Why is it worth changing the oil in the service?

Changing the oil seems to be one of the simplest and most obvious maintenance activities that should be done regularly on a car. Maybe it's easier to just fill or add windshield washer fluid, so what prevents you from changing the oil yourself? As it turns out, there are several arguments against.

Oil change includes apparently one of the simplest and most obvious maintenance activities that should be carried out regularly on a vehicle. Maybe it's easier to just fill or add windshield washer fluid, so what prevents you from changing the oil yourself? As it turns out, there are several arguments against.

When topping up the windshield washer or refueling, it is quite difficult to make a mistake and damage the car, but there are cases when several tens of liters of gasoline were mistakenly found in a diesel tank or the windscreen washer was “refined” with coolant or, in extreme cases, even engine oil. Of course, these are exceptional situations, usually caused by the absent-mindedness of the driver or special ignorance of the design of the car, but it is worth considering how badly you can spoil yourself by changing the engine oil.

READ ALSO

Motor oils - how to choose

Check your oil before you ride

Too much oil

We can accidentally fill the engine with too much oil than what was specified in the manual of our car. While filling the fuel tank "under the cap" is not dangerous, in the case of engine oil, too much oil can be detrimental to the engine. “Riding with too high an oil level can result in engine failure. This means that in some engines even a seemingly small amount - 200-300 ml of oil is too much, can in extreme cases lead to the need for an engine overhaul. Maciej Geniul from Motointegrator.pl warns.

Not enough oil

It is no less dangerous to drive a car with an oil level below the required minimum. In this case, the drive components are subjected to insufficient lubrication, which can lead to a serious failure.

“If there is too little oil in the engine, it is possible that our car will not initially signal this to us by displaying the appropriate warning light. However, driving such a car is risky. Insufficient lubrication can especially harm the “upper” parts of the engine, and can also lead to a fairly popular breakdown associated with turning the engine bushing, ”says the Motointegrator expert.

Thread broken, filter damaged

The easiest way to drain used engine oil is to unscrew the drain plug in the pan and oil filter. To do this, it is necessary to have the appropriate tools and conditions, such as a channel or a lift. However, if we are not experienced, we can easily make a mistake in this matter, for example, by tightening the new filter and plug too tight (or too loose). Tightening the plug too tight can break the threads in the oil pan, which, of course, will create additional difficulties. Many of us forget that the drain plug is not eternal and also needs to be replaced. “If the plug or its threads are deformed from repeated loosening and screwing, further loosening or tightening of the plug can be very problematic or almost impossible in a garage environment.” says Maciej Geniul from Motointegrator.

In practice, it may look like that due to a seemingly easy oil change, for example, a moment before leaving for a vacation, we will be left with a stationary car without oil in the engine, which needs to be towed to a workshop so that it can repair what we have broken. .

Leaks

If leaks appear after an oil change yourself, this may be a sign, for example, of a poorly tightened filter or plug. If we manage to notice the worrying spots under the car, this may mean that we are lucky and we will have time to correct our mistake. In the worst case, the filter or cap can completely unscrew while driving, and the oil will immediately flow out of the engine, which will be synonymous with a powertrain jamming.

What to do with used oil?

However, if we are skilled do-it-yourselfers and the above examples do not scare us, in the case of an independent oil change, one more question remains - what to do with the used oil that we drained from the engine? The law clearly states that used oil is a waste that must be handed over to a person who can legally dispose of it. In practice, the search for a point that our oil will take may not be so simple, which means it may take a long time.

So if we value our time and do not want to risk a costly mistake by changing the oil ourselves, it is worth using the services of a specialized workshop.