To keep your car’s engine performing properly and avoid costly repairs, changing your motor oil regularly (and knowing how often to do) so is extremely important. Motor oil is important for many engine functions, including helping your engine start easily, lubricating engine parts, reducing friction, protecting against rust and corrosion, keeping engine parts clean, minimize combustion chamber deposits, cooling engine parts, and much more. The average driver with little or no knowledge about motor oil manufacturers and engines will have many questions about the subject when it comes to where and when to change car engine oil, and which recommended motor oil is best for their car’s engine. To help you better understand the process and recommendations for changing your motor oil, here are some answers to frequently asked questions.
1) Is motor oil cheap? Answering the question “is motor oil cheap?” is difficult — there are many diverse motor oil manufacturers and types out there, and all vehicles have their own motor oil standards. The motor oil your engine requires depends on the viscosity grading of the oil. Viscosity grading, including 0, 5, 10, 15 and 25, are suffixed with the letter W, designating their “winter” or cold-start (lower-temperature) viscosity. Motor oil manufacturers also make synthetic and natural motor oils. Synthetic motor oils are typically more expensive than natural motor oil because it lasts longer. In fact, synthetic motor oil needs to be changed every 5,000-7,500 miles, while natural motor oils need to be changed every 3,000-5,000 miles.
2) Can I change my vehicle’s motor oil at home? You can, and many people do change their own motor oil. If you plan on changing your motor oil without the help of a professional, you should know what type of motor oil your car needs, how to properly change your engine’s oil, and how to properly recycle the engine oil. Recycling motor oil properly is extremely important. Motor oil is very harmful to the environment, and in some states, it is illegal to not properly dispose used motor oil. If motor oil is not properly recycled, it can form a scum on the top of bodies of water that stops sunlight and oxygen from entering the water. This can kill fish, frogs, plants and other forms of life.
3) How much motor oil should I put in my engine? Again, the amount of motor oil your vehicle’s engine is dependent on the type of vehicle and its engine. It is important to make sure you are putting the right amount of motor oil in your engine — too much motor oil can cause parts of the crankshaft to dip into the excessive oil — this churns air into the oil and causes foaming, as well as fluctuations in oil pressure. On the other hand, not putting enough motor oil in your engine will cause your engine to starve for lubrication, causing the engine to overheat and eventually self-destruct
