And Mike is back with another WOW (words of wisdom) car care tip for drivers on the 200,000 mile plan. August is Mike’s Month for car care tips, and he’d like people to know that you really can get 200,000 out of your car if you take care of it the right way!
“Back again, hi, folks, Mike here! Listen, I know I may be making it sound pretty easy to spin your odometer past the 200,000 mark, but I do realize that squeezing that much life out of your car truly does mean some work and attention on your part. Last week I was about doing a sort of “attitude adjustment” on yourself about taking care of your car, but this week I’ll get back to some good old basics, like – fluids. Fluids are literally the lifeblood of your car, which is kind of like the human body when you think about it. The most crucial fluid for a car is– of course – the oil. Oil is the first thing that people think of when they think of maintaining their car, but here’s the thing: it’s not as simple as it used to be. If you ask ten different people how often the oil in a car should be changed, I’ll bet you at least seven of them will say – “every 3,000 miles.” Why? Because back in the 1970’s almost every car on the road took 10W-40 oil, and that kind of oil did wear out at about 3,000 miles. And most quick-oil change places are still hammering that number into people’s minds because they need the business. I just read a survey that said that more than 10 million people in California are still changing their oil every 3,000 miles. And that’s just in California, which is, granted, a strange place, but – seriously? Unless you’re driving a car that’s more than ten years old, or you’re driving it under severe conditions (ask me about severe conditions later), there’s absolutely no reason to change a car’s oil every 3,000 miles anymore. In fact – you’re creating needless waste and racking up negative eco-friendly points if you do. Now, I know I’m OCD about car maintenance, so most of my customers are going to think – “Well, I don’t want to make Mike mad so I’d better change my oil more often.” But I’m going to put your mind at rest. I promise I won’t get mad if you don’t change your oil every 3,000 miles, ok? Why? First, because the synthetic oil nowadays is so superior to the old petroleum based product it’s just crazy. Yes, it’s more expensive, but synthetic oil is one of the main things that will get you to the 200,000 mile mark in your car. Also, I’m going to send you back to what we talked about in week one: look at your Owner’s Manual. Seriously. They truly put the important stuff in there that you need to know nowadays. My father never opened the owner’s manual on our old Chevy because it was about 10 pages long and basically told you where the glove box was, but – trust me – car manuals today are pretty vital. Because – here’s another thing – your owner’s manual will tell you when to change the oil and what kind of oil to use. Interestingly, they’re amazingly accurate most of the time, probably because they built the car, I don’t know. And if you’ve got a car made after 2010, then the car itself will probably tell you when to change the oil because most of the newer cars have a built-in oil monitoring system and check-light that goes on when your oil even starts to get dirty. Depending on what kind of car you have, you can go for 5,000, 7,000, 10,000, and even – for some cars – as much as 15,000 miles before you have to change your oil! So the answer to the age-old question of when to change your oil is now: look at your owner’s manual. Or bring it on in to Ken’s, because we keep precise and thorough records on every one of our customers vehicles, we know how much you drive and how you drive, and we’re dedicated to giving our customers the best automotive service around. This is why – when you come to Ken’s, you’re generally our customer for life! And that means we’ll know when to change the oil in your car, and if we don’t – we’ll always look in the manual!
