Have you ever put off having your vehicle’s oil changed? Maybe you forgot or didn’t have the time to go to the shop? It is not uncommon to wait too long to have your oil changed, yet by doing so, it can risk having significant problems down the road.
Service advisors often report that when they speak with someone with 200,000 miles or more, the vehicle owner will say their secret is changing the oil on time. As engine technology advances, recommended oil change intervals have become longer. High quality oil in a well-engineered engine has led to extended intervals.
With longer oil change intervals, it’s extremely important to follow them closely. Back in the day of 3 months or 3,000 miles, if you went an extra month or an extra thousand miles, your oil was still fresh enough that it didn’t have time to build up much sludge. If your recommended interval is 6,500 miles and you go over another thousand, you’re getting into heavy sludge territory. When this happens, your engine must work harder to fight through the buildup and loses its lubrication and decreases heat absorption. This makes it susceptible to major issues.
Is your driving closer to the regular schedule or the severe service schedule? If you do a lot of stop and go driving, short trips, drive in dusty or polluted conditions, hot or cold weather, or haul heavy loads, you’re driving in severe service conditions.
Please don’t skip an oil change. Once sludge has started to build up, it’s tough to get out.
Give us a call!
Eureka Brake & Automotive <br/>707.443.2122 <br/>eurekabrake.com
Revised from content contributed by NAPA Service Assistant