Q & A: Changing oil timeline

Frank said...

Well, I know you're supposed to change your oil every 3,000 miles/3 months. But I only drive about 200 miles a month, mostly in 10 or 15 minute chunks - mostly cold starts, mostly city driving. What's the rule I should be sticking to? Can I get away with every 6 months?

When should I really be changing my oil, bearing in mind I don't like spending time, or money, unnecessarily.

Thanks!

Hi Frank!

That's a fantastic question. What do you do if you (like most drivers) don't fall within the guidelines that your user manual gives you for checking oil? I mean who wants to spend loads of money and time changing perfectly good oil?

I say it's perfectly fine to change your oil less often as long as you keep an eye on it. I know I only change my oil about every 6-9 months. I rarely drive and when I do it's long distances (long distances help keep an engine clean). 

What you want to make sure you do is check your oil (See How To Check Your Oil here) and check it regularly, like 4-6 weeks. The longer it's been since your oil has been changed the fewer weeks I would leave between oil checks.

There are three things you want to look out for when gauging if it is time to bite the bullet and get your oil changed

1. Look at the oil level - (I show what to look for here) It is imperative that you keep an eye on your oil level and ensure that it does not get too low. 
2. Look at the color - Your oil should be the color of dark caramel as well as translucent. When you wipe the dipstick off on your rag it will show either a dark translucent caramel brown color if it's newer or as it gets older it will get darker and darker and become a thick black color (kinda what you think about when you see oil in the street). The darker it is the more it needs to be changed
3. Look for sediment - if your oil looks sandy or grainy when you wipe the dipstick on the rag than you need to change your oil. These bits will really hinder the efficiency of your engine when it's running.

As long as your car is passing these three tests then I say it's ok to pass the three month timeline and get a little more milage / time out of your oil. Just remember to keep checking your oil regularly and you should be good to go.

How To: Check your oil

This is one of my favorite things to do with my car (well actually SUV but that's for another day). Not in the way where I wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed because it's "check my car's oil" day but rather because it makes me feel like a confident car owner. Even more so because my husband doesn't know how to check the oil (shhhh don't tell him I told you!)

Why checking the oil is important:

The oil is crucial to the engine because all those little moving parts that make the engine turn (and thus make your car move) need the lubrication that the oil provides in order to move.

If the car doesn't have enough oil in it the engine will seize (freeze up) and not work any more - and probably not ever again. This is why everyone makes such a huge deal about oil

Check your manual to see how often your oil should be changed and stick to it. It will help the life of your engine and ensure that your vehicle runs more efficiently.

The reason oil is checked and changed is because it tends to get dirty and slowly burn away and you definitely don't want it to run out.

I personally don't change my oil my self. I really have no desire to get an oil pan, crawl under my car and drain it. It's messy and so much easier to take it to an oil place and let the professionals handle it.

I will however, check my oil to make sure it's not too low and I'll top the oil off (add a little) if it is low.

Now for checking your oil!

The very first thing you need to do is make sure your car is parked level. Like any liquid oil will pool if the car is parked at an incline (or decline) and this will throw off your oil reading. Also you don't want to check your oil right after your car has been running. Let it sit a bit so that the oil settles.

Oh and get a paper towel or old rag!

Then open your hood - you can get a "How To" on opening your hood here

Locate the dip stick (little red or yellow rubbery circle thing) which will be somewhere around your engine.

It'll look like this

Grab your paper towel with one hand and pull the dip stick out with the other. When you pull the dip stick out it will be a long thin piece of metal and might be bent in to a funny shape - this ensures that it can reach down to the oil tank. 

Wipe the end of the dip stick off with your towel and put the dip stick back in the little hole all the way. Pull the stick out again and look at the tip

You'll notice the little markings - these are to help indicate how full or empty your oil tank is. My oil came up to the first mark above the hash marks. If it was closer to the hash marks I would use that as a cue to top off the oil a bit. But for now my oil is good to go.

If you need to top off your oil it's super easy. Buy a quart or two from your local home store (check your manual for the type of oil your car requires) and head back to your engine - you will want to make sure that you engine has fully cooled down before you head on to the next steps

Use your towel to twist off the cap with the little oil picture on it

And pour the oil in! Try not to spill the oil as you pour it in (you can even use a funnel for this part if you think it will help). But if you do spill some don't worry if you smell burning oil the next couple times you drive.

Replace the cap as tightly as you can get it. Then close the hood and you are set!

I recommend checking your oil every 4-6 weeks if you drive loads.

