the best care possible of your vehicle.
Pay Attention to the Color of Your Oil
When you check your oil, you need to pay attention to more than just the amount of oil. When you pull the dipstick out of the oil reserve, you also should pay attention to the color of your oil. The color of your oil should be dark and translucent, which means that you can almost see through the oil.
If the oil on your dipstick looks milky brown, kind of like chocolate milk, that is not a good sign. When your oil has a milky brown look to it, it means that coolant is leaking into your engine. This happens when you have a cracked casing or the head casket is blown out. This can also happen when the transmission cooler fails.
Watch the Length of Your Trips
Pay attention to how you drive your vehicle. If you primarily drive short distances on a regular basis, you are actually going to want to change your oil more often than if you regularly drive long distances.
This may seem counter-intuitive, since driving short distances doesn't put as many miles on your vehicle as do long trips. However, it is all about how your engine works. When you drive short distances, your engine doesn't warm up enough to boil off the acids and moisture that naturally accumulate while your vehicle is at rest. That moisture and acid can wear down the oil in your engine at a faster rate.
Long trips are actually better for your engine than shorter trips. If you take a lot of shorter trips, just make sure that you change your oil more frequently, before you hit the necessary mileage.
Invest in Higher Quality Oil
Finally, make sure that you are putting the right oil in your vehicle. Instead of using mineral-based motor oil, invest in synthetic oil from a company like Central Valley Wholesale. Synthetic oil may cost a little more upfront, but it lasts longer than mineral-based motor oil, which means you can drive more miles before you need to change your oil again.
Synthetic oil also works better at low temperatures, so if you live in a cold environment, synthetic oil will operate better in your vehicle, especially during the winter months. Additionally, synthetic oil is designed to have higher lubricating properties than mineral-based motor oil.
Take better care of your engine by investing in synthetic motor oil instead of mineral-based motor oil. If you take a lot of short trips with your vehicle, you need to get your oil changed more frequently than if you take longer drives. Also, keep any eye on the color of your oil when you check it. If it ever gets milky, that means your coolant is leaking into your oil and you have a larger issue at hand that you need to deal with.