What Happens If You Don’t Change Your Oil?

Sometimes, when life in Middletown gets overwhelmingly hectic, it can be difficult to remember to keep up with your vehicle’s various regularly scheduled maintenance requirements. Here at Kent County Motors’s fully equipped Service Center, we often hear a wide range of questions and “what-if” scenarios, one such question is: “what happens if you don’t change your oil?” We’re here to answer that question today! Be sure to contact us via our online portal if you have any additional questions!

What Happens if You Don’t Get Your Oil Changed?

Like any other component in your vehicle, engine oil eventually breaks down and becomes less effective at its job, which is lubricating your engine’s internal moving parts. This breakdown causes an increase in friction and heat. When your engine gets too hot, serious damage can occur in short order!

What Does Motor Oil Do?

Motor oil is a lubricant for the internal combustion engine. More specifically, engine oil has the following important roles, every time you start your engine for your daily Smyrna commute:

• The main role of motor oil is to reduce wear and tear on moving parts due to friction.
• Motor oil with dispersants is designed to clean sludge from the engine.
• Detergents in motor oil help clean varnish from the engine as well.
• When changed regularly, motor oil can help neutralize acids that form from fuels, improve piston ring seals, and cool the engine by moving heat away

What happens if you don’t get your oil changed is this: after some length of time, sudden and catastrophic engine damage.

How Often Should I Change My Vehicle’s Oil?

It was once a rule of thumb that you should have an oil change every 3,000 miles. In reality, many modern Buick, GMC vehicles can go 7,500 to 10,000 miles in between oil change services! That being said, every driver has different habits and every vehicle has different requirements for maintenance. For example, if you drive long distances every day, or are lead-footed, you may need an oil change more often.

Get an Oil Change & More at Kent County Motors

Instead of focusing on what happens when you don’t change your oil, let’s focus on all of the great benefits of getting your vehicle regularly serviced at a fully equipped, fully certified service center like ours here at Kent County Motors! Keep an eye on our rotating cycles of service specials, you may see oil change savings! Then it’s time to make the short trip from Milford to our Service Center in beautiful Dover!