Oil Change Near Me – Indianapolis, IN

Why Are Oil Changes Essential?

There are three key reasons why oil changes are so important. It’s not something that you can ignore. The average vehicle requires a routine oil change every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. You can check your owner’s manual to see how often you need to change your vehicle’s oil. Without further ado, here are the top three reasons why you need to change your oil.

1. It Removes Old Engine Sludge.

In order to refresh the vehicle with new oil, the old oil must first be drained. Doing this will remove any engine sludge that has been building up. Sludge can wreak havoc on all of the moving components inside the vehicle’s engine. If it isn’t removed periodically, gunk will begin to form.

Gunk is a build-up of dust, dirt, metal shavings, and other pollutants that get trapped inside the engine. If too much gunk is left to accumulate inside the engine, that will result in a clogged oil filter. Once the oil filter is clogged, the flow of oil into the engine will be greatly reduced. This can cause even more problems. Luckily, our technicians always change the oil filter when they change the oil.

2. It Keeps the Engine From Overheating.

Ensuring that the oil is changed regularly will help prevent the engine from overheating. While the vehicle’s cooling system does a pretty good job of this most of the time, there are a few places that coolant simply cannot reach. That’s where the oil comes in handy. Furthermore, fresh oil helps to reduce the amount of friction that is created between moving parts. As a result, less heat is created as the engine’s components interact with each other.

3. It Keeps Everything Lubricated.

We saved the most important reason for last. New oil keeps all of the moving parts inside the engine properly lubricated. If your oil level is low, the metal parts inside the engine will clang against each other. Without that protective layer of lubrication, this hard metal-on-metal contact will cause significant damage to the moving parts. This type of damage can be very costly to repair later on, so it’s vital to your engine's health that you have the oil changed on time, every time.

As you may have noticed, all three of these things help to extend the lifespan of your vehicle’s engine. A dry, overheated, dirty engine will lead to a whole slew of problems that we promise you won’t want to deal with. It’s a much better idea to stay proactive and keep up with the routine maintenance that your vehicle requires. You will not only be keeping your engine healthy, but you will also be avoiding headaches further down the road.

Choosing the Right Type of Oil

It may be surprising to learn that not all oils are created equal. There are three different types of oils available, and it’s important to understand which one is best for your vehicle. The three types of motor oils are conventional, synthetic, and full synthetic.

Conventional and synthetic oils are both made from refined crude oil. The difference is the synthetic oils use the crude oil as a base and mix in additives and a carrier oil. Synthetic oil is also much more refined than conventional oil, and it produces fewer emissions. That makes it better for the environment. Also, highly refined oils help to reduce friction and sludge and boost the performance of the engine. Other advantages that synthetic oils have over conventional oils include resistance to oil breakdown, the ability to withstand higher temperatures, and the ability to flow smoothly even in colder temperatures.

Then, we have full synthetic oil. Full synthetic oil is completely man-made but is highly regarded as the best form of motor oil for most engines. With that said, there are a few engines that will require only conventional oil or some kind of a synthetic blend. Always consult a mechanic and your owner's manual when deciding which is best for your engine.

When looking at any synthetic oils, you may notice a few differentiating terms. Semi-refined synthetic oil (or a synthetic blend) is less refined than full synthetic oil. However, they are more cost-efficient.

If you use synthetic oil, you will reap several benefits such as fewer emissions, higher fuel economy, enhanced engine protection, reduced drag, optimized all-weather protection, and a cleaner engine. Furthermore, synthetic oils allow for a quicker start time for the engine, and they can extend the intervals between oil changes.

To see which type of oil is best suited to your particular vehicle, look in your owner’s manual, but you will need to check two key factors. First, is the viscosity grade, and the second is the oil specification. Our mechanics can also help you determine which type of oil is best for your vehicle.

How Often Should You Change Your Oil?

As we touched on briefly before, most modern vehicles need to undergo an oil change every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. However, this may vary, and we recommend that you check your owner’s manual to be sure. Some full synthetic oils may extend the intervals between oil changes by quite a lot. You may even be able to go 7,500 to 10,000 miles between oil changes, but this can mean coming to see mechanics for regular vehicle check-ups every 5,000 miles anyways. This is something you can discuss with your mechanic when you come in for your routine maintenance.