4 Oil Change Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many car owners are learning about Car Maintenance 101 to do basic repair and maintenance on their own and save some money. One of the common Automotive DIY maintenance task that car owners attempt is oil change. As simple as it sounds, you must take proper care while doing an oil change. Knowing the most common oil change mistakes can help you successfully complete your task. This is true for other vehicles as well.

Regular oil changes are crucial for maintaining your vehicle’s engine health. This oil lubricates moving parts of the vehicle reducing friction between them to minimize wear and tear. It also cleans the engine and helps dissipate heat. Oil change ensures optimal performance and extends the vehicle’s lifespan.

Neglecting the routine oil change can lead to increased abrasion between parts leading to extensive wear and tear. This can result in potentially costly repairs. If you feel like your vehicle is giving low mileage, making a lot of noise than before and has decreased in performance, it could be due to low engine oil. Many new cars will alert you if the engine oil level is low.

Table of contents

• Mistake #1 - Using the wrong oil
• Mistake #2 - Ignoring the Oil Change Interval
• Mistake #3 - Overfilling or Underfilling Oil
• Mistake #4 - Not Replacing the Oil Filter

Common Oil Change Mistakes

If you are an amateur at vehicle maintenance, then it is essential to know these mistakes before you commit them. Since it is a complex machine, anything can go wrong so it is better to learn the job thoroughly. Here are some of the most common oil change mistakes that people make:

Mistake #1 - Using the wrong oil

Before the oil change you must first learn the type of oil your vehicle requires. This will be mentioned in the owner’s manual. Read the owner’s manual to see what type of engine oil your vehicle uses and its viscosity.

Each vehicle's engine is designed to work with a specific type of oil with pre determined viscosity and performance standards. Which means that if you put engine oil that doesn’t suit your vehicle then it will result in poor lubrication, increased friction, and engine damage.

Let’s consider an example.

Skyler is a busy professional who drives a 2017 Honda Civic. She usually gives her car to the service center regularly for maintenance. However, this time she didn’t have the time to drive it all the way to the center and also didn’t want to leave it there for an entire day.

She decides to change the oil herself while reminding herself about the money she will be saving. Confident in her basic automotive knowledge, Skyler buys engine oil from a local store without looking at the owner's manual.

She successfully changed the oil, but soon starts noticing that her car feels sluggish during acceleration. Over the next few weeks she notices that her car is overheating and she experiences rough idling and reduced fuel efficiency. Finally, her check engine light comes on. Now she has no choice but to drive her car to service center.

To her sorrow she finds out that she used a different engine oil that was not compatible with her car. She had mistakenly purchased 10W-40 oil, which is thicker and more suitable for high-performance engines. Her Honda Civic requires 0W-20 oil, a lighter, synthetic blend tailored for modern engines for fuel efficiency.

Mistake #1 - Solution

Always find the right type of oil for your vehicle by looking at the manual. There are different grades of engine oil from different brands you can use. Mineral, semi synthetic and fully synthetic are three main types of engine oils found in the market for passenger vehicles.

Mineral oil being the cheapest is the most used while synthetic oils are premium fluid typically used high performance engines and is expensive. Semi synthetic oils are used for older vehicles due to its high viscosity.

Mistake #2 - Ignoring the Oil Change Interval

Now that you know how to pick the right type of engine oil for an oil change, it is important to note that you must have a regular oil change schedule and ensure to stick to the regime. If you forget or keep postponing the oil change your engine degrades faster. This is one of the most common oil change mistakes.

When you leave the old engine oil for longer than the required period, it starts thickening and attracting contaminants. This gets stuck in the engine reducing its performance and increasing the risk of engine failures. Excessive engine wear, reduced fuel efficiency, and potential breakdowns is what you will risk if you put off replacing your engine oil.

Mistake #2 - Solution

Carefully read through your manual to see the recommended oil change intervals. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding your manual, just type your question on google and the search result will definitely let you know your oil change interval. It might even give you a ready schedule that you can print out and stick on your fridge.

You can keep a maintenance log on your phone and set reminders to never miss an oil change. Many modern vehicles have oil life monitoring systems which will give you an alert when an oil change is due based on actual driving conditions.

Also, consider the type of driving you do. Do you go on frequent short trips, do you use your truck to tow other vehicles on your farm, or do you drive in extreme conditions. These type of situation may require more frequent oil changes.

Mistake #3 - Overfilling or Underfilling Oil

A very common mistake is overfilling ot underfilling the oil. Overfilling can lead to excessive pressure in the engine causing oil leak and damages seals and gaskets. It can also cause the oil becoming aerated or foamy reducing its lubrication capacity.

