The Importance of Oil Changes

Some call it a quick lube, some call it an express oil, some call it an oil change. At McCluskey Chevrolet, we call it a day in the life of our trained and certified technicians. Whatever term you use to refer to it, it is an unfortunate and inescapable necessity as a car owner. Having your oil changed is vital to the long-term health of your vehicle. It can be a hassle to deal with, but it is crucial that this be done, and at appropriate times.

Your engine oil is what makes all of the moving parts of the engine run smoothly. It keeps the parts from rubbing against each other and causing friction. If your engine has excessive friction, you can cause catastrophic damage to it. By keeping your engine well oiled and lubricated, you will significantly lower the risk of this happening. Engine oil has been around since the beginning of automotive times, and it will be here for as long as we own our vehicles.

Even if you have oil in your engine, it may be old and gunky (which is a totally scientific word). Your engine oil should be slick and light in color. If it is old, it will turn a dark brown or even black and will have more viscosity. This oil will not allow the engine to move as fluidly, causing a slowed down engine with less responsiveness. That is just what happens first. Eventually, the engine parts will start to rub against each other and destroy each other. You could conceivably total out a vehicle just by not changing the oil in it in a timely manner. We have seen it before.

Process

When you go to get your oil changed, there are typically a few other things that happen. First, your oil filter is replaced. Your oil filter serves to screen out dust, dirt and other particles that might try to enter your engine and the engine oil. Since the engine has direct access to the outside elements, it is prone to picking up the dirt and dust kicked up off of the road. This is particularly true for those who work or live on a dirt road. Your oil filter helps to keep those particles out of the oil stream and keep your engine oil smooth and effective for longer.

Usually, most oil change places will also check certain fluid levels in your engine during the oil change process. These include transmission fluid, antifreeze and windshield wiper fluid. Most places will top these off for you at no additional cost.

The Specialty Trained Difference

Now, these “quick lube” and “express oil” places that you see on every other street corner have professionals on staff that are trained to work on vehicles. However, the turnover rates at places like that are typically high. That means that someone working on your vehicle might very well be newly trained. Wouldn’t you rather have a professional with more hands-on experience working on your vehicle?

Furthermore, these service professionals at these shops are given a blanket training on automobiles of all kinds. At McCluskey Chevrolet, our service staff is specifically trained to work on Chevrolet automobiles. While they do know their way around vehicles from around the world, unique attention is paid in their training on Chevrolet vehicles. After all, we at McCluskey want to be a full-service provider to our friends and neighbors in the Cincinnati area. From the day you set foot on our lot to purchase your new Chevy to regular maintenance years down the road, we want to provide you with all that you need in an auto dealership.

Some of these other places, particularly smaller shops that are not part of a national chain, offer engine work but do not offer simple things like oil changes and filter replacements. We feel that if you need to take your vehicle to a place to have it serviced, you should only have to take it to one place, regardless of what the service might be. We can handle everything from major engine repair to routine maintenance and everything in between. We even offer some light bodywork. Do the major chains or mom-and-pop stores offer that extensive range of services?

While we are fully prepared and able to perform any service you might need, we like to take a more proactive stance on engine repair. We have found that it is much easier and better for the vehicle if things like oil changes and tire rotations are done at regularly scheduled intervals. Since so many of the things that need to be done to your car, truck or SUV have varying times of need, we like to set up maintenance schedules.

Individualized Maintenance

When you buy your vehicle from McCluskey Chevrolet, or if you are one of our brand new customers, we will set you up with a maintenance schedule of your very own. This schedule is unique to you and your vehicle. We will establish things about your vehicle such as make, model, year, mileage, and engine options. These will have specific bearings on how often your regular maintenance needs to occur.

We will also establish specific driving habits that you have. Don’t worry, we don’t care if you have a heavy foot. We won’t tell. What we will need to know is things like whether or not you drive more highway miles than city miles. If you have a pickup truck, do you use it to haul and tow heavyweights? Do you spend a lot of time in stop-and-go traffic? Will this vehicle likely be used for frequent road trips? And, if so, do you plan on towing anything along with you? All of these factors will also influence the frequency of your regular maintenance.

Schedule Your Appointment at McCluskey Chevrolet!

Of course, if you are the do-it-yourself type, we applaud that. We know how gratifying it can be to get your hands dirty working on your own vehicle. It is a very popular hobby and we know all too well how enjoyable it can be. However, if you do not know exactly what you are doing under the hood, you could cause major damage to your vehicle. Worse, still, you could seriously injure yourself. Modern vehicles are very heavy and have lots of moving parts. If you are not careful in there, something very bad could happen.

If you are the DIY type, more power to you. Just stay safe, if you are not quite as handy as others, then we invite you to come on down to McCluskey Chevrolet and let us handle all of your maintenance and repair needs. We have highly trained professionals that know everything there is to know about what is going on under the hood of your Chevy vehicle. We keep pretty crazy hours because we know that our neighbors in southern Ohio don’t all keep the 9-5 rat race hours. We are open from 7:30-3:00 Am Monday through Thursday, with slightly more sane hours Friday through Sunday. So, even if you are working a late shift and need to get your oil changed before the next day, we can be there for you late at night.

Even if you are a new customer, you can easily schedule an appointment online through our website. While you are there, feel free to browse our vehicle inventory, our parts and accessories, finance department, and anything else that grabs your attention. We will see you soon!