How often should my engine oil be changed

There are many differing views on how often you should change your car engine oil. Manufacturers give many differing guidelines, depending on the car model. We believe that if you are a heavy mileage user, you should change your engine oil twice a year. A regular use driver should be ok with once a year, but no longer.

You should change the oil and oil filter in your engine as part of your vehicles regular maintenance. It will prolong the life of the engine. The oil lubricates the engine while also absorbing the heat produced by the moving internal parts. As time passes, the oil will start to break down and become less active at lubricating the engine and absorbing the generated heat.

How to Check if my Engine Oil needs Replacing

You can perform simple checks to see if your oil is likely to need replacing. The first and easiest way to tell is to look at the colour of the oil by using the dipstick in the engine. If the oil colour on the dipstick is black and not golden, then the oil has likely started to degrade. Once this happens, it can form gunk which can harm your engine. Secondly and although messy, you can check the consistency of the oil by rubbing it through your fingers (off the bottom of the dipstick) to check if there are any grains within the oil. This is a sure sign that the oil is starting to degrade within your engine.

At Childwall Fiveways Garage, we charge from £20.00 to change your oil and filter depending on the make and model of your vehicle. As part of our corporate and social responsibility, we only dispose of engine oil in an environmentally friendly manner. If your car is due an oil change, or even if you haven’t included it in your regular maintenance schedule, then don’t leave it any longer. Call us to get booked in and give your car the TLC that it deserves.