What Problems Can Occur if You Don’t Get Frequent Oil Changes
We all know that we’re supposed to get our oil changed every 3,000 miles, but very few of us strictly stick to that number. Often, life gets in the way, and your oil change falls further and further down your priority list. However, if you continue to drive around Orange with unchanged oil for too long, you can cause major damage to your vehicle that will result in expensive auto repairs. Here are a few examples of what can occur if you fail to change your oil frequently enough.
#1. Overheating & Part Warping
The lubrication provided by oil is what helps maintain the engine temperature and prevent overheating. As your oil becomes sludge over time, the friction inside your engine increases and, therefore, so does the temperature. If the temperature increases enough, your vehicle could overheat and stop working. This increased friction and temperature could also begin to alter the shape of certain engine components. Warped parts will require inevitable require part replacement, an unnecessary expense that can easily be avoided with regular oil changes.
#2. Decreased Engine Power
Ensuring that your engine’s components can move with as little resistance as possible is essential to maintaining the same level of horsepower over time. If you fail to change your oil, it can thicken and become more of a sludge than a liquid. This can decrease the efficiency of your engine’s moving parts and thereby cause your engine to decrease in power. While this doesn’t necessitate immediate engine replacement, it will cause you to have noticeably more difficulty accelerating, driving at an incline, and traveling at consistently high speeds. This will cause you to have to repair or replace your engine in the long run, costing you hundreds or thousands of dollars that you could have saved by replacing your oil on schedule.
#3. Engine Clogs
The thick consistency of old engine oil can also contribute to engine blockages. The old oil can become trapped in crevices and congeal around engine components, causing your engine performance to weaken or fail. When this happens, you will have to have your engine cleaned or replaced, depending on the severity, which can potentially be a very costly endeavor. It’s always safer to visit Citywide Auto Care for an on-time oil change than be forced to come in for engine repair.
#4. Complete Engine Replacement
It can happen in a wide variety of ways, but failure to receive regular oil changes will often result in one thing: engine failure. The cost to replace an engine can easily be in the thousands of dollars, so it’s worth the little bit of extra time to come into Citywide for an oil change every 3,000 miles. Allowing dirty, unchanged oil to reduce the life expectancy of your engine is a costly mistake that too many drivers make. Be sure to replace your oil before it forces you to replace your engine entirely.
If you’re a resident of Orange and you’re overdue for your next oil change, stop by Citywide Auto Care. We offer efficient and high-quality service at an affordable price. We treat our customers like family, so we’ll never try to upsell you or convince you to accept services you don’t need. If you come to us for an oil change, well provide you with an oil change. If you’d like to make an appointment today, give us a call at (714) 633-4211. We’re here Monday to Friday!
