Summer Car Care Tip: Changing Your Oil In The Summer
Summer weather is perfect for summer road trips, drive-ins, and sadly, car issues. Why? Extreme heat may harm your car’s most vital systems. So, if your summer plans include travel and seaside visits, we’re here to help you make the most of the season safely.
The Importance of Oil Changes in the Summer
Keep in mind that your car’s lifeblood is engine oil. It must be able to freely flow across all of your engine’s working parts. The ease with which oil moves through the engine is typically affected by its temperature. Viscosity is the physical measurement of how “thick” a fluid is. Low temperatures can cause motor oil to harden into the viscosity of molasses, preventing it from adequately coating the engine during a cold start.
The Best Oil Weight for Hot Weather
These days, the majority of motor oils are multigrade or multi-viscosity, which means that the oil functions as intended to lubricate and protect at a variety of temperatures. Special additives in multi-viscosity motor oils cause the oil to contract as it cools and inflate as it heats up, ensuring that the oil thins in the cold and thickens in the heat. The oil of this type evolves organically, so you don’t always need to change it out as the season’s change.
In the summer, 10×40 is preferable to 5×30 since it is a thicker grade. However, you won’t have to worry about picking different oils if you choose multigrade motor oil rather than single-grade.
When in doubt, refer to your owner’s manual because your car has been specifically engineered and tested to use a specific kind of oil. Remember that regular oil changes are still crucial even though you might not need to switch oil grades for the summer if you’re using multi-viscosity motor oil. By maintaining the health of the engine and the appropriate lubrication of the parts, good, fresh oil will improve the performance of your car. You should consider getting your oil changed if you observe:
- Your check engine or check oil light is illuminated and won’t go off.
- Your car’s engine is running louder than usual.
- Your oil looks grimy or black.
Changing Car Oil in Summer
After letting your car run for a while, park it on a flat surface, and turn off the engine to inspect your oil. Find the oil dipstick by opening the hood. The level of oil and the appearance of the oil are the two things you should be checking here. If your oil level is low, you could either add an additional quart or entirely replace the oil. On the stick, the oil should seem clear and brownish-yellow. You need to change your oil and replace your oil filter immediately if your engine’s oil is dark in colour or contains a lot of grime and dirt, as mentioned above.
Summer Car Maintenance Checklist
Summer calls for certain specialized maintenance to be done on your car to keep it safe and operating at its best, besides worrying over changing your car’s oil in summer. Let’s check the other important summer car care tips.
Tire Maintenance Tips for Summer
Make sure to check your tires before a summer of long drives. Examine them thoroughly, looking for sidewall bulges, severe tread wear, and unequal wear. All of these are indications that you could require new tires before travelling on the highway.
A 10-degree difference in the outside air temperature will lead to a change in tire pressure of one to two PSI (pounds per square inch). You can measure your tire pressure with a handheld pressure gauge or have the experts do it for you through Kambio’s mobile car repair and car maintenance services.
Check the Battery
Next on our list of summer vehicle health checks comes testing your car’s battery.
The battery life is negatively impacted by higher summertime temperatures because the fluid inside battery cells starts to drain more quickly. Consequently, the battery is overcharged as a result, which shortens its lifespan. Therefore, it’s crucial to have your battery inspected and, if necessary, maintained before the start of the summer season. The majority of modern automobiles have maintenance-free batteries, but if you drive an older vehicle with an older battery, you must top it off with fluid before it gets too hot.
Your car needs to be able to withstand a lot, especially in the summer months when you travel more for holidays and summer getaways. Using the appropriate oil is an essential component of preserving your car’s health. Don’t forget about the other essentials in your summer car maintenance checklist mentioned above, for the best performance of your car.
Make sure to contact our specialist, whenever you need a mobile oil change, tire repair or general car repair. Save your time and money and enjoy your daily tasks while our specialists are doing what they are best at through our mobile car maintenance services.
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