When Should I Change My Tires?

To improve your vehicle's performance and engine durability, you must maintain it properly. This includes regular oil changes. Your car can't run without oil since it needs lubrication for the friction generated by the many moving parts but as oil gets older and older, it will eventually work less effectively and do more harm than good. Here's why you have to change your car's oil. After How Long Should You Change Your Car's Oil? It is considered best to take your car for an oil change at least once every three months or after every 3,000 miles, whichever comes first. However, modern lubricants could extend the distance that your car's engine can go for without requiring an oil change to 5,000 or up to 7,500 miles. If the engine requires full synthetic motor oil, it could go for up to 15,000 miles. more Luckily, each car manufacturer shows such specifications and the standard requirements for each of their models. Your local mechanic has such information and they could also advise on how factors such as weather, elevation, mileage, and other factors could affect oil change intervals. Benefits of Changing Your Oil Regularly Here are the top benefits of regular oil change in your vehicle. Improving Engine Efficiency As oil goes through your engine, it cleans it and collects many types of debris. The dirt and other particles soon clog your engine as they get stuck in some parts and can cause serious malfunctions. If you fail to have the oil changed regularly, you might soon notice that the sludge collecting inside has reduced the engine's efficiency. Cleaning out your engine's oil regularly helps ensure your engine remains efficient and stays at its optimal performance. Environmental Sustainability As oil stays in your engine, heat degrades it causing it to slowly emit several types of gases. The process also adds to the buildup of sludge within the engine. As a result, there will be toxic hydrocarbons emitted from your vehicle that poison the environment. Clean oil absorbs such harmful compounds and does not release them into the environment. This means that changing your engine oil at a proper frequency helps to make the environment healthier and allows you to have a smaller carbon footprint. Prolonging the Life of Your Car's Engine Dirty oil becomes sludge, a thick black grime. This is stickier and causes more friction within the engine, and so your engine's inner parts wear out more quickly. However, when you change the oil regularly, the engine remains clean and performing at its optimal level with minimized damage to the inner parts. This results in an engine that lasts a very long time and saving on replacement costs. Ensuring Better Mileage A well-performing engine returns the best car mileage on the road. This is because you can decrease your mileage if you have a clogged engine. Dirty oil with debris and other particles prevents smooth engine performance and leaves the car consuming more fuel to generate the power needed. When you change your oil regularly, the engine's performance should remain at proper levels. This allows you to save more on fuel and have more control over your personal finances. Cool the Car Engine's Parts The various engine parts under your car's hood generate a lot of heat as they move at high speeds to generate the acceleration you need on the road. When using old oil, the engine parts generate more friction, since the oil is thicker and dirty. This puts your engine in greater danger of overheating and experiencing serious malfunctions in hot weather or other situations. A car's engine gets properly lubricated via the oil, so better oil changing habits mean better lubrication and lower risk of heat-related issues. Ensuring Maximum