You can call them myths or urban legends, but either way there are a number of things that the average person believes to be true about their vehicle's motor oil that simply are not. The long-held belief that it is necessary to change your oil every 3-thousand miles has been widely debunked, but there are plenty of contradictory information still out there. To get to the bottom of these motor oil myths, here is the truth behind each one straight from the experts.
Change your oil before a trip
If you're planning to take a long road trip in your vehicle soon, it's definitely a good idea to have your vehicle inspected and have some routine maintenance performed. Changing your oil might not be part of the pre-trip maintenance, however. For example, what if your trip will take you about 700 miles and you just had your oil replaced about 2-thousand miles ago. Most likely, you'll be able to take a few trips before it's time to change your oil again. Also, keep in mind that it's not a good idea to have your oil changed, or any maintenance performed on your vehicle right before you hit the road for a long drive. You'll want to be able to drive around a little to ensure that everything is in working order. Just in case a bolt or cap wasn't tightened correctly, you want to find that out before you head out of town.
Black oil on the dipstick
Checking your dipstick is a great way to tell how much oil is in the tank, but it isn't as useful for evaluating how used your oil is. Some old-school car guys believe that black oil on the dipstick means it's time for an oil change, but in reality, oil getting darker just means it's doing its job. The additives you're using in your vehicle could also have an affect on the color of your oil. So, just because the oil is black doesn't mean it doesn't still have life in it.
No coming back from synthetic oil
You have a choice between petroleum based oil, or synthetic oil for your vehicle. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to make this choice, however. Despite some claims, putting synthetic oil in your vehicle once doesn't mean you have to continue putting synthetic oil in your vehicle forever. If a motor oil meets the service and viscosity requirements in your owner's manual, feel free to use it. You don't have to worry about mixing petroleum oil and synthetic. In fact, the line between the two is already becoming blurred with the motor oil on the market.
Synthetic for fuel economy
Admittedly, there's an on-going debate over this point. Is synthetic oil better for your engine and does it increase efficiency? There's no definitive data that suggests this is true, but most experts will admit that synthetic oil is generally a better lubricant than petroleum oil. Whether or not it's so superior that it makes up for its higher cost is unclear. While on school of thought is that synthetics allow the engine to spin easier, without clear proof through testing, this still has to be considered a myth.
For the truth straight from the expert's mouth about your Meredes, BMW or Hummer H1, come see us at Benzin Motor Works.