It’s one of the cheapest maintenance procedures on a vehicle, and it’s also crucial to the well-being of your engine. Changing your oil should be on your agenda as regularly as getting your heart checked. Not keeping up with your oil changes could result in ultimately needing to replace the entire engine, which is so prohibitively expensive that most people would just opt for a new car. Instead, keep your engine running strong with an oil change every 3,000-5,000 miles. Here are some reasons why oil changes are essential to your car’s overall health:
1. It Reduces Friction
Think of your car as a giant metal organism. It’s got plenty of “bones”, such as pistons and other metal parts, constantly rubbing against each other as you drive your vehicle. As you can imagine, all that rubbing needs some lubrication. That’s where oil comes in. Think of oil as the lifeblood in that metal organism. In fact, you can consider it as crucial as the blood, water, and all the other liquids that a body needs. That’s how important oil is to keeping your car running.
As it flows through your engine, oil helps the mobile metal parts come in contact smoothly, without excessive friction or unnecessary strain. Since your car depends on those parts moving perfectly, clean oil is essential.
In time, your oil will get clogged with different particles, and the excessive heat will make it lose its lubricating properties. And just like your body can’t function on clogged blood, neither can your car on clogged oil. The metal joints in your car won’t move as smoothly, and the pieces will wear out faster from the friction of rubbing against each other. The only way to prevent that is with regular oil changes
2. It Cools Your Car Down
The metal parts in your car create heat as they rub together. If nothing prevents them from getting hotter and hotter, they’ll eventually weld together, killing your engine. Since oil is a heat-absorbing liquid, it prevents the metal parts from heating up too much. Eventually, however, as the oil gets older and clogged with different particles, it becomes sludge-like, thus being less effective in absorbing heat. Another reason it’s important to replenish with fresh oil on a regular basis, especially if you’re embarking on a long distance road trip.
3. It Collects Impurities
Good, fresh oil collects many impurities, such as carbon and varnish, that would otherwise stick to the different parts of your engine. Obviously, when it comes to collecting those nasty particles, fresh oil is highly superior to old, dirty sludge.
Changing your oil every 5,000 miles is a must if you want your engine to run as smoothly as possible. Fresh oil keeps the mobile parts moving together efficiently, cools them down, and absorbs many of the impurities in your engine. Since it’s one of the least expensive ways to maintain your car, there’s no reason not to change your oil regularly.
