Thursday, August 21, 2008

Is the Oil Change Due?

If you are looking for the quick and dirty answer, then it's the first of 3000 miles or 3 months. But on any given day, you can ask ten people and may get at least 2 different answers. The answer variation lead me to conduct an extensive, detailed research. The research answered explained yet another interesting question. Why would two identical cars experience engine failure at different odometer reading. One runs for 300,000 miles, while others fails before reaching 50,000.


The majority of vehicle manufacturers suggested that passenger car and light truck gasoline engines driven under normal conditions should get an oil change once a year or every 7,500 miles. I went on to find a description for normal driving conditions. One hundred college students were interviewed to determine the description of their own driving. You may stereotype college students driving as sever conditions, but three in four thought their driving is of normal condition, while answering yes to one of the following questions. Do you encounter frequent short trips during cold weather?Do you drive in city traffic (stop-and-go traffic)?Do you drive in dusty condition?Do you drive on the on the highway during hot weather?
If you answered yes to any of the questions, then you're driving is considered of severe condition. Some so called experts claim that the 3000 miles rule is a myth that oil companies came up with to increase their profits. This maybe true if you are buying a brand new car, and do not plan to keep it for an extended period of time. However, lets look at it from a different perspective. Frying oil. You can use the same oil in the pan for multiple uses. Some people use the same oil 10 times, and some others are not willing to use it more than 2 times.
However, you would notice the change in color, and the thickness of the oil over multiple uses. The same applies to car oil, the more miles you drive on it, blowby increases. This results in more unburned fuel into the crankcase, eventually diluting the oil. The cause a break down in the oil purity, which means more tear and wear on your engine, and an accelerated engine problems. The wear will result in loss of performance, lower fuel economy, increased emissions and oil consumption. Therefore, for maximum protection to your investment you should change the oil every 3,000 miles or three months.

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