by Mike Mccarthy

Created on: March 24, 2009

When should you change the engine oil in your car? The simplest answer is, when it needs to be changed. There are however, a few elements that need to be considered when deciding when the oil needs to be changed.

The base minimum for engine oil changes are the servicing schedules indicated for your vehicle by it's manufacturer. This should not be exceeded particularly if your vehicle is still within the manufacturer's warranty period as omitting this simple evolution may well invalidate your warranty.

If you are buying an older car this is one reason why you want to see the service history, as, older cars had a slightly abrasive oil as a first fill, to help bed the engine in while running in. This oil was then changed at about 500 miles to a standard grade oil. If the first service was carried out at double that initial service mileage recommendation, abnormal wear may have occurred when the car was new.

There are other factors to be considered regarding oil change intervals. Firstly, how many miles do you cover? If you drive a lot of miles, then your oil change intervals should be more frequent. If you do a lot of early morning cold starts, again, change the oil more frequenly, as you need thicker/newer oil to coat the engine whilst standing, otherwise your cold start will increase wear on the engine.

Does your engine work hard? Do you tow a lot with it, or use the vehicle off road? again, heavy use means more frequent oil changes. This is because the oil picks up particulates from the engine and becomes contaminated and therefore less effective as a lubricant.

The oil in your engine is probably the most important moving part within it. It is also probably the cheapest replacement part you can purchase. Cutting corners by having long gaps between oil changes means that your engine is wearing more quickly and this will lead to much greater expense as time goes on.

When you do change the oil in your engine, it is also a good time to look for other problems such as water in the oil, which may point to a head gasket failure. As you will be removing the filler cap when changing the oil, have a look at the cap itself. If there is a creamy, mayonaise look to it, there is water in the oil. If the work is being carried out by a garage, ask them to examine this for you.

If you change your oil every three months, then most will be within a very reasonable service schedule. If you want to change the oil yourself, then following this link will tell you how to do it http://www.helium.com/items/1362856-how-to-change-th e-engine-oil-on-your-4x4-suv-or-car

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