Changing your car’s oil is one of the simplest, yet most important parts of general car maintenance. Without fresh oil, your car engine will inevitably seize up and die. Though it’s easy enough to change your oil, most choose to have it done by a professional.
After all, changing your own oil doesn’t really save you any time or money, and it leaves you with a bunch of dirty oil that needs to be disposed.
When you go to most auto shops for an oil change, they’ll ask you what type of oil you want put in your engine. Typically, the options range from conventional oil on the low end to full synthetic oil on the high-end. In between, there may be some blend of the two.
Many choose conventional oil because it’s the cheapest. However, this upfront price doesn’t tell the whole story. Though the bottom tier oil change might save you a little money today, it could actually end up costing you a lot down the road.
The Purpose of Engine Oil
Before you decide on what type of oil to put in your engine, it’s important to understand what engine oil does and why it needs to be changed. As you probably know, your vehicle’s engine contains a lot of metal moving intricately in a hot, compact space. Left unprotected, these metal pieces would rub against each other, creating additional friction and even more heat.
It wouldn’t be long before the entire engine would bust due to the stress.
This is where oil comes into play. Engine oil lubricates the different pieces of the motor, allowing them to move smoothly. It also helps absorb heat. Over time, the heat and movement begin to breakdown the engine oil, reducing its ability to do its job. If this continues, the oil will eventually lose its ability to lubricate and absorb heat, resulting in engine failure.
It’s critical that your engine oil is changed before this happens. The length of time you can go between oil changes largely depends on the type of oil used.
Conventional vs. Synthetic
Though conventional oil and synthetic oil look the same to the naked eye, their structure is surprisingly different. Standard conventional oil contains small impurities that weaken its structure and cause it to break down faster. It also creates build-up in your engine, resulting in less efficient operations.
Full synthetic oil, on the other hand, has been modified and mixed with additives to create a cleaner, stronger end product. Not only does it last significantly longer, but it’s much better for your engine overall.
With full synthetic oil, your engine runs cooler and smoother, increasing gas mileage, performance, and the life span of your vehicle. Some vehicles require synthetic oil to run. Even if yours doesn’t, it can still benefit from full synthetic oil.
Synthetic Oil is Simply Better
At Zima Automotive, we don’t hide the fact that we only use synthetic oil for all of our oil changes. It’s our goal to provide the best service possible for your vehicle, and to truly do that, we have to use full synthetic oil.
Synthetic oil results in better fuel and oil economy, decrease in engine friction, quicker engine start times, less engine buildup, and ultimately, a longer lasting vehicle. You also can go much longer between oil changes with synthetic oil.
While a full synthetic oil change might cost you a little more in the moment, it more than pays for itself over time. For a quality synthetic oil change in Springfield, Ohio, contact Zima Automotive today!