When to Change Your Car's Oil and a Trick to Make Sure You Never Forget

Changing the oil in your car is a simple task, but when not done regularly enough, it can cause serious issues. The oil in your car is used to lubricate the engine, and maintaining the levels in your car can help ensure good performance and no emergency trips to the garage. The usual method used as a reminder to change a car’s oil is the number of miles. Depending on the model of the car, every few thousand miles, it’s expected that an oil change will be needed.
There are a few things to look out for when driving your car that might suggest that you need to change the oil.

Engine oil light

This is the most obvious sign that you need to change the oil in your car. If there’s an issue with the oil in your car, it will let you know with a light that will appear on your dashboard. If you see this, the first thing to do is to use your car’s dipstick and check if there’s enough oil. If there is, it might be that the oil is too old to do its job properly and needs changing. Check out this guide on how to change your car’s oil yourself.

Knocking sounds from the engine

The main purpose of oil in your car is to lubricate the engine parts and to stop the metal rubbing on metal. If there’s not enough oil in the car or the oil is no longer fit for the purpose, you’ll start to notice the noise of the engine increases and may even hear knocking sounds. This tells you that you need to get the oil checked and changed as soon as possible.

Oil has a dirty dark color

When cleaning, the oil in your car will be quite light brown or amber and will be somewhat translucent. As it’s used to lubricate the car, it will become darker as it picks up matter and dirt from the engine. Make sure to check the oil regularly and take note of the color of the oil. To do this, take the dipstick out of the oil tank and clean it. You can then push it all the way to the bottom of the tank and take it out again. There will be a clear area where the oil should be, and if the oil isn’t between these lines, you need to change the oil.

Use an oil change sticker

These are stickers that garages and auto repair shops use to remind people when they need to change their oil. They can be found at https://mbrmarketing.com/service-department/oil-change-stickers-and-printers and aren’t costly to buy. They have an adhesive sticker, and you simply write a date that the next oil change is due. Take note of this when you’re maintaining your car, and make a point to change the oil before the date that’s on your oil change sticker if you have one.