Blogs

What Does it Look Like When Your Car Needs an Oil Change?

With all the different obligations you’re balancing, remembering an oil change can feel like that one task too much at times. That’s why Certified Auto Repair wants you to know what signs might be telling you that you need to take care of that little task sooner rather than later.

The Car Runs Hotter, by at Least a Little

Because of how car engines work and how manufacturers designed cooling systems, most of the heavy lifting involving keeping the engine cool is handled by the cooling system. But if the oil circulating through the engine is old or dirty, that’s going to have an impact on temperature. If you’re just a little over the recommended timeframe for an oil change you’re not likely to overheat the car, but you might see higher than normal temperatures.

The Exhaust Has a Tougher Time Keeping Up

The car’s exhaust system works with the engine to keep those combusted fumes out of the engine. The fumes move through the exhaust system and out through the tailpipe eventually. Ideally, the exhaust system can handle the volume of exhaust created by the engine. But when the engine is working harder than usual, it’s burning more fuel and creating more fumes and exhaust. And that can mean that more exhaust smoke pours out the tailpipe.

Gas Mileage Is Worse

Overworking the engine means that you end up sending more fuel through the engine. You’re not going farther or getting better engine performance with that extra fuel, though. So, what you’re really going to see is declining fuel mileage. You’ll spend more in gas and see no extra benefit for it. After an oil change, you’re likely to see a great improvement in your gas mileage.

You Might See Warning Lights

Something else that you might see if you wait a little too long to get an oil change is warning lights on the dashboard. If your car has an oil warning light, that’s one that you might see fairly soon after skipping an oil change. But if your car doesn’t have an oil light, the one warning light that might make you most nervous is of course the check engine light. You can’t ignore that light.

Need some extra help keeping up with routine maintenance in your car? Certified Auto Repair in Henrico, VA is always happy to be of assistance. Call us today and we’ll be happy to schedule your oil change and help you to remember when it needs to be done again.

keyboard_arrow_up

Accessibility Toolbar