5 Common Mistakes When Changing Car Oil

By Auto Parts Warehouse on April 28, 2017

Changing your oil is a great way to ascertain the health of your vehicle. It is essentially a straightforward task. However, making a mistake is also easy especially if you have done it only once or twice before.

Even one wrong move, when done repeatedly over the course of time, can be hazardous for your vehicle. That’s why it’s important to correct anything that you’ve been doing wrong as soon as possible. To give you a better idea, here are five common errors that you might need to watch out for.

1. Not keeping track of oil changes

Most modern cars have an oil change indicator that is activated after a certain number of miles have been covered or when certain engine conditions have been logged by the ECU. But if you own an older vehicle model, keeping track of oil changes is a must. If you’re simply relying on a vague memory of the date and mileage when you last changed your car oil, you will likely end up changing the oil too soon or too late.

2. Using the wrong oil

To ensure that you’re picking the right oil for your vehicle, one of the things you should look at is the viscosity or weight of the oil. There are a few factors to consider when buying oil such as the age of your car or engine. Check your owner’s manual to know which type of oil is recommended for your vehicle — is it thicker or thinner, synthetic or conventional?

3. Not changing the O-ring

Always keep in mind that every time you change the oil filter, you need to replace the O-ring as well. O-rings get damaged or worn out quickly, so it’s best practice to also change it when you change the oil filter.

4. Putting too much or too little oil

A lot of bad things can happen when you over or underfill your oil. Overfilling could mean less hydraulic pressure or too much pressure on the pct system. Underfilling, on the other hand, could result in excessive friction on the internal components of your engine.

5. Not safely disposing off or recycling used oil

Don’t think for a second that your job is done once you’ve successfully changed the oil in your car. Recycling or disposing the used oil properly is critical in keeping the environment safe. Hence, it’s a task that must not be neglected.

Are you guilty of any of these oil change mistakes? It’s time to make things right and prevent any major damage to your car.

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