Why do you need to change your engine oil?

As a reminder, the main task of engine oil is to lubricate moving mechanical parts in order to reduce friction and therefore, more generally, wear. It also allows mechanical parts to adapt as well as possible to temperature differences.

Beyond lubrication and cooling, engine oil has many other functions: ensuring sealing, being stable and anti-corrosion, protecting, transmitting adequate pressure, keeping the engine clean, dispersing soot and, overall, reducing emissions. It is a very complex product, essential to avoid breakages. This is why, depending on the type of oil but also the type of engine, it must be renewed in accordance with the car manufacturer's deadlines.

The oil changes over the kilometers

Regardless of its quality, when heated, the oil generates deposits. As the kilometers go by, this deposit will lodge at the bottom of the crankcase but also in the top of the engine, while also traveling in the lubrication circuit. The longer you delay the oil change, the more the deposit accumulates. It can then dry on the walls of the engine, block certain moving parts or increase the pressure causing many inconveniences and, in the worst case, mechanical failure.

Over time, the oil also becomes thicker, requiring more mechanical energy to travel between the engine parts. This leads to an increase in oil consumption, fuel, but also temperature. The higher the temperature, the more likely the oil is to generate deposits and this creates an exponential problem. It goes without saying that with an accumulation of deposits, the oil filter risks becoming more and more clogged, until it becomes saturated. Finally, over the kilometers, the oil level tends to decrease and with a level that is too low, the engine is not lubricated optimally. Wear then increases considerably and it therefore risks breaking down again.

You now understand why changing the engine oil, with an oil filter change, is essential for the health of your engine. To find out the engine oil change deadlines, consult your vehicle's maintenance manual or your garage.