Covid-19 and Your Motor Oil

Covid-19 and Your Motor Oil

If you’re like most people, you’re not driving nearly as much as you are accustomed to. Less trips to the store, school, work and other errands has your car sitting in the driveway much more these days.

During this time, we remain committed to informing our customers of what they need to know to protect their cars and their investment.

So what happens to oil that gets old?

As we’ve discussed in past issues of our newsletters, oil’s main purpose is to provide lubrication to your engine’s moving parts and to disperse heat. As simple as it sounds, it’s one of the more vital components of an engine. Without good, clean motor oil, your engine can overheat and get damaged. At the very least, it can cause a significant decrease in performance, mileage and so on.

Along with virtually anything else, motor oil has a shelf life. Over time, it develops moisture, becomes acidic and can form sediments. Each of these byproducts of used motor oil can be damaging to your car, from sludge buildup to reduced heat dispersion and increased wear and tear on engine components.

What should I do?

If you drive your car minimally under normal circumstances, don’t forget that the clock is still ticking on the lifespan of your motor oil. For high mileage drivers, it might be to your advantage to consider an oil change sooner than you would otherwise get it, particularly if you were about due for a change before the Covid-19 pandemic set in.

Check the date on your windshield sticker as you may be basing your oil change on the date rather than the mileage the next time around.

You can also check your oil. Ensure that you have proper levels and that your car isn’t leaking.

It’s also generally good practice to run your car periodically and getting the fluids up to temperature. This can help with sediments from grabbing hold and gumming things up.

Give BBack Car Care a call

BBack Car Care’s goal is to help you love your car again. During these times, we are keenly aware that our customers are facing unprecedented challenges. Yet the last thing we want to see is for something as simple as a missed or delayed oil change compound the issues at hand. If you are unsure as to if and when you should get your oil changed based on your cars inactivity and age, we’ll try and answer that question for you as best we can.  If it doesn’t sound like you need one, we’ll tell you!

BBack Car Care remains open during the Covid-19 pandemic as an essential service and we are committed to maintaining a safe and reliable environment for both our customers and our employees. For more information on how we are responding to the crisis, click here.

If your car needs service, request an appointment online or give us a call today.