AUTONEWS

Does changing the oil according to the factory instructions destroy the engine?

Changing the engine oil every 30,000 kilometers or every 2 years, whichever comes first - this seems terrifying to any driver of any age. However, for years now, this has been the usual mileage for a small service for many car brands.

But there is one problem that few people pay attention to. The 30,000 km service interval is valid only if the car is driven in "ideal" conditions.

If the car is driven in difficult conditions, the service interval should be halved - i.e. change the oil every 15,000 km! This "warning" is written in many car manuals.

Of course, not every manual says that the interval should be halved, but there is a note and explanation of how much the period between oil changes should be shortened, what is considered difficult driving conditions, and the like.

What are difficult conditions? The manual gives various examples of harsh driving conditions:

⦁ frequent short-distance driving (especially in winter), when the engine does not have time to warm up

⦁ city driving – the more stop-and-go driving, the worse it is for the engine

⦁ many cold starts

⦁ a lot of idling (e.g. 50% of the time stationary)

⦁ long driving at low revs

⦁ sharp/sporty driving

⦁ towing a heavy trailer

⦁ infrequent use of the vehicle (believe it or not)

There are other examples. Harsh conditions are also defined in various ways.

Why are cold starts and city driving so harmful? A cold engine does not use the optimal fuel-air mixture, but one that does not have optimal combustion. This is why soot particles are formed, or they are formed significantly more than usual.

The soot particles reach the engine oil, where they can act very abrasively, literally "sanding" the surfaces that clean oil should ensure slide over each other with as little friction as possible.

The life of the chain is also shortened. Over time, it wears out and practically stretches. Since the chain is lubricated with engine oil, if there are soot particles and various impurities in the oil, they act abrasively and accelerate its wear.

The life of the timing belt is also shortened if it is immersed in oil.

If it is a diesel engine, its use mainly for city driving leads to a more frequent need for DPF regeneration. Since you can literally never achieve the conditions for passive regeneration in the city, active regeneration occurs, which involves injecting more fuel to raise the temperature in the DPF.

However, some of that fuel "breaks through" the cylinder and reaches the engine oil. The situation worsens if you interrupt active regeneration, for example by turning off the car.

Diesel has a very negative effect on engine oil. Therefore, modern cars have a warning system that indicates when the oil is too contaminated with fuel. The problem of oil dilution with fuel also occurs in gasoline cars, where gasoline has a much more aggressive effect on the timing belt immersed in oil.

What if the car itself warns you that it is time to change the oil? Let's say you buy a new car and you are happy with the factory warranty and a very long service interval - you do not worry about breakdowns and you will not spend much on servicing. However, it can happen that the car itself signals you that it is time to go to the service.

How does the car know that it is time to change the oil? In some cars, it is like this - their computer takes into account various driving factors and based on them estimates when it is time to change the oil. These factors include, for example: mileage, oil temperature variations and engine operating time at a certain oil temperature, outside temperature, idle time, number of cold starts...

There is also a way to directly check the oil condition using sensors that can check the oil for contamination with soot particles, fuel, viscosity, presence of water...Manufacturers use different ways to solve this problem, and many use a combination of computer assessment and sensor data.

When the car estimates that it is time to change the oil, it will notify the driver - for example, by flashing the low oil light. If you ignore the flashing light, after a while it will start to light up constantly, perhaps with an accompanying message like "Change Engine Oil Soon".

The car can also go into "safe mode" - i.e. for example, limit the speed to 3,000 rpm, in order to protect the engine. If you are still stubborn, after a certain number of kilometers, the maximum speed can drop to 1,500 rpm.

Some cars can show you an estimate of how long it will take before your next oil change, based on your driving style and conditions, as well as other factors. Of course, for this to work, a reset must be performed every time the oil is changed.

Conclusion... Changing your oil every 30,000 km is completely "safe" if you mostly drive on the open road, use high-quality original oil, and generally avoid all the items we listed for harsh conditions.

However, if you don't have that "luxury", get your car manual and read the section on servicing, or changing the engine oil.

Mundoquatrorodas