Oil Change - Essential Car Maintenance

It takes a lot of time and money to give a vehicle a full tune-up. But, one of the most important elements of car maintenance, the oil change, is both easy to accomplish and inexpensive. Whether you choose to do it yourself or take it into your favorite mechanic, it is one of the best things you can do to keep your car running well into the future. There are several of the reasons it is such an essential part of engine maintenance.

Reducing Friction

If you rub two sticks together quickly enough, you'll eventually start a fire. Much the same is true of a metal engine. Pistons and rods move at exceptionally high speeds to keep your car moving forward. To accomplish this with as little friction as possible, you need to have proper lubrication. An engine won't run for long without it. But, if you don't get an oil change on a regular basis, it can have the same effect as running your engine without it altogether. Sludgy, dirty lubrication can cause a host of problems that won't be cheap to fix.

Reducing Heat

There are few things worse for your engine that overheating. If you ever notice the temperature gauge on your dash moving into the red zone, you need to pull over immediately and let it cool down. Doing otherwise can result in a crack in the block and other forms of serious damage. To keep it from happening in the first place, get an oil change on a regular basis. Different cars need different intervals. While plenty of experts say that the "every 3,000 miles" rule is overkill, it's much better to get the job done too often than not often enough.

Gas Savings

Americans are in horror at what they are seeing at the pumps. Gas prices are outrageous, and they are only getting worse. It's only natural to look for ways to cut down on your trips to the station. While filling your tires to their proper levels, going easy on the air conditioning, and getting out onto the open highway when you can are good places to start, simply getting a regular oil change is one of the best things you can do. When an engine is well lubricated and running smoothly, you will get much more out of a gallon of gas than you ever thought that you could. Try it for yourself and see the big difference it can make.