Clark’s Car Care advises that there are four different types of motor oil on the market available for automobiles. The one that is best for your car, truck, or C/SUV depends on numerous factors including your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation and the type of engine that you have. We can change your motor oil every time it needs it and cannot stress enough how important it is that you always have fresh motor oil in the engine. This extends the engine’s life and protects it from damage. Let’s talk more about the different types of motor oil below.
Conventional
Conventional motor oil is the oil we’ve had for over a century. If you’ve been driving for decades, you’ve used conventional motor oil for decades. It is the most widely-used oil on the market and works very well in standard engines. This is the oil that is changed every 3,000 miles to keep it clean and viscous. If you are easy on your automobile and it has a standard engine, you can use conventional motor oil.
High-Mileage
Eventually, it’s a good idea to switch to high-mileage motor oil. This oil helps protect standard engines that have clocked 75,000 miles or more on the odometer. The reason why high-mileage oil is recommended is that it contains additives that will help prevent oil leaks in your engine. Oil leaks are a common problem in older engines as the seals and gaskets dry out and wear out.
Synthetic
If you drive a high-performance automobile, such as a BMW or Audi, your manufacturer recommends synthetic motor oil. This oil is manmade and contains additives to increase its viscosity for longer periods. Instead of changing the synthetic oil every 3,000 miles, you can usually go 5,000 miles or more between oil changes. Synthetic also works well if you live in an area that has an extreme climate. For example, it doesn’t freeze as quickly as conventional oil does when the temperature is below freezing.
Synthetic Blend
Finally, motor oil manufacturers understand that some drivers will want the benefits of synthetic motor oil for the cost of conventional motor oil. For those drivers, synthetic blend motor oil combines both oil types for a cheaper version of synthetic oil. This oil is not full synthetic, so it will need to be changed more often. Nonetheless, it does provide added protection over straight conventional oil.
Clark’s Car Care in Naperville, IL, is here to help so give us a call today to schedule your next oil change. We are happy to discuss motor oil types with you.