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How to Know When to Change Your Oil at Long Hill Auto Service

Posted May 3, 2016 10:09 AM

Today in the Long Hill Auto Service auto care blog, we're going to talk to Millington drivers about oil change intervals. It seems that as engine technology advances, oil change intervals become longer for Long Hill Auto Service customers. For example, recently four of the world's largest vehicle manufacturer's shortened the published intervals for several of their engine models. They originally published intervals that extended out to a much as 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers).

In real world Millington driving, the oil started to sludge up before the recommended change interval. Oil sludge is a thick jelly-like substance: quite literally petroleum jelly – like Vaseline. This goop was clogging vehicle small engine passages so the oil wouldn't flow to some parts of the engine. This resulted in engine damage. We see it too often at Long Hill Auto Service in Millington.

The vehicle manufacturers began to offer an extended warranty to cover sludge damage. But there was a catch: the vehicle owner had to follow a new, lower service interval and provide proof of oil changes in order to make a warranty claim.

So here's the bottom line for Millington vehicle owners: with longer oil change intervals, it's essential to follow them closely. Back in the day of 3 months or 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers), if you went an extra month or an extra thousand miles or couple of thousand kilometers, your oil was still fresh enough that it didn't have time to build up much sludge.

But if your recommended interval is 6,500 miles (10,000 kilometers) and you go over another thousand miles or couple of thousands of kilometers, you're getting into heavy sludge territory. You absolutely need to follow mileage intervals very closely. And don't forget your severe service schedule. If you do a lot of stop and go driving in NJ, short trips, drive in dusty or polluted Millington conditions, hot or cold weather  or haul heavy loads, you're driving in severe service conditions. Your Long Hill Auto Service service advisor can help you determine which schedule to follow.

So check your vehicle owner's manual or talk with your Long Hill Auto Service service advisor about where and how you drive in Millington. Should you change your oil closer to the regular schedule, or the severe service schedule? You need to make the call.

Let me give you an example of this. Some newer vehicles have an oil change indicator. It has a sophisticated computer algorithm that tracks number of cold starts, engine temperature, RPMs, mileage and many more variables to come up with a recommendation for when to change the oil.

Depending on driving conditions, the indicator in one test vehicle came on at anywhere from 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to almost 7,000 miles (11,000 km). It's typically just over 4,000 miles (6,500 km). Sometimes our driving is easy on the vehicle – like a long road trip. Sometimes, our driving is hard on it – like towing a heavy trailer or a lot of around town driving. But, usually, it's a combination of both.

Once again, it's up to you to make the call as to when to change your oil at Long Hill Auto Service to protect your vehicle engine. Another place where NJ drivers can go wrong is with the type of oil they use. More and more new cars are coming to Millington owners filled with synthetic oil. Without going into a lot of detail right now, let's just say that synthetic oil lasts longer and is very resistant to oil sludge.

But it also costs quite a bit more, so some people are tempted to use conventional oil for their oil changes. Now, it's always best to use the oil recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. Check your owner's manual see if a conventional oil alternative is allowed.

But getting back to the problem, if your vehicle came from the factory with synthetic oil, the recommended oil change interval is for synthetic oil. If you use conventional oil, you can't use the synthetic interval. You need to shorten it.

Long Hill Auto Service
1905 Long Hill Rd
Millington, NJ 07946
(908) 647-7984
http://www.longhillautonj.com



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Reviews

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A few weeks back my wife was driving from PA to NYC by herself and started to have some car trouble. She called me from route 78 and I advised her to get off at the next exit and head to the closest repair shop. Thankfully it was Longhill Auto. At the end of their business day they got right on checking the car out, and were gracious with my wife who was having a very stressful experience. They were in touch with me every step of the way. Ultimately performed the necessary repairs and thoroughly test drove the car to give us peace of mind it was in good shape before making the hour plus drive out to pick it up. Would definitely recommend them and even going out of your way to work with them as it isn’t always easy to find a good shop with great people.

, 03/13/2024

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Legit

, 02/16/2024

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Long Hill Auto is the best auto service shop in the area, hands down. The staff is well trained and highly knowledgeable. Their facility is well organized and cared for, which shows how important it is for them to pay attention to details. Bob runs a great shop that can handle all of your automobile needs. They are friendly, affordable, and have a fast turnaround on their jobs. I don't think it can get much better than that.

, 01/25/2024

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