Engine Oil - JAX Service Inclusion

Your engine oil is vital in improving the engine's operating efficiency and protecting engine components. The engine oil aids the cooling system, cleans the engine, and lubricates the internal parts.

• Engine oil lubricates the engine components: Engine oil - also known as motor oil - ensures that the valves, camshaft and even the pistons move smoothly and reduces friction and wear on the part and surrounding components.
• Aids your engine's cooling system: Your engine oil assists your engine's cooling system by helping to transfer heat. The movement of the engine's various metal components creates friction, and heat builds up in your engine block. As the oil moves through your engine, the oil absorbs the heat before returning to where it's stored. There, some of the heat is exhausted.
• Clean your engine: Furnished with additives like friction modifiers, cleaning agents and viscosity improvements, the motor oil helps prevent any buildup of harmful deposits within your engine.

You used to have to change the oil every 5,000 kilometres or every three months, depending on what comes first. However, modern lubricants now allow most engines to have recommended oil change intervals of 8,000 to 11,500 kilometres. Moreover, if your car's engine requires full-synthetic motor oil, it might go as far as 25,000 kilometres between services.

It is always best to check your manufacturer's manual for the specific oil change recommendation based on your make or model. If unsure, you can chat with your local JAX expert for an expert opinion on when to change your oil.

Oil in the engine is vital for its performance, and you shouldn't skip regular changes. There are a few ways that will happen if you don't change your engine oil:

• Engine components begin to wear down: Your engine oil is vital to keeping the metal components within your engine from rubbing together and reducing potential friction. If you fail to change your engine oil, the engine will become too hot due to increased friction. This can cause warping of the engine parts.
• Reduced effectiveness of the oil: Motor oil additives are designed to keep the oil rust-free, clean, and reduce friction and wear out over time. When you don't change the oil, it will become dirtier and, soon enough, unable to perform its function adequately.
• Sludge builds up in the engine: oil cycling through the engine while the volume of dirt builds up can cause a thick, dark sludgy substance to build up. This sludge can become so densely caked into the engine that the components must fight through it to move.

Regular oil changes are vital to keeping your engine optimal when caring for your engine. Generally, these six signs could mean it's time for an oil change.

• The engine makes strange noises: If your oil is old, it has likely lost some of its lubricating capabilities. As such, your engine components are no longer adequately protected from rubbing together. If you hear strange noises, such as knocking or grinding, it can signify that you are overdue for an oil change.
• The smell of something burning within your vehicle cabin: Motor oil regulates your engine's temperature and keeps things cool. If your oil is dirty or old, it can no longer maintain a cool engine, leading to a sharp burning smell.
• Consistency of the oil: Oil picks up small particles of dirt and debris throughout its lifespan. However, this debris negatively affects the oil's ability to clean the engine and effectively lubricate the components. If your oil looks thick and grainy, it's a sign that you might need an oil change.
• Oil level is low: Driving with no oil can increase the friction between your engine components and the risk of a breakdown.
  The dashboard light is on. Most modern vehicles have indicators that tell you it's time for an oil change.
• The manufacturer says you're overdue: your vehicle will often come with a manufacturer recommendation on when to change your oil depending on your car's make and model.

Motor oil comes in different viscosity grades, which is how thick or thin the substance is. Each grade is matched to a particular engine. You must install the correct type and weight for your engine oil to work optimally.

Automotive Engineers developed several viscosity grades, such as 20W-50 and 15W-40. The "W" indicates it's suitable for cold temperatures; the lower the number, the lower the temperature you can use the oil for safe and effective engine protection. Higher numbers reflect better protection for high-heat and high-load situations.

Besides the different grades of engine oils, there are also other types:

• Petroleum or conventional oil: Petroleum oil is derived and distilled from crude oil. Until very recently, most manufacturers included conventional oil in their engines from the factory level.
• Synthetic oil: Synthetic oil has been artificially created in a lab. It contains molecules that are generally more uniform in size and shape than those of conventional oil. By having a more consistent composition and containing advanced and superior additives, synthetic oil has the advantage over petroleum oil in terms of performance and lifespan. However, synthetic oil does tend to be more expensive than conventional oil.

The short answer is that mixing different engine oil won't harm your engine in the short term. However, in the long term, for the oil's additives to work efficiently and appropriately, we recommend you stick to one type of oil.

Combining different oils will not give conventional oil the added benefits of the synthetic additives and, therefore, won't improve the performance or efficiency of the engine. Instead, when mixed with conventional oil, the additives may have limited or no effect. Worst of all, mixing different synthetic oil may have adverse long-term effects as the additives react.

In the case of mixing across different grades of oil, this will not damage your engine as oils are miscible. For example, you can use 1 litre of 5W30 combined with 5W 40, and it will not cause ill effects.

That said, we recommend you stick to one grade of oil until you completely drain your car and top it up with the new grade. It's also advisable to avoid mixing two different brands of oils as their additives may not be compatible and work correctly.