Change Yours Engines Oil Regularly

Topping the list of important things that you can do for your vehicle, besides putting gas in it, is changing the engine oil and filter. Changing the oil and filter regularly, every 3,000 to 5,000 miles will extend the usable life of your engine dramatically. The cost of regular oil and filter changes far out way the alternative, major engine repairs.

Changing your vehicles engine oil and filter is definitely a maintenance job that you can do yourself and save money. While there are many "quickie lube" and the like type places that will be happy to overcharge you to change your oil, don't be afraid to tackle the task yourself and save some bucks and time. A typical Do it yourself oil and filter change should only cost $18 to $20. Shop around for sales or buy oil by the case and you can save even more. This is a job that can easily be accomplished in your driveway on a lazy Saturday afternoon in about 20 minutes.

First look in your vehicles owners manual to locate the type and amount of oil that your vehicle requires. This information is usually found towards the back of the manual under the heading "refill capacities" or "fluid capacities". You can also look in the topic index section of the manual. The manual will list the type oil, for example 5W-20 or 10W- 40 etc. Oil is sold by the quart and the manual will tell you the amount of oil needed with and without the filter change. However, it is in my humble opinion that anytime you change the oil you should always change the oil filter. If you are unable to locate the vehicles manual or the information in the manual you can also get the information from any auto parts store. You will just need to know the year, make, model and and engine size.

For example, 1998-Chevrolet-Silverado-350

If your vehicle has over 50,000 miles I recommend that you also add Slick 50. It is an oil additive that I believe extends the life of the engine. You would substitute (1) quart of Slick 50 in the place of (1) quart of the oil. There has been some reports and charges by the Federal Trade Commission that Slick 50 does not help extend the life of an engine, but I beg to differ. While I do not claim to be a "chemical engineer" or for that matter any kind of "rocket scientist", I have a 1998 Chevrolet Pickup that I bought brand new in 1998 and it now has over 300,000 miles on the original engine with no major engines repairs and still going strong. I have always changed the oil and filter myself every 3,000 to 5,000 miles and used Slick 50 at the initial 50,000 mile mark and every 50,000 miles thereafter. Due to the length of this article, I will be submitting subsequent articles that will detail the actual steps for a successful oil and filter change.