You depend on your car for reliable transportation. That’s why it’s so important to keep your car in top running condition.
Preventative maintenance is often neglected by car owners. This is a shame because it’s the small details that can keep your vehicle running like new for many years. Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place for help.
This article takes a look at how often to change your motor oil. After all, motor oil is the lifeblood of your engine, and clean oil makes all the difference. Keep reading to get the inside scoop on the critical aspect of car maintenance that every driver should know.
1. The Age of Your Car
The first thing to consider is the age of your car. Why is this? Because the older your car is, the more wear and tear you will have put on your engine.
Keep in mind that engines begin to deteriorate and break down over time, and this will require that you change the oil more frequently. This is especially true once an engine reaches 100,000 miles.
2. The Climate Where You Live
Do you live in an area that experiences extreme weather? If so, this can have a significant impact on how often you need to change the oil in your car.
This is true for both extreme cold and extreme heat.
For example, areas of the country that tend to experience extremely high temperatures will mean that your engine is more likely to run hot. This is hard on motor oil. You need to know that your oil is clean in order to ensure that your engine stays in the best condition possible.
The same goes for extreme cold. That’s because cold weather is even more demanding on engines. Good clean oil will keep the engine clean, which is incredibly important when you can’t afford to risk engine failure while driving in icy or snowy conditions.
In both cases, you’d be wise to change your oil every 3,000 miles.
3. Number of Miles You Drive Annually
Do you put a lot of miles on your car each year? This is a sure sign that you need to change your oil every 5,000 to 7,000. But you’d still be better off changing it every 3,000 just to be safe.
4. Older Cars
It’s important to understand that older cars require special care. Once your engine reaches a certain number of miles, you’d be wise to switch to a high-mileage synthetic oil designed to keep your engine running smoothly for as many years as possible. Again, never let your engine go beyond 5,000 to 7,000 miles without an oil change.
5. Newer Cars
The majority of newer cars are now equipped with oil-monitoring systems designed to automatically alert you to how often you should change your oil. The key is to invest in a quality synthetic oil and to change it no less than every 7,000 miles.
A Car Owner’s Guide to How Often to Change Your Motor Oil
Preventative maintenance can help prevent a lot of headaches down the road. Fortunately, this guide to how often to change your motor oil will keep your car running like new for years to come.
Keep scrolling to read more car maintenance tips on this blog.
