As a rule of thumb, your car needs an oil change about every 5,000 miles or every six months. If you often drive short distances or in stop-and-go traffic, if you tow a trailer, or if you drive in extremely hot or cold weather, you'll need changes more often. Draining the oil and replacing it with a fresh batch ensures your engine stays lubricated and prevents the following problems.

What Happens to My Car When the Oil Is Old?

1. Poor Performance

Over time, engine oil breaks down, getting thinner and providing less lubricating power. At the same time, debris builds up in the oil. All of this increases the friction between different engine parts, so the engine has to work harder to produce the same amount of power. You'll use more gas going the same distance, and you may notice your car gets noisier.

2. Overheating

Some vehicles use oil to absorb heat from the engine. When the oil breaks down, it's not as good at transferring heat away, so the engine gets hotter. Too hot, and the engine will stall, as well as cause damage to the engine's components, such as warped cylinders or a cracked head gasket.

3. Engine Damage

Oil breaks down into several different parts, some of which can corrode the engine if the old oil is left too long between changes. Worse, when the oil loses its lubricating power, different parts of the engine start pushing and scraping on each other. If the oil breaks down too much, the resistance between the various components is enough to bend some of them--and once that happens, no engine repairs can fix it.

To make sure your car has the fresh, clean oil it needs to run smoothly, schedule an oil change with G & J Auto Center in Columbia, MO. Serving Boone County for over 20 years, their skilled auto repair technicians use state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment to learn exactly what's wrong with your engine and provide the repairs you need, from oil changes to transmission repair. To get started, call (573) 474-5819 or visit their website for a list of services.