It is necessary to change the engine oil not only regularly, but also in time. Every motorist knows about it. However, due to the fact that it is necessary to change the technical fluids not even every month, around the engine oil in the driver’s environment a lot of misconceptions and outright myths were formed. Some of them are not only naive but also frankly harmful for your favorite vehicle.
The more golden, the better
Quality oil should have a golden color. But it should not. Such statements are a very common misconception. The color of the engine oil is determined, first of all, by the type of additives used. The “base” oil itself is usually almost transparent in color.
Darkened oil is bad
You need to change the oil in your car as soon as it gets darker. This is another very common misconception. If the oil darkens quickly, it primarily tells us that it has a lot of dispersant and detergent additives. Contamination of the oil has almost no effect on its main characteristic, the kinetic viscosity. So it’s the mileage of the oil that matters first, not its color.
You need flushing oil to wash out the dirt
Yes and no. Washing oil itself hardly cleans the engine. The bulk of the engine’s contamination is removed by normal operating oil. If you compare running a car to washing dishes, operating oil is a detergent, and flushing oil is flowing water.
Synthetic oils should not be used in older engines
Another very widespread misconception. In fact, the “problem” is that modern synthetics contain a lot of cleaning additives. This causes sludge and deposits to wash out, including from the oil seals. And this in its turn leads to leaks. This problem is solved not by refusing synthetics, but by replacing the oil seals in the “old stuff”.
Used oil is guaranteed to be bad
It really depends on the case. The fact is that regenerated engine oil is used in the production of new oils, even by the official producers. In some brands of products the share of “waste” may reach 50%. The waste itself does not mean that it will be of poor quality or harmful to the car.
At high oil consumption, you may not change the oil…
Popular myth, to that very dangerous misconception. On the one hand, there is no convincing evidence that you should not mix oils of different manufacturers. On the other hand, it is still necessary to change oil, even at high oil consumption. If mixing is carried out, however, it is highly desirable that the oils are of the same viscosity.
Energy-saving oil fits every car
Not every car engine can work with low-viscosity oil. The clearances in the internal combustion engine parts are designed for oils with a certain viscosity range. Most internal combustion engines have large clearances, so need oils with as high a viscosity rating as possible. If your car’s design doesn’t call for an energy-saving option, it’s best not to even try to experiment.