Changing your vehicle’s motor oil is a simple and affordable maintenance task that is too often overlooked. Motor oil plays a very important part in keeping your car’s engine running properly. A motor oil change is recommended for every 3,000 to 5,000 mile driven, depending on what type of motor oil you use. So how can you tell when your motor oil has gone bad and you need to change it?
Noisy Engine
A louder or noisy engine than what you normal hear is a sign that you should probably change your oil. Motor oil is used as lubricant for your engine to reduce the friction of the pistons and other moving parts in it. Hearing strange or louder than normal noises coming from the engine means more friction is occurring and parts are staring to rub against each other. You should change your oil immediately if this happening to prevent any further damage to your engine and avoid costly repairs.
Dirty Oil
New motor oil starts out with light yellow or honey color to it. Over the course of a few weeks of use, new motor oil will start to darken in color. Residue builds up in the oil over time and can hurt your engine. Always get your motor oil changed when the product you use recommends it.