You rely on your car to get around throughout the year, but it is especially crucial during the winter. While a short walk or bike ride sounds pleasant in the middle of the spring or summer, trying to get to your destination without a car in freezing temperatures with a foot of snow on the ground is not much fun. You almost need a functioning vehicle for winter travel. Unfortunately, the winter season can also be very hard on a car. Not only might you need to drive more often when the weather is bad, but winter conditions force your vehicle to work harder than at other times of the year.
Since your car will have to work harder during the winter months, you need to be extra diligent when it comes to regular maintenance. Among other things, that means making sure that you have enough oil in your car and that you change it regularly.
Changing Your Oil in the Winter
Most newer vehicles need an oil change every 5,000 miles, although older vehicles may need one every 3,000 miles. You’ll need to check your vehicle’s manual to find out exactly how often you should be changing your oil, but every 3,000 to 5,000 miles is usually a safe bet. Some newer vehicles rely on synthetic oil and can go a lot farther than 5,000 miles before needing an oil change. Again, consult your vehicle’s manual for more concrete details about what your vehicle needs.
Try to schedule an oil change as well as a tune-up in the late fall or early winter before the weather starts to get particularly harsh. That way, you should be okay for at least the first part of the season. You also shouldn’t have to worry about using different kinds of oil in the summer and winter, either. That may have been the case at one time, but modern oils have a high enough range of viscosity to work during a hot summer or a cold winter. You may need to take viscosity range into account if you have an older vehicle, but it shouldn’t make a difference for most modern cars.
Changing Your Own Oil vs. Going to a Mechanic
If you’re not that mechanically inclined and would rather have an auto mechanic change your oil during the winter, all you need to do is make an appointment with a shop near you just like you would at any other time of the year. You do need to be more diligent about when you change your oil during the winter so you don’t risk your car breaking down on cold nights, but you should be fine as long as you can get your car to your mechanic.
If you like to change your own oil, try to do so in a lightly heated environment. This will ensure that your oil is at least warm enough to drain smoothly and quickly. If you don’t have access to a heated garage, run your car’s engine for about five minutes to warm the oil. You technically can change cold oil, but the process is a lot longer.
Whether you change your oil in the summer or the winter, the guidelines are roughly the same. You technically won’t need to change your oil more often, but you do need to be careful about the extra work your car will do and how that may affect its performance.