The first thing we’ll check when you bring your vehicle into Spring Works for an oil change is the oil fluid level and condition. We use a dipstick to determine whether your oil is at the appropriate level. This helps us determine the overall health of your vehicle.

In addition to checking the fluid level, we’ll also check the color of your oil. It should be brown or black. Sometimes oil turns to a light, almost milky color, which isn’t normal and can indicate that coolant’s leaking into your engine. If that’s the case with your oil, then we’ll need to spend some time further diagnosing the issue.

During a routine oil change, we’ll remove the oil pan to let the old oil run out. Then, we’ll fill your engine up with new oil. The process of changing the oil in your vehicle is relatively straightforward. Our oil changes include more than just taking out the old oil fluid and replacing it, though. We give your vehicle a thorough check to make sure it is running properly and to diagnose any issues early on before they get dangerous (and costly!)

Also called mineral oil, this is the standard oil that’s used in vehicles. The main benefit of using conventional oil is that it’s cheaper than synthetic oil. Conventional oil is derived from crude oil and has been used in oil changes for the last 100 or so years. If you have an older vehicle, it’s probably designed to be used with conventional oil. When synthetic oil was first introduced, it caused some damage to older engines. Over time, though, synthetic oil has improved, so you should be able to use either type of oil in an older vehicle.

The question, though, is do you need to use synthetic oil? Conventional oil has a lot of things going for it, especially if you don’t drive a lot of miles and are pretty consistent when it comes to your car maintenance schedule. In fact, synthetic oil actually starts as conventional oil. It then gets modified, which makes it more protective and gives it better lubricant properties. If you don’t drive your vehicle many miles, then you might never even get the protection benefits that you pay for with synthetic oil.

Conventional oil can provide lubrication to your engine at high temperatures and is less costly than synthetic oil. If you keep up with your regular oil change maintenance schedule, don’t drive tons of miles at a time, and don’t drive your vehicle under extreme driving conditions, then you might be able to save some money and still have a smooth running vehicle by sticking with conventional oil.

Full synthetic oil is the most costly type of oil, but it can be well worth the price if you drive lots of miles, use your vehicle for heavy-duty towing, live somewhere that’s extremely hot or extremely cold, or simply want to give your car the very best when it comes to maintenance and upkeep.

Synthetic oil is the best type of oil on the market, and it’s recommended if you plan on driving your vehicle for a long time and for hundreds of thousands of miles. It does the best job protecting your engine out of all the types of oil, and it does a good job cleaning out sludge and deposits. As an added bonus, you can usually go longer in between oil changes when you use synthetic vs. conventional oil.

You can go back and forth in between using synthetic and conventional oil, so you can always try synthetic oil at your next oil change and then switch back to conventional if you decide you don’t like it.

No matter what type of car you have or what type of oil you use, make sure to bring it in for regular, routine oil changes and inspections. These will keep your vehicle running and prevent more costly repairs down the road. Schedule an appointment today!