The Wichita auto care experts at Tracy’s Automotive can help you make the right choice when it comes to a wintertime oil change.
Wichita can look forward to some warm days for the next 10 days or so, according to forecasters. But overnight temperatures will be hovering around – or even a bit below – freezing.
As anyone who has lived in a cold climate knows, cold weather puts a special strain on your car, from the battery to the tires and everything in between. The cold weather also affects your car’s oil and its oil filters, something drivers may forget when cold weather begins to hit.
“Winter temperatures in most parts of the country place especially high demands on your engine’s oil and oil filter,” said Kevin O’Dowd, director Marketing & Communications at MANN+HUMMEL Purolator Filters NA LLC.
According to O’Dowd, the most obvious point to consider is your choice of motor oil. Oil that’s too thin won’t provide sufficient protection for your engine. Oil that’s too thick will keep your engine from cranking or starting in cold weather when the thick, gooey oil in your engine challenges your battery and starter motor to spin the engine fast enough for it to fire. So be sure to check your owner’s manual and choose oil viscosity accordingly.
“However, many people are surprised to learn winter weather puts extra demands on your oil filter as well,” notes O’Dowd, “and it’s all related to temperatures and oil thickness.”
At 20 degrees F, most engine oils have the thickness of maple syrup. So when your engine first starts up (assuming it does start up), your engine’s oil pump forces cold, thick oil through all the large and small passages in your engine, including those in your oil filter. A number of factors will determine if the oil will find its way through the filter quickly enough to provide critical lubrication to your engine’s bearings and other vital parts, while particulates are duly filtered out which, after all, is the primary role of the oil filter.
The lesson is simple: With winter weather upon us, take a few minutes to treat your car to a transfusion and new oil filter. It only takes a short time and a few dollars, but the life you are saving may be that of your engine.
If you’re looking for a reliable Wichita auto care technician to help you with that wintertime oil change, call the Wichita auto care specialists at Tracy’s Automotive.
Tracy’s passion for a better tire buying, auto care and auto repair experience drove us to develop the model of Tracy’s Automotive Tire Pros. Tracy’s has turned hard work and inspiration into a booming tire and auto repair provider. Now Tracy’s has three locations and serves customers all over Wichita and Goddard. Tracy’s is thrilled to be a part of your family’s trusted brands for all auto repair and tire needs.
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