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Changing engine oil – what do you need to know?
Changing engine oil – what do you need to know about it and how to do it yourself?
Engine oil is one of the most important fluids in your car. It is responsible for lubrication and reducing friction between individual engine elements, as well as for cooling and sealing the unit. Changing the oil regularly will increase the life of the engine. How to change the oil yourself and what fluid parameters should you pay attention to?
How often should engine oil be changed?
Information on how much to replace engine oil, we should find it in the car's service book. However, it is worth taking into account not only the manufacturer's recommendations, but also the way we use the vehicle.
What does typical car use look like? The standard in many cases are short city routes and stops in traffic jams, interspersed from time to time with longer routes and more dynamic driving. If the vehicle is used in this way, the engine oil should be changed approximately every 8 - 000 km.
If the car is subjected to greater loads, e.g. we drive it on a track or off-road, the interval between replacements can be shortened to approximately 5000 km. However, if the car usually covers longer distances or the lubrication system has a large capacity (in the case of larger engines), the mileage may be slightly higher than standard, e.g. approximately 15 km. It is best to simply change the oil every year during an inspection, which also includes replacing oil, air and cabin filters.
Which engine oil should I choose?
How to choose engine oil? The easiest way is to follow the manufacturer's recommendations, provided that there are no significant fluid losses between changes.
Oils are divided into synthetic (the rarest), semi-synthetic and mineral (the thickest). The best protective parameters, even at lower operating temperatures, are provided by synthetics.
In the case of older cars, you may consider using semi-synthetic oil. It is less invasive than synthetic ones, which have strong cleaning properties. In an engine with high mileage, it may wash out deposits, contribute to leaks or clog oil channels.
If we have a car with a higher mileage and decide to change the type of oil, we must follow an important rule. We switch from thinner to thicker oil.
Oil change – by yourself or in a workshop?
Replacing engine oil is not a particularly complicated task. The easiest way will be to simply take the car to a service center that will take care of it for us. This is a good solution if we do not have appropriate conditions or experience with mechanics.
When to change the oil yourself? For example, when we currently cannot use the services of a workshop we trust. This may also be a good option if we want to save a bit or do not want to take the car to the service center for most of the day. It is best to change the oil yourself when you have appropriate conditions, e.g. access to a garage with a canal.
Oil change in the workshop
How much does an engine oil change cost?
Changing engine oil is one of the cheaper maintenance activities. There are several aspects to take into account that affect the final amount.
First, we need to buy the oil itself. We check the car's owner's manual to see how much we will need. Usually it is about 5 liters. For a can with this amount of oil, we will pay from about PLN 70 to about PLN 150 - depending on the manufacturer and the class of oil. In addition, there is the price of the oil filter. Most often, the cost of this element is PLN 20-40.
If we do not have a ramp or canal at our disposal, we can use a self-service workshop. The price per hour of use is approximately PLN 30-50.
How much does an oil change cost? The expenses should amount to PLN 150-200. They will be slightly higher if we go to a workshop. The fee for this service can vary greatly. We should approximately pay PLN 50-100 for labor. If we decide to use the service, we usually do not have to buy oil or filter ourselves. The workshop should have oil from a large barrel and will import the appropriate filter from a wholesaler. Of course, the price of oil and filter will be added to the price of the entire service.
Oil change – what needs to be prepared?
As before any service operation, it is worth collecting the necessary accessories for an oil change. First of all, we should take care of safety. It's a good idea to invest in work glovesthat will protect our hands.
Moreover, you may find it useful funnel with strainer, thanks to which impurities will not get into the new oil.
They may prove helpful pliers, e.g. in case you have difficulty unscrewing the drain plug.
We can also buy a special key to unscrew the oil filter. We can get it not only in automotive stores, but also in construction stores. Of course, you will also need a container for used engine oil.
Changing the oil yourself – how to do it?
If we want to change the oil ourselves, it will be most convenient to do it in a garage with a canal, or on a driveway or on a lift that will give us access to the underside of the car. We remember to secure the car against rolling away. The vehicle should be placed on as flat a surface as possible. It's good if the engine is warm, but not hot. Oil with a higher temperature will be thinner and will drain from the drive unit faster compared to cold oil.
Step
When the car is in the right position, secured and the engine turned off, we can start changing the oil. Place a container for the liquid under the oil pan, preferably slightly larger than the expected amount of oil, so that it does not leak out during pouring.
Step
We unscrew the drain plug in the pan, but do not remove it immediately. We press it until we are sure that it does not stick to the thread and only then we remove it with a decisive movement. This way we will avoid getting our fingers wet and the screw falling into the oil container.
Step
We wait until the oil drains. Let's take into account that at the beginning it may flow faster and at a different angle than at the end. We also unscrew the oil filter. Liquid may also leak out from under it.
Step
Lubricate the gasket of the new filter with new oil. Tighten it with great force, preferably by hand, being careful not to damage the seal.
Step
Screw on the drain plug. We can think about using a new one or replacing the seal on the cap.
Step
We start pouring new oil. We pour slightly less than the manufacturer recommends, e.g. 4 liters instead of 4,5. We wait a few minutes and allow the oil to spread throughout the engine.
Step
We check the oil level and top it up if necessary. We can start the engine for a few minutes to run at low speeds. We turn off the engine and after about 5 minutes we check the liquid level again. We also check whether the engine oil light goes out quickly. If not, it may turn out that the filter has a defect. We write more about the indications on the dashboard in the article Lights in the car – what do they symbolize? Which car lights should you pay special attention to?.
We also constantly make sure there are no leaks from under the cap. Remember that used engine oil cannot be poured into the sewage system. Not only is it harmful to the environment, but it is also illegal. We send old oil to a recycling plant.
Changing the oil yourself
Myths about changing engine oil
One of the frequently recurring myths about engine oil is that it does not need to be changed at all or can be done very rarely if we use the car occasionally. It's not true.
Oil is consumed not only during work. Over time, it simply gets old and loses its original properties. So no matter how you use your car, it is recommended to replace it every year. More information about vehicles that are rarely driven can be found in our guide How to take care of a car that is rarely used? What can break down when the car is parked for a long time?.
We can also add oil other than the one already in the engine. It does not have to be exactly the same fluid from the same manufacturer. However, there is an important condition: it must be oil with the same parameters. For example: add only synthetic 5W-40 to synthetic 5W-40.
