Double the life of your engine through regular oil changes!
Increase your engine's life by as much as 500,000km instead of the usual 250,000km by following this advice!
Some car owners believe that their oil only needs to be changed every 10,000 or 15,000kms, especially owners of late model vehicles. Not knowing all the facts can damage your car's engine and result in much unnnecessary expense.
Driving habits greatly affect the life of the engine oil and consequently, the engine. If your vehicle travels less than 20 kilometres per trip for more than half its journeys, you should have the oil changed every 5,000 - 7,000kms.
It is estimated that 80% of vehicles fall into this category with short trips to work, to the station, to school or to the shopping centre. This creates a greater risk of increased engine wear and damage compared to a car that travels long enough to vaporise the potentially damaging contaminants.
Water vapour, unburnt petrol and blow-by gases from the combustion process overload the oil which combine to produce sludge deposits. It takes about 20 kilometres from a cold start to fully warm up the engine oil and reduce the rate of fuel contamination. This does not effectively take place in engines that don't travel further than 20 kilometres after each cold start. The oil becomes saturated with contaminants regardless of how high-grade the oil is.
Further, oil thick with deposits can't reach the moving parts as quickly when the engine is first started - the point at which the damage occurs. The lubricant is less effective, accelerating wear and leakage. In addition, many modern engines have reduced sump capacities, some as low as 3.5 litres (including oil filter), causing the oil to be under alot more stress - particularly as the oil approaches the end of its effective service life.
Other abnormal conditions that reduce oil change intervals include dusty roads, heavy loads and sustained high speeds.
Simply topping up an engine low on oil with new oil is not the same as giving it an oil change. Contaminants left behind increase in concentration each time the oil level drops, accelerating engine wear.
So protect your investment by taking the time to check the vehicle's manual to identify what your abnormal driving conditions are and how they may affect the oil, even between regular service periods. Or simply enquire when you next have your car serviced.
Please note that an oil change is not a service. Our service includes a 150 point checklist covering the whole vehicle. See "Service" page.
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