Engine oil is one of the few constant things between almost every car, from the simplest commuter car through to the most expensive hyper-car. While most people don’t think twice about the engine oil, it plays a number of important roles in keeping your car running smoothly, from lubrication and cooling, to rust and corrosion prevention.
At its most basic level oil provides lubrication, which prevents the various parts of the engine rubbing against each other and causing excess wear. This excess wear can drastically shorten the lifespan of an engine from many years of motoring to hours and minutes.
For the most part, lubrication is provided by the oil itself though, there are many other jobs modern oils must do. For things such as anti-frothing and cleaning, most oil manufacturers use chemical additives. These additives used to provide many benefits but also have some significant downsides, such as a shelf life.
The shelf life of these additives means that even if an oil has only been in a vehicle for just a few thousand kilometre’s, the oil might still be not functioning correctly and will fail to keep your your engine safe.
One of the big roles the additives play is cleaning the inside of the engine. As the conditions inside the engine are extreme, there is often a build-up of soot and carbon, which can quickly turn into sludge. Sludge throughout the motor is one of the least favourable conditions and can wreak havoc on oil passages, meaning the oil can't reach all the corners of the engine and causing issues with wear and even variable valve timing.
What does this mean for your car though?
If you change your oil regularly, there’s nothing to change.
If you haven’t had an oil change in a fair while, we recommend it. For $150-$250, there’s almost nothing better you can do for your car.
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