How do I choose engine oil for my car?
Engine oil is one of the most important components of a car engine. You should not save on it in any case, but how to choose the oil suitable in parameters and acceptable in price among the variety presented on the shelves of auto stores?
Regular change of engine oil is a guarantee of its long life, therefore you should treat the choice of this fluid responsibly to avoid many problems with expensive engine repairs. Those car owners, who have their car serviced by an official dealer, trust him in the selection of oil.
But what about those, who service a car by themselves or at unofficial service? The assortment of motor oils in stores is huge, and it is often very difficult to decide.
What will be advised by the producer?
First, you need to find out which oil is recommended by the manufacturer for your car. It is not a question of the car model in general – each engine in the manufacturer’s lineup has its own oil. Its parameters can be found in the user manual of your car. If you don’t have a manual, you can find the information you need on the automaker’s website. Some oil manufacturers make this task easier, offering a handy service of oil selection for a certain modification of automobile on their official site. We have made an overview of all popular car brands on this site. And we specified which engine oil is suitable for each of them.
So, the necessary data are received, but it is not clear what they mean. Here begins the most difficult – deciphering of seemingly mysterious figures and letters on canisters. Oils are divided into three types: mineral, synthetic, and partially synthetic (semi-synthetic).
Often motorists ask: is it necessary to change the oil if it turns dark?
The three main functions of engine oil are to lubricate, cool, and retain ash, which is produced by incomplete combustion of fuel in the engine. The darkening of oil is caused by the ingress of various lacquer impurities, aggressive gases – sulfur oxides, nitrogen, and carbon, which can interact with water condensate and lead to chemical corrosion of unburned fuel particles.
Engine oil that doesn’t go dark for a long time should be a cause for concern (not the other way around) because it doesn’t do one part of its triune task – it doesn’t retain ash. This can lead to deposits on the moving parts of the engine, its overheating, and other irreversible phenomena.
