Ensure Your Engine Will Thrive With Quality Oil Change Services
Most drivers have heard of oil change service, and they understand it’s required to change their oil every few thousand miles. However, not many drivers understand why an oil change is performed, nor do they understand how often they’re supposed to receive an oil change, and what a major role this preventative maintenance service plays in their engine’s longevity.
At Reliable Automotive, our experts are here to help your engine live its longest life, and one of the many ways we do this is by performing quality oil change services on your vehicle. Our ASE-certified mechanics perform synthetic blend and full synthetic oil changes on all make and model vehicles to ensure that no matter what you drive, your engine can enjoy the best protection.
Schedule an appointment at Reliable Automotive today, and count on us for a quality oil change in Hays County, TX.
Motor Oil & Your Engine
Your engine’s motor oil is essential to your vehicle’s operation. While calling your oil the lifeblood of your vehicle may sound a bit drastic, this statement is actually quite true. Without clean and fresh oil in your engine that is changed regularly, your engine would quite effectively self-destruct.
While your engine may seemingly operate smoothly, its inside is quite a hostile environment. Each minute, thousands of explosions occur within your engine as your cylinders fire one by one. While this occurs, the many components that move inside your engine get extremely hot. As your engine operates, oil is pumped around its many moving parts to cool them, clean them, and minimize friction.
Without oil in your system, your internal parts could overheat, and lead to irreversible damage in your engine.
Understanding the Importance of Oil Change
Some drivers believe that as long as they have oil in their engine, that their engine is lubricated and protected. However, this is not at all true. While your oil does provide fantastic cooling, lubricating, and cleaning properties, these abilities are finite, and your oil will eventually lose its ability to protect your engine.
Over time, your oil begins to oxidize. Oil oxidation can also happen if your oil has reached a specific temperature. This means that its chemical properties have changed and can no longer protect your engine. Oil changes are so significant because they ensure that your engine enjoys continuous protection throughout its life.
Three Different Levels of Protection
Did you know that three different types of oil can be used in your engine?
1. Conventional Oil
Conventional oil is refined from crude oil and offers adequate protection for many types of engines. For comparison’s sake, this type of oil offers the lowest degree of protection for an engine, and it’s not compatible with some high-performance and turbocharged engines due to its limited protection. While conventional oil provides protection for your engine, it oxidizes once it reaches temperatures of about 275°F.
Conventional oil has the tendency to leave behind sludge or residue if it burns or oxidizes, leaving your engine coated with harmful contaminants. For this reason, it is recommended to perform a conventional oil change service every 3,000 to 5,000 miles.
2. Synthetic Blend Oil
As its name suggests, synthetic blend oil is a mixture of conventional oil and synthetic oil. Often formulated for high mileage engines, this type of oil offers added protection thanks to its synthetic additives, and also features specialized detergents to help with carbon buildup and engine sludge that is common in higher mileage engines. This type of oil also may feature added sealants to prevent gasket leaks that are also common in high-mileage engines. This type of oil can withstand temperatures of about 400°F and is recommended to change every 5,000 to 7,500 miles.
3. Full Synthetic Oil
Although full synthetic oil sounds like it was created in a mad scientist’s lab, the truth is that synthetic oil is also derived from crude oil, or natural gas. This type of oil is chemically modified to offer the highest degree of protection for your vehicle. Full synthetic oil offers a full spectrum of protection. Not only does synthetic oil feature enhanced performance in below-freezing temperatures, but it can also withstand extreme heat and protect your engine up to temperatures of 500°F.
Because of synthetic oil’s outstanding ability to protect your engine, this type of oil typically only needs to be changed every 7,500 to 10,000 miles.
How to Know When It’s Time to Change Your Oil
Regardless of what type of oil you run in your engine, it’s important to keep your oil changed regularly. Sometimes, your vehicle can be telling you that it’s time for an oil change, and you simply may not realize it. Here are a few signs to look out for when your vehicle is telling you that it’s time for an oil change:
- The service light has illuminated
- The vehicle is idling rough
- Fuel economy has decreased
- Exhaust smoke comes out of exhaust pipes
- Oil levels are low
- The oil light has come on
If your vehicle is displaying some of the above symptoms, we recommend scheduling an appointment for an oil change at Reliable Automotive at your earliest convenience. The longer you run your engine with old, oxidized oil, the more likely you are to cause irreversible engine damage. Keep your engine running its best with the quality oil change service from Reliable Automotive.
Enjoy Quality Oil Change Service in Hays County
At Reliable Automotive, we make oil change service an easy and hassle-free experience. Our technicians are ASE-Certified and are qualified to perform all of the maintenance and repair services on your vehicle that it will need throughout its life – and this includes its oil change. We perform maintenance and repair services on all make and model vehicles, and we strive to offer low and affordable pricing on all of your maintenance and repair services. We even offer service coupons to help you save on your next visit.
Schedule an appointment at Reliable Automotive and trust the certified experts for equality oil change in Hays County, TX.
