Regular checkups are important to one’s health. The same proves true for vehicles.
Between every 3,000 and 5,000 miles, it’s a good idea to have the oil changed.
This is one way you can maintain your car and its engine.
When changing the oil, our technicians remove the drain plug, which releases oil from the engine.
After we catch the oil, we replace the drain plug and change the oil filter. The oil filter is located on the top or bottom of the engine, depending on the vehicle’s design.
Then, the technicians put the correct viscosity and amount of oil in the car, place a reminder sticker on the windshield, and reset the reminder on the dashboard.
We use full synthetic oil.
When performing an oil change, our technicians also do a courtesy inspection where they check various components, including the lights, tires and brakes.
Read more about the courtesy inspection and our switch to synthetic oil.
Why should I get an oil change?
Oil changes help ensure that an engine is functioning properly, and avoiding them can lead to damage down the road.
For example, if your car takes five quarts of oil and you’re running it on three and a half or four quarts, it may run and sound fine. However, you’re destroying the engine, because it’s not reaching every part it’s supposed to.
You may not experience a problem until 30,000 or 40,000 miles later when metal particles are found in the oil. By this point, parts have started to break down.
Earlier this year, one of our technicians discovered metal shavings when doing an oil change on a 2014 Jeep Cherokee SRT8. The engine on the Jeep was replaced soon afterwards.
Many new, fuel-efficient cars have high compression, which means your car may be burning oil without you knowing it.
They also have oil lubricated turbos that can be destroyed overtime.
Another reason it’s extremely important to change your oil is that the engines have much tighter tolerances. A lot of engines have variable valve timing, and if sludge starts to build up that can cause problems with the oil solenoids that control the camshafts and can actually plug return galleries from the top of the engine so the oil can’t get back down to the oil pan as quickly.
Having your oil changed early isn’t a bad idea. We also suggest checking your oil every other time you fill your gas tank, because you can’t tell when you’re driving your car if it’s low.
HomeTowne Auto Repair & Tire is an authorized Michelin and BFGoodrich tire dealer located in Woodbridge, Virginia. Automotive repair services are performed on all makes and models, including oil changes, brakes, alignments, inspections, and computer engine diagnostics.