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Receiving an Oil
Change at Strongsville Express Tire
An oil change at your
local Strongsville Ohio auto shop: Sounds simple, but there’s
some pretty important things to know about preventing
oil sludge.
Oil eventually starts to
turn into jelly. Literally – petroleum jelly. Sludge clogs up
oil passages and keeps oil from getting to some areas of the
engine, causing parts to wear out prematurely.
And that means expensive engine repairs.
That’s why you need to
change the oil and oil filter on schedule –
to get the old oil out before it turns to sludge. Your
manufacturer will have a recommendation for how many miles you
can go between oil changes. They also usually have a number of
months between recommended oil changes. That’s because the
detergents and other additives in the oil break down over
time.
Your owner’s manual will
have a recommendation for time and mileage, but you need to
remember that it’s based on using the recommended weight of
oil. And if your vehicle came from the factory with synthetic
oil, the recommended intervals assume you continue to use
synthetic.
Also how you drive around
Northeast Ohio can have a big effect. Most owner’s manuals
will have a list of driving conditions that are harder
on your vehicle. Things like stop and go driving in
Strongsville, short trips to Cleveland, Medina, Middleburg Hts,
or North Royalton, driving in very hot or very cold weather,
heavy loads and towing. If some of your driving fits this, you
may need to change your oil and do other maintenance on a
shorter schedule.
This may sound
complicated. Some vehicles in Ohio have an oil life
calculator that takes all of these factors into
account and tells you when you should change your oil.
Otherwise, talk with your Northern Ohio service advisor at
Strongsville Express Tire about how you drive and get their
recommendation for when to take care of your service.
Finally, if any of the
steering or suspension parts can be lubed, your technician at
Strongsville Express Tire will take care of that with a lube,
oil and filter service.
Strongsville Express Tire
12300 Prospect Rd
Strongsville, OH 44149
Ph. 440.238.8473
At Strongsville
Express Tire in Strongsville OH we install quality NAPA
replacement parts. To learn more about
NAPA AutoCare,
visit
www.NAPAAutoCare.com.
A lot of people in Ohio have older vehicles. They’re good
commuters, grocery-getters or toy-haulers. They enjoy that
fact that they’re paid off, or soon will be. They would
gladly like to keep their vehicles for 200,000 miles or more
– as long as it’s economical to do so.
There are plenty of
people in Strongsville, Berea, Medina, Columbia Station, and
Middleburg Hts., whose vehicles are running after 150,000 or
200,000 miles. We can learn from what they’re doing to keep
our own cars on the road.
A common denominator is
that they never skip an oil change. That
may sound a bit unsophisticated, but it’s really not. First
off, oil is the life blood of your engine and it needs to be
clean to properly lubricate. Skipping oil changes leads to
clogged oil filters and sludge that
can damage your engine. Enough said.
There’s another
reason why the
scheduled oil change
is so important. It’s simple – a Strongsville Express Tire
professional is going to be looking at your car. All of your
fluid levels will be inspected and topped off so they won’t
get so low that damage can be done. If there is a
significant fluid loss, let’s use brake fluid as an example,
your Strongsville technician can look for the cause of the
loss and find the problem before it leads to an accident or
costly repair.
Your Strongsville
service technician will also visually inspect the vehicle
for worn belts and hoses, uneven tire wear, leaking shock
absorbers and more. Problems get addressed before they lead
to repairs that cost more than the car’s worth. And your
Strongsville service advisor will be able to remind you of
other services that the factory recommends you get done.
Just think of that oil
change the same way as you do about going to the dentist for
your six month cleaning and checkup. Don’t skip it.
Of course, good
maintenance costs money, but it’s far cheaper than new car
payments.
Give us a call at
440.238.8473
to schedule your next oil change or
schedule online today.
Some of our customers at Strongsville Express Tire are
surprised to learn that there are actually two service
schedules for their vehicles. One is the regular schedule
and the other is the severe service schedule.
Let’s look at what
the manufacturers say constitutes severe driving
conditions, and let you draw your own conclusions:
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Most of your trips
are less than four miles (around Strongsville, or short
trips to Berea, North Royalton, Columbia Station,
Northern part of Medina, etc..)
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Most of your trips
are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are
below freezing.
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The engine is at
low speed most of the time – not on the highway
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You operate your
vehicle in dusty areas
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You regularly tow a
trailer, carry heavy loads or a car-top carrier
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Stop and go driving
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Driving in very hot
or very cold weather
So you can see that a
lot has to do with how you drive, but some has to do with
where you drive. Some areas of the country will be more or
less severe than it is here in Northern, Ohio.
For many, normal
driving includes elements of severe service driving. So
how do you know? Picture a line with ‘regular’ on one end
and ‘severe’ on the other, and make a judgment on where
you fall.
 If your
regular oil change recommendation is 5,000 miles
and the severe service recommendation is 3,000 – when
should you change your oil? For some, it’s closer to 3,000
miles. For others, it’s closer to 5,000 miles. Your
service advisor will be happy to have this discussion with
you and help you sort it out.
If you drive where
the air is dusty or polluted, fluids will become
contaminated and filters will get dirtier more quickly.
So make an honest
evaluation of your driving conditions in and around
Strongsville. You’ve made the commitment to take care of
your vehicles, so it only makes sense to follow the right
schedule.
Give us a call for
advice for your car based on our local Strongsville
driving conditions:
Strongsville Express Tire
12300 Prospect Rd
Strongsville, OH 44149
Ph.
440.238.8473
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The
most important thing you can do to keep your vehicle
running for a long time is to change your oil on
schedule. With a full service
