What Happens If You Don’t Change Your Oil?

Close-up of a hand holding an oily car dipstick with marked levels, indicating oil check.

With all the busy days and driving around Brandon, it’s difficult to keep up with your vehicle’s regularly scheduled maintenance. At the Capital Lincoln Winnipeg service centre, customers ask us, what happens if you don’t get your oil changed?

Over time, your motor oil will break down and become less effective at lubricating your engine’s moving parts. This can lead to an increase in friction, your engine heating up, and potentially serious damage. Learn more about the importance of regular oil changes from Capital Lincoln Winnipeg in the following guide!

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What Does Motor Oil Do?

Before answering, what happens if you don’t change your oil, it’s important to understand how vital this fluid is in your engine. Acting as an engine lubricant, motor oil plays the following roles in your vehicle while driving around Portage la Prairie:

Motor oil is primarily used for reducing wear and tear on moving parts due to friction.
Motor oil with dispersants is designed to clean sludge from your engine.
Detergents in motor oil help clean varnish from your engine, too.
When regularly changed, motor oil can help neutralise acids that form from fuels, improve piston ring seals, and cool the engine by moving heat away from it.

Let’s be honest, you don’t want to see what happens if you don’t get your oil changed.

How Often Should I Change My Vehicle’s Oil?

Many years ago, our service technicians might have said that you should schedule an oil change every 4,800 km. Nowadays, most drivers can travel between 11,000 and 16,000 kilometres between oil change services. Since every driver has different habits and every vehicle is unique, you might have to schedule an oil change more often.

Problems That Arise From Not Changing Your Oil

Take it from us, you don’t want to learn what happens if you don’t change your oil. Here’s a breakdown of the problems that can arise from not scheduling oil changes:

Sluggish Performance: As it deteriorates, motor oil levels behind carbon deposits, clog the positive crankcase ventilation and exhaust gas recirculation valves, resulting in weakened performance.
No Fuel Efficiency: This occurs when your oil wears down so thin it slides past seals and rings while getting burned up in the combustion chamber. As a result, you’ll have increased fuel usage, and eventually smoke will start to seep out of your exhaust.
Engine Overheating: When your oil loses viscosity and fails to regulate your engine’s temperature. This leads to overheating, and finally, total engine failure.

Turn to Capital Lincoln Winnipeg For Oil Change Services and More!

Now that you know what happens if you don’t get your oil changed, you can better handle what the road throws your way. If you need to schedule an oil change, contact us online or reach out at 204-789-7010.

Before contacting us, check out our service specials and see how much you can save on your next visit. Keep your vehicle running for years with the team at Capital Lincoln Winnipeg near Portage la Prairie!

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