Again this isn't the same as changing your oil. This is more of an in between maintenance thing. For changing take it to your local dealer or oil shop. They'll do it quick, cheap and clean

Spotted: Pink Range Rover Sport

I admit this car spot is a couple years old but it's still one of my very favorites. The people living a couple doors down from me owned this hot SUV.

It's a hot pink Range Rover Sport. Seriously outrageous. Like something you would buy to go along with your new beach surfer Barbie.

But I can't help but smile every time I see it

And ya' know, if a pink Range Rover Sport is what you want then by all means…

After all, people should love the car they're in!

How to: Open the hood of your car

Learning how to open the hood of your car might sound funny because it sounds so basic. And I know in theory it should be SO easy but you would not believe how many people have never attempted to open the hoods on their cars, trucks, vans or SUVs.

Pic from here

Having driven many many different cars my self, I can tell you that some cars are super tricky in figuring this simple task out.

The first thing you'll learn here at She Likes Cars is that your car's owner's manual is your friend. The reason for this is because although all autos basically work the same way each manufacturer makes minor changes to the process of say changing a tire or opening a hood. If you refer to the manual it will show you step by step on how your specific car works.

SO!

Opening the hood on your auto - This is the way it USUALLY works
(again if this isn't working for your car then check out your manual)

If you are sitting in the driver's seat of your car you should notice that on your left hand side there are some levers either on the floor between the seat and the door or further up near where your clutch would be if you drive a stick shift (manual) or in an automatic the area where your left foot hangs out.

Look for a little lever that has a picture of a car with an open hood on it like this

Pic from here

or one that simply says "hood" or "open hood"

You will want to pull on the lever until you hear a "pop" noise. Now at this point you wont see the hood open but rather you will just hear it being released.

Get out of the car and walk around to the front of the car, look inside the grill of the car. You should see another little lever (if you don't see one here then try feeling underneath the lip of the hood in the front for the lever) and try to push the lever up to release the hood.

The reason for this second lever is that it is a safety lock. This way if you accidentally release the hood from the inside of the car with out realizing it, you wont have the hood fly up and block your vision while you are driving. Not a fun situation I can tell you that!

Now that the hood is released you can lift it up. At this point you should be able to see a support rod that lays across the front of the opening where the engine sits. It kinda looks like a crooked car antenna but laying down and only attached at one end.

Hold the hood up with one hand and grab the support rod with the other. Now you'll see a lot of little holes in the top of the hood but you will want to look for one that is a little bit different shape (usually rectangular) and has an arrow pointing to it. Stick the free end of the support rod in to that hole and gently let go of the hood.

Now your hood should should be open and you can see your entire car engine! Great job!

I know your engine probably looks a bit overwhelming right now with all those tubes, metal parts and wires but don't worry about that because we did what we came here for! You opened your hood! Woot!

Now for closing the hood:

With one hand, put the palm of your hand on the lip of the hood and gently lift up slightly so that the weight of the hood is on your hand and not on the support rod.

With the other hand take the support rod out of the hole it's sitting in and snap it back into it's laying position along the side of the open engine.

Gently let the engine drop from your hands and it will lock into place. MAKE SURE your hands and fingers (as well as the hands and fingers of anyone around you) are out of the way before you do this!

Now your hood should look flush with the sides of the car and, well, the same as before we started. If it looks lifted at all that means it's not completely locked into place. You can gently push down on the lip of it to see if it will lock or release it from the lever inside the grill of the car again and lift it up and drop it again.

This is something everyone should know how to do with their car and will be key when performing any task regarding your engine because, you know, that's all under the hood.


Any questions? Shoot me an email.

What do you wanna know?

Do you have a question about how something works on a car?

What that light means?

Why it squeaks when it's cold?

How the heck do you check your oil anyway?

Key questions you should ask when buying used?

Send them to me and I'll give it a go. Let's demystify autos and just how they work!

Spotted in Chicago: Red Bull DJ Truck

As you'll quickly learn here I have a place in my heart for all kinds of cars and I try to find the best in each one.

However, I will always share with you the interesting cars, trucks and other vehicles I come across in my daily adventures…

I walked passed this truck the other day on my way to the Library.

Seriously, Red Bull knows how to make a truck any driver would be proud to be seen in.

It opens up kinda like this Red Bull DJ Truck here ...

… and creates an instant party. Rumor has it that the truck shown above not only has a DJ booth with numerous flat screens that hang off the roof but it also has a gaming zone out the back.

I love love love it - Who wouldn't love a truck that stands out, can obviously handle the MW Winters and creates a party where ever it's at?


Have a pic of a cool car? email me the photo and I'll post it here!

Needless to say I have final say when it comes to posting and can choose to (or not to) post any photos that come my way. But I can tell you right now that any photos containing half naked ladies on the hoods will be a no-go