Today in the Complete Auto Center Pro auto care blog, we're going to talk to Waterford drivers about oil change intervals. It seems that as engine technology advances, For example, recently four of the world's largest shortened the published intervals for several of their engine models. They originally published intervals that extended out to a much as 8,000 miles.

In real world Waterford 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 Complete Auto Center Pro in Waterford.

The 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 Waterford 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, if you went an extra month or an extra thousand miles, 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 and you go over another thousand, 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 MI, short trips, drive in dusty or polluted Waterford conditions, hot or cold weather, or haul heavy loads, you're driving in severe service conditions. Your Complete Auto Center Pro service advisor can help you determine which schedule to follow.

So check your vehicle owner's manual or talk with your Complete Auto Center Pro service advisor about where and how you drive in Waterford. 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 to almost 7,000 miles. It's typically just over 4,000 miles. Clearer sometimes, we're driving easy miles that are easy on the vehicle – like a long road trip. Sometimes, we're driving hard miles – 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 Complete Auto Center Pro to protect your vehicle engine. Another place where MI drivers can go wrong is with the type of oil they use. More and more new cars are coming to Waterford 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 . 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.

Complete Auto Center Pro
5100 Dixie Hwy
Waterford, MI 48329
248.623.1400
http://auto-lab-waterford.autodealertips.com

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  Surrounding Communities
• Auburn Hills
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• Keego Harbor
• Pontiac
• Waterford Township
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