If there is one important car maintenance step that could prolong the life of your second-hand car, it is a regular oil change. Changing your oil on a regular basis will not only extend the life of your engine, but it will also increase its efficiency. While this may be an easy task for most car owners, there are also some crucial points that you need to know about this process.
To protect your used car and increase its longevity, here are the car oil change dos and don’ts for your second-hand car.
Car Oil Change Tips
Cool down your jets before changing your oil.
Before anything else and before draining the oil, you need to allow your engine to cool down first. Even if hot oil can flow easily and freely, there is still a risk of getting some serious burns if you’re not careful. If you want to do oil change quickly, here’s what you can do. If your engine is cold, fire it up and run if for two or three minutes so that the oil will be warm enough to flow. But if you have just driven your vehicle, wait for about 10 to 30 minutes before you start draining the hot oil. Make sure to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from spilt oil. Be sure to follow all instructions for disposing of the oil at the property facility.
Don’t forget to keep track of oil changes.
When you get your oil changed at an auto shop, they would usually place a sticker on your vehicle to serve as a reminder on the last time the oil was changed. But, if you are changing the engine oil on your own, you need to be diligent in tracking the date whenever you do it so that you know when it’s time to do it again.
Use a drain pan.
When changing oil, you shouldn’t just allow the dirty oil to flow on to the ground. Instead, you must use a drain pan. There are different types of drain pans that you can choose from. If you want to make sure that there’s going to be just a little oil spill, you can buy the funnel-top.
Don’t overtighten the filter.
When installing a new oil filter, make sure that you do not overtighten it. Some people are fond of making sure they tighten things as much as they can, but this is something you don’t have to do with your new filter. One hand should be enough to do it. Overtightening will just result in problems in the end because you will find it more difficult to remove the filter in the future.
Don’t leave the filter seal dry.
This is one of the most common mistakes made by some oil-changers and something that you must avoid. To prevent loose and leaky filters, what you can do is to fill the filter with oil about halfway through and put a little oil around the seal before you install it.
Follow the recommended motor oil.
The type of oil you use for your used car will depend on what is recommended on the manual. Don’t use synthetic unless otherwise recommended for your specific vehicle model. You should also not really use oil that is too expensive or too cheap.
Don’t use the wrong weight of motor oil.
Don’t stick to 10w30 simply because it is what you have always used. If your car model is relatively new, it might not be designed to use 10w30 anymore. Modern cars today usually use 5w30. To make sure you are using the right weight, you should check what is specified in your car manual.
Don’t use oil additives.
Using oil additives is not really going to give you any benefits. In fact, it may even do more harm than good because it can cause damage to your engine. Using an oil additive may just be a waste of money if your motor is in good shape and you are religiously following the recommended oil change interval.
Car oil changes are a crucial part of any vehicle maintenance and doing it right is important if you want to make sure that your second-hand car is properly maintained. If you are looking for high-quality used cars for sale, Carfect is the right place for you.
