The engine is the heart of your vehicle and the engine oil is the blood that keeps the engine running seamlessly.
- The oil lubricates the engine and helps it to fight heat and friction.
- The heat and friction produce wear and tear.
- This will destroy the engine over time and cause the oil to degrade.
- Hence, the oil and filter need to be regularly replaced.
What is the Difference Between an Engine Oil Top Off and Oil Change?
Many people believe that topping off the oil and an oil change refers to the same thing. However, this is not true in reality.
- Engine oil top off refers to adding new oil to the existing old oil.
- The main challenge in adding new oil to old oil is that fresh oil is likely to become contaminated with the impurities and debris already present in the old oil.
- If you have been frequently topping up oil and ignoring warranty approved oil changes, it may lead to some serious issues and even damage the engine considerably.
Warranty Approved Oil Changes:
- In case of an oil change, the existing old oil is fully flushed and drained out of the vehicle.
- Used oil along with the oil filter is discarded and replaced with fresh oil.
- The new oil which is free from any type of impurities ensures that the engine and its parts keep functioning and operating optimally.
How do you find out whether you need an Oil Change or a Top Off for your Vehicle?
You can come to know whether an oil change or top-off is required by inspecting the condition of the existing oil in your vehicle:
- Park the car on a level surface.
- Ensure that the engine has been turned off for at least 10 minutes.
- Open your car’s hood and find the oil dipstick.
- The oil dipstick has a bright-colored plastic handle which you can easily find towards the engine side.
- Once you have located the dipstick, remove it and wipe it clean from any oil residue using a clean cloth.
- You can see the minimum and maximum markings on the dipstick.
- Push the dipstick back all the way and wait for a few seconds. Pull it back again and check the oil level.
- If the oil level is between the minimum and maximum markings, the oil level is fine.
- If the oil level is near the minimum marking, you need to do an oil change or top off.
- If the oil level is above the maximum mark, some amount of oil needs to be drained and you need to get your car inspected by a professional oil change service provider.
- The smell and the colour of the oil are an indicator of whether the oil is contaminated or not.
It is recommended to get an oil change done once every 3,000 – 5,000 miles or as recommended by your car’s manufacturer. If you have been topping off oil and avoiding an oil change, it is best to go for a mobile oil change service without any further delay.
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