Does an Oil Change Make My Car Run Better?

The short answer is yes. Intuitively, you know this. Let’s get into more detail about why an oil change improves engine performance. Equally as important is how frequently you should service and change your car’s oil to maintain peak performance and longevity.

When to Schedule Your Car for An Oil Change Service

Every week, we service over a dozencars with odometer readings exceeding 100,000 miles.What are the driving habits of virtually all of those owners? Perform regular oil changes according to the car manufacturers’ recommended gas mileage intervals. Oil in your vehicle lubricates your engine and prevents it from overheating. It also captures dirt, water, and other impurities and prevents them from entering your engine parts.

The more miles driven, the more particles captured. This sludge buildup reduces efficiency and allows more gunk to accumulate around your engine. Over time, other additives break down resulting in less of viscosity and further loss of efficiency. With more deposits in your engine, more moving parts grind in a potentially dangerous way. With less efficient engine oil, overheating increases thereby reducing fuel efficiency. Using oil past its useful life increases the risk of damage to engines and reduces gas mileage.

Oil Changes for Used Vs. New Cars

If you purchased your car new, it came with an owner’s manual. For a used car, you may need to visit the carmaker’s website to download a PDF of suggested oil change schedule. For a long time, the standard recommended mileage interval was 3,000 miles. The standard time frequency was once every three months. Many newer cars often have ranges of 5,000 – 7,000 miles with the use of synthetic oil. They may stretch the service intervals to six months or more.

If you drive your car in less than ideal conditions, then better to err on the conservative side of these suggestions. For example, in the Northeast with its four seasons, your engine is placed under different stress levels. The same is true if you travel a lot on dirt roads. Stop-and-go city driving or frequent accelerating and braking is another example of stressful driving.

Get an Oil Change and Service Your Car with Us Today

Even if you drive few miles, you do not want to go a year without changing your oil. Preventative maintenance is your best bet to have a long-lived engine that runs efficiently. Have our ASE Certified mechanics service your car. At Fred’s Auto Repair, when we perform car oil change service, we also check air filter, belt, hoses, tire pressure, fluid levels and lubricate your chassis. Ask about our maintenance service where we’ll log in your auto and maintain a complete service history to help you stay informed. We are delighted to have been voted Best of Westchester and we keep working harder to earn your trust.