Oil Change Tips

It is recommended that you get an Oil Change on your vehicle every 3,500 miles for regular oil and every 5,000 miles for synthetic oil. Checking and changing the oil is essential to keep today’s engines working properly and efficiently.

How to Check Your Oil Level
  1. Park the car on a flat service & make sure the engine is cooled
  2. Open the hood & remove the dipstick
  3. Wipe the dipstick off with a cloth or paper towel
  4. Put the dipstick back into the oil tank
  5. Pull it again and see if the level is within the acceptable range marked on the dipstick
  6. If it is low, you can add more oil

DO NOT OVERFILL, AS IT CAN DAMAGE THE ENGINE

When Should I Get An Oil Change?

Most automobile manufacturers recommend oil changes once every year or every 7,500 miles of car and light truck gasoline engines. For diesel engines and turbocharged gasoline engines, the usual recommendation is every 3,000 miles or six months.

You’ll find that a once-a-year (7,500 miles) oil change is for vehicles driven in ideal circumstances. What most of us think is “normal” driving is actually “severe service” driving. This includes frequent short trips (less than 10 miles, especially in cold weather), stop-and-go city traffic driving, driving in dusty conditions (gravel roads, etc), and sustained highway driving speed during the warm season. For this type of driving behavior, the recommendation is to change the oil every 3,000 miles or six months.

For maximum protection, most oil companies say to change the oil every 3,000 miles or three to six months regardless of what type of driving you do. Regular oil changes for preventative maintenance are cheap insurance against engine wear, and will always save you money in the long run if you keep a car for more than three or four years. It’s very uncommon to see an engine that has been well maintained with regular oil changes develop major bearing, ring, cam, or valve problems under 100,000 miles. 

What About The Oil Filter?

To reduce the costs of vehicle ownership and maintenance, many car makers say the oil filter only needs to be replaced at every other oil change. Most mechanics will tell you this is a false economy.

The oil filters on most engines today have been downsized to save weight, cost, and space. The “standard” quart-sized filter that was once common on most engines has been replaced by a pint-sized (or smaller) filter. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that a smaller filter has less total filtering capacity. Even so, the little filters should be adequate for a 3,000-mile oil change interval — but may run out of capacity long before a second oil change at 6,000 or 15,000 miles.

Therefore, it is highly recommended to replace the oil filter every time the oil is changed.

Oil Filter Replacement

If you do your own oil changes, make sure you get the correct filter for your engine. Follow the filter manufacturer’s listings in its catalog. Many filters that look the same on the outside have different internal valving. Many overhead cam engines, for example, require an “anti-drain-back” valve in the filter to prevent oil from draining out of the filter when the engine is shut off. This allows oil pressure to reach critical engine parts more quickly when the engine is restarted. Filters that are mounted sideways on the engine typically require an anti-drain-back valve.

 

Disposing of Motor Oil

Used motor oil should be disposed of properly. The Environmental Protection Agency does not consider used motor oil to be a hazardous chemical, but it can foul groundwater and does contain traces of lead. The best way to dispose of used motor oil is to take it to a service station, quick lube shop, parts store, or another facility for recycling. Your old oil will either be re-refined into other lubricants or petroleum products or burned as fuel.

Do not dump used motor oil on the ground, down a drain, into a storm sewer, or place it in the trash. Many landfills will not accept used motor oil even if it is in a sealed container because it will eventually leak out into the ground. If you can’t find an environmentally-acceptable way to dispose of the stuff, maybe you shouldn’t be changing your own oil. Service facilities that do oil changes all have storage tanks and recycling programs to dispose of used oil.

 

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10730 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37934
865-966-0425
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201 S Congress Pkwy
Athens, TN 37303
423-744-9828
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Maryville, TN 37801
865-983-0741
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10838 Hardin Valley Rd.
Knoxville, TN 37932
865-248-2340
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1301 Hwy. 321 N
Lenoir City, TN 37771
865-986-6533

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