Underfilling the oil means engine won’t be lubricated right leading to engine damage. Since metal parts are constantly moving in the engine, oil is the substance that provides necessary lubrication. If there is not enough oil in the system them the metal parts will rub together causing wear and tear of the engine components.

Let’s consider an example.

Griffin just graduated school and got into a Yale University. To celebrate the occasion, his parents got him a brand new Toyota Camry. He loved the car and took it around on many short weekend drives to get used to the car. Soon it was the time to replace the engine oil of the car.

Being a college student wanting to save money, he decides to do his own oil change. After all he had seen his mom do it plenty of times and it seemed easy enough. He buys the necessary supplies and begins the adding the new oil. He mistakenly underfills the engine, only adding 2.5 quarts of oil instead of 4.4 quarts.

Just a few days after the oil change, Griffin notices the oil warning light flicker on her dashboard during sharp turns or when he applies sudden breaks. He dismisses it, thinking it is a minor issue. Soon he starts to hear unusual ticking noises from the engine, especially when idling or driving at low speeds. He was also experiencing sluggish acceleration and engine overheating.

He took it to a workshop to find what is wrong with his brand new car. The mechanic after inspection informs him that he underfilled his engine oil as a result the engine parts are not being lubricated well. The moving parts are getting rubbed together without the enough oil. To his dismay, some of the components hard to be replaced because there was significant wear and tear.

Mistake #3 - Solution

You must first learn how to check the level of the engine oil. When you open the hood of the car, you will see a big knob which is the oil cap with engine oil written on it. This is where you fill in the engine oil. In the immediate area you will be able to spot a ring like object. This is called a dipstick.

Place you finger inside the ring and yank it out slowly. You will find that the ring is attached to a long stick. At the end of the stick you will be oil markings. Ideally, the first time you pull out the dipstick, you should wipe it clean, place it inside again and then pull it out. This gives you an accurate reading of the oil level existing in your vehicle.

The dipstick will have min and max markers, one on the lower end to indicate that the oil is low and the max marker to indicate that there is enough oil in the vehicle. So, always pull out your dipstick and check how much oil level is in your car. When you refill it make sure you have read the manual and measured out the quantity to be poured in your vehicle. Pull out the dipstick and check the level for a cross check.

Mistake #4 - Not Replacing the Oil Filter

As its name suggests an oil filter filters out shaved metal parts and other debris circling with the engine oil inside. It makes sure that the oil is running clean throughout engine. This filter can get clogged with use and needs to be washed or changed as required.

A dirty filter has reduced power to capture debris and therefore can allow contaminants to circulate in the engine. This leads to increased wear and damage to engine components. A dirty filter also reduces the oil's ability to lubricate effectively.

Let’s consider an example.

Keira owns a 2018 Ford F-150, which she uses for daily commute and road trips. She follows a regular oil change schedule. But this time even though she did the oil change, she forgot to check on her oil filter. It was time that she took her car for the annual state inspection.

During the inspection, her car failed to pass the emission test and she was informed that this was due to excessive hydrocarbons in the exhaust. She took it to a mechanic to find out the reason for this excessive hydrocarbon build up. She finds that it is due to the clogged and dirty air filter.

Mistake #4 - Solution

Learn to locate the oil filter in your car by reading through your manual. Then make a mental note to inspect it with every oil change.

If you notice that your oil filter has gotten very dirty, replacing the oil filter with a new one is recommended. Make sure you install one that meets the specifications provided in the manual. It is also necessary to learn how to correctly install the oil filter.

Oil change is necessary and crucial maintenance task for any vehicle. You have to drain out the oil and then replace it with the correct engine oil. While draining out the engine oil, make sure that you have an oil drain pan beneath the sump plug situated underneath your car. This oil drain pan can help avoid spillage and makes it easier for you to recycle the engine oil.

If you are handling a large truck or a tractor, then you would probably need a 20 gallon oil drain pan. Can you imagine draining out several gallons of oil without the proper collection method? You imagined it right. It is one hell of a clean up job for you.

Verdict

To conclude, oil change should not be neglected. Have proper schedule drawn up if you are person who don’t regularly like to drive all the way to a service center to get your car serviced. Since you are doing the oil change yourself, learn all that you can about engine oil and the oil change process, especially how to change the engine oil of your vehicle. Make sure you avoid all the mistakes mentioned above so you can increase the life and performance of you vehicle.