Why Do I Need an Oil Change?

While there are several reasons, the most straightforward one is that an oil change is a necessary element of your vehicle’s maintenance schedule. When you get it changed, you are making an active effort towards the stability of your vehicle’s health. Regular oil changes reduce the risk of major issues coming to the fore at inopportune moments. Below we’ll discuss some of them.

If you have access to your owner’s manual, then you’re starting off in a great position. Inside the manual you’ll find the maintenance schedule that informs you at which milestone an oil change should be performed. However, we understand that this isn’t always the case. A good way to test your oil’s health is a physical inspection to make sure it has a translucent amber color with little to no particles floating around in it.

What Are Some Signs I Need an Oil Change?

There are multiple signs to herald an oil change, but the one that’s easiest, and more likely to be noticed, is the check oil light. When it becomes illuminated, it often means that either there isn’t enough oil in the system and needs to be refilled, or sometimes, changed altogether. This is also a moment when taking a physical check of your oil is recommended, using the criteria we previously mentioned.

Although you might expect your vehicle to produce odors that you find unpleasant, there are some distinctly oily odors you need to know about. By the time you start experiencing these oily odors, you’re likely to see smoke bellowing from beneath the hood. These elements should tell you that your oil is unhealthy and unable to work, while suggesting an issue within the delivery system itself.

A final example is the noise your engine makes. Now you might be accustomed to a certain amount of noise but pay attention if you start noticing it’s increased. Oil is meant to prevent the scraping of metal inside the engine and when you have bad oil, the noise level increases.