Oil Change
To keep your vehicle running as good as it can you need to get your oil changed every 3,000 miles or every three months, which ever comes first. To help you keep track of the mileage and date for your next oil change most vendors will place a courteously sticker on your windshield. If you change your oil yourself make sure you write the information down. Setting the trip reset on the vehicle can serve as a good reminder as well.
The oil keeps your engine operating properly so this is definitely an area you don’t want to skip. It is important that you use a quality brand of motor oil in your vehicle. It needs to be the proper weight so look in your owner’s manual to make sure you are using the right oil. Otherwise it may be too thick or too thin and this can destroy your engine. For older vehicles you may want to use extended life motor oil.
On average it costs about $35 to get your oil changed if you have it done professionally. Most vehicles take about 4 or 5 quarts of oil. You also need to replace your oil filter each time you change your oil. That is definitely more cost effective than repairing your engine or replacing your car.
It really isn’t that difficult to change your own oil if you want to save some money in the process. One you get the hang of it you should be able to complete the process in a Ω hour or less. You will need to get an oil drain pan that you can buy for a couple of dollars. Get one that holds at least 5 quarts of oil so that you don’t have to worry about overflow and spills.
Place the oil drain pan under the vehicle and remove the oil plug from the bottom of the vehicle. While the oil is draining out you can remove the oil filter from the vehicle and replace it. After the oil has completely drained out remove the oil drain pain and make sure you securely replace the oil plug for your vehicle. Pour in the proper amount of oil into your vehicle. Make sure you check the dipstick to make sure it has registered accurately.
