5 Reasons Engine Oil Changes Are Crucial For Your Car

 

5. Conditions Seals

You might know that a part of the engine called the head gasket is a major headache to replace or repair. It's an important seal that forms a tight bond between the cylinder head and the engine block. Over time, this seal can fail, causing a loss of engine compression, oil and coolant leaking, and all sorts of other problems. There are other important seals throughout the engine like the valve cover gasket, valve seals, piston rings and rear main seal. The oil helps protect them from heat and friction wear, so they remain in good condition. Even in extreme conditions or long periods of disuse, fresh engine oil can help maintain the integrity of your engine's seals, so you don't have to pay for a costly engine rebuild down the line.

 

4. Keeps Engine Clean

Despite these seals, debris can still get into the engine over time. The engine oil plays a critical role by helping suspend tiny particles of dirt, dust, carbon buildup or rubber that can naturally occur in an engine away from the engine's moving parts. When you get the oil changed, this particulate simply flows away with the old oil. So it's not just the oil itself that's critical -- changing the oil regularly is also key to protecting your engine from additional wear.

3. Helps With Cooling

Modern car engines are liquid cooled, primarily by antifreeze coolant flowing through the engine and extracting the heat from the engine at the radiator. However, the oil helps too. As oil flows through the engine, it also draws heat away from the engine's moving parts, so they won't warp or deform from excess heat. Over time, the high heat of the engine will cause the oil in the engine to chemically break down. This can lead to sludge build-up, and the remaining oil may be too thin to effectively lubricate the engine. That's yet another reason why replacing the oil regularly is so crucial.

 

2. Keeps Parts Lubricated

Friction is bad for an engine's moving metal components. A film of oil coats the metal so parts can glide alongside one another, instead of scraping bare metal against bare metal, which almost always causes damage. If there were no oil in your engine at all, it would only take a few minutes for the engine to completely destroy itself! But you get smooth power delivery, quiet performance and a reliable drive when the engine is filled with the correct type of oil, with the correct viscosity profile as intended by the manufacturers.

1. Reduces Friction & Wear

Because the oil keeps the engine's parts cool, clean and lubricated, they can run at thousands of RPMs for hundreds of thousands of miles with proper maintenance! Though the technology may have roots that go back more than a century, modern engines are still marvels of engineering. Take care of yours by following the manufacturer's recommended oil change interval. This helps protect your engine from damage. That means your engine will last longer with fewer repair bills. Our goal is to make owning your Chevrolet vehicle as affordable as possible at Capitol -- and that doesn't stop after we hand you the keys to a new one.