Your car communicates with you all the time, but do you know what it’s saying? In the case of oil changes, here’s what Cary’s Auto Service wants you to know about what your car needs and when it’s telling you that you really need an oil change.
You’re Getting Gas More Often
If you’re not driving more than usual but you’re getting gas more often, that’s a sign that your car’s gas mileage is not as great as it was. There are a lot of reasons for that, but the most common contributing factor is often that your car’s oil isn’t working as well as it could be. It might be old or dirty, but the upshot is that you need to swap out the oil so that new oil can take better care of the engine.
The Car Is Hotter than Usual
Something else you might see is the temperature gauge climbing upward. The car might not be overheating necessarily, but you might see the temperature inching just a little higher than you normally see it. That happens because one of the jobs of the engine oil is to help the car’s engine run a little bit cooler. Old, dirty oil can’t help as well, so the temperature in the engine goes up.
You’re Seeing More Exhaust Smoke
Have you already guessed that the engine isn’t running as efficiently as possible with old oil? You’re right. That’s part of why the gas mileage is getting worse and the engine is running hotter. Another symptom of all of that is going to be that you’re going to see a little more exhaust smoke than usual. It probably won’t be giant clouds of black smoke, but you really shouldn’t be seeing a lot of smoke in the exhaust anyway.
Dashboard Warning Lights Are Popping On
You may also start to see dashboard warning lights, but that’s going to be more likely if it’s been a really long time since your car’s last oil change. Some of the lights you might see could include an oil light, if your car has one, or you might get temperature warnings. The one light you don’t want to see is the check engine light, because that’s an indication that you can’t wait much longer on that oil change.
Cary’s Auto Service in Tempe, AZ can help you with all of your auto maintenance needs, including catching you up on oil changes. Give us a call to set up an appointment today.