If you have a habit of doing the regular maintenance chores for your car all by yourself, then there are lots of things you need to be aware of, if you aren’t already.
Among the chain of car maintenance tasks that mainly involves changing the filters, rotating the tires as well as filling up the air pressure in them and topping up all other vehicle fluids, changing the engine oil is one of the most important ones that also comes relatively in more frequency than the other ones.
But while changing the engine oil, many novice car owners unintentionally commit some common mistakes that lead to serious ones, causing harm to both the engine and their wallets.
That’s the reason, why most automotive experts will advice to take the help of a reputable auto repair shop who will perform these chores with professional accuracy.
However, if that hurts your ego, then here are few tips on how to avoid the common mistakes that come naturally to the car owners while changing the engine oil.
Using the Wrong Oil
When you buy a car from your nearby dealership, the manufacturer distributing the car trim at several geographical locations is aware of the weather conditions of those places.
Hence they will pack in the user manual that will guide you through the type of engine oil your car will work best with.
Choosing the oil type not recommended by your car manufacturer is the most common mistakes committed by car owners that you must avoid to keep your car engine in good shape.
Improper Fitting of the Oil Filter
While changing the engine oil filter, an unprofessional hand might not be able to place the filter correctly.
And if you have used the wrong filter type, the effect of this mistake will reflect sooner or later, when your engine oil will get contaminated in no time and start showing weird reactions.
So, use the recommended type of oil filter, checking out the right size, so that it doesn’t cause a leak.
Other Mistakes
The general methodology of changing the oil and oil filter is tightening bac the entire unit, after the work has been done successfully. You will need the help of some specific tools like the oil wrench to tighten it the right way.
But many times, because of improper pressure, or a hand slip, the O-ring on the oil reservoir can break, causing an improper fitting of the oil seal that will eventually lead to an accidental leak.
So before you shut down the hood, checkout the cap, the O-Ring and other components for a tight and right fit.
Losing the Track of Mileage
Your engine needs an oil changing session only when two conditions are actually met. It should be that your car either has crossed a certain level of distance in terms of miles, or has aged beyond certain months since the last oil change.
Therefore, by losing the track of miles it has travelled since the last oil change can make you change the oil either too soon, or too late and neither of them is good for your car’s engine.
By avoiding these common mistakes while changing your car engine oil, you are strengthening your car and increasing its overall life span.
