Your motor oil matters. When you get an oil change, you need to know what the best motor oils are specifically for your vehicle are, or your risk doing irreparable damage to your vehicle. Conversely, knowing about motor oils that work well for your car can help your engine start easier, lubricate engine parts, reduce friction, protect against rust and corrosion, keep engine parts clean, minimize combustion chamber deposits, cool engine parts, and more.
The key to knowing what oil works for your car and what doesn’t lies in the motor oil facts. However, there are many fallacies about motor oil that people accept as the truth. Distinguishing motor oil facts from myths can help you make the smartest choices about your car’s oil. So, to help you out, here are the myths that people believe, and the real motor oil facts!
1. The “W” Doesn’t Stand Weight.
When shopping for oil, it’s important to know the motor oil facts about its viscosity. This is a property that corresponds roughly to its thickness. You see, the less viscous the oil is, the smoother it’ll move through your engine, lubricating the engine parts.
As temperature changes, so too does oil change its viscosity. This is why you need to look for a multi-grade rating that gives both the hot and cold viscosities. On the bottle, you’ll see two different numbers. For example, “10W-30.” The first one, 10W, refers to the oil’s viscosity rating during winter. Simply put, the “W” stands for winter.
2. Do You Have to Change Your Oil Every 3,000 Miles?
No. You don’t. While these motor oil facts were accepted as true decades ago, it’s no longer necessary to change your oil so often thanks to technological advancements. Between improved auto engineering, modern detergent oils and better oil viscosities, cars are allowed to go to about 7,500 miles between oil changes!
3. Synthetic Oils Will Cause Leaks.
Back in the 70s, synthetic oils didn’t really work well with the gaskets and seals in cars’ engines. They could cause the seals to shrink in ways that non-synthetic oils, that is petroleum-based oils, didn’t. This resulted in the messy leaks that’d appear suddenly. This fear of leaks still persists, but the motor oil facts are that these anxieties are unfounded. Long ago did oil manufacturers learn to reformulate synthetic oil so that this shrinkage didn’t occur. Actually, the motor oil facts are that synthetic oil outperforms petroleum-based oil time and time again. If it works well with your car, then it’s often the better option.
These are the real motor oil facts, not those old hand-me-down myths from years ago. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.