Glendale Nissan Official Blog
How important is it to get your oil change service?
By Product Expert | Posted in Service & Sales, Tips & Tricks on Tuesday, May 30th, 2017 at 2:52 pm
How to tell if engine oil is bad?
Automakers have made it easier than ever to tell exactly when your car needs to be serviced through various dashboard warning lights. When a service light comes on, you almost definitely know it’s time for an oil change, but what if you can’t find time to stop by our service center right away? You’re probably wondering if it’s an absolute emergency, or if you can wait a week or two. Unfortunately, the best answer is that it depends highly on how you drive, where you drive, how many miles you’ve driven and how long is has been since your last oil change. If your service light is triggered, it’s probably based on duration rather than actual engine oil breakdown. So how are you to tell if your engine oil has truly gone bad?
How to check your engine oil
Older Nissan models received an oil change every 3,750 miles or three months, whichever came sooner. Now, you might expect to wait up to six months or 5,000 miles. That’s a long time, and it can be a little easier to forget. There are also many factors that can reduce the time between service trips, including repeated short trips, cold weather driving, driving through dusty or heavily salted roads, heavy stop/start driving and more. That’s a lot to consider, so the best way to check your engine oil is through a visual inspection. Here’s how:
- Find your engine dipstick and twist to pull it out.
- Using a clean rag, wipe off the engine oil.
- Reinsert the dipstick
- Pull out once more and look for the color and amount of oil.
- And “Add” line means you should add more oil as the level is low.
- The color should resemble honey and have no noticeable debris.
- Thick oil is also a bad sign.
Read More: How to get your Nissan to 200,000+ miles
Now, unless your oil has turned to a black sludge, or is almost empty, you won’t find yourself stranded if you’re a little late on an oil change. Staying on top of your service schedule will allow for you to get the maximum mileage from your vehicle, but if life gets in the way and your oil remains clean, it’s not worth losing sleep over.
Nissan at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show:
Do you have any oil change horror stories? Tell us all about it with a comment below, and be sure to check back here at the Glendale Nissan Blog for more tips and tricks.
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