The Oil Change and Why You Do Not Want to Go Without

You won't go a day without running into someone who hasn't been to a dentist in more than a year or someone who doesn't bother exercising. Along the same lines, you probably know someone who doesn't consider getting a regular oil change to be an important part of car ownership. Sure, all three of the above people probably know and (somewhat) understand the importance of doing those things. It's just that they don't quite comprehend what will happen if they don't. It's a tricky thing to understand until the consequences come bearing down. Cavities, heart disease, and, indeed, engine failure can be courted more easily than you might think.

Because a vehicle starts losing value the moment you drive it off the lot, most people don't look at their cars as an investment. While it may not be an investment in the traditional sense, it is nonetheless something you've poured a lot of money into. You may still be pouring money into it on a monthly basis. Why not take care of that belonging? Why not take care of the vehicle that is your primary (and often only) method of transportation? Having your car break down in the middle of traffic is a terrible feeling. And while there's no way to prepare for every eventuality, there are certainly things you can do to stave off the inevitable.

Before you can fully understand what can happen to your car when you fail to get a regular oil change, you have to understand the purpose of the lubrication to begin with. What you're dealing with in an engine is a piece of machinery that runs extremely warm and extremely fast. When you have metal rods and pistons moving at such tremendous rates of speed, they will fail quickly if they aren't given some lubrication. This is true of any metal machinery, but it is seldom more important than in the engine of a vehicle. But with time, that lubrication grows dirty with particulates and debris. The only way to keep up your engine's efficiency is to change it out for some fresh lube.

When you fail to get an oil change on a regular basis (at least every 6,000 miles—more often if you drive in unfavorable conditions), the lubrication can grow sludgy as a result of all the dirt and heat. When that happens, you may as well have filled your engine with silly putty. Instead of acting as a smooth lubrication, it begins doing the opposite. It acts as a substance to gum up the works. It doesn't take long for an engine running in these conditions to fail. In many instances, sludgy engines have to be completely replaced. That can cost several thousand dollars, all of which could have been saved by simply getting a regular lube job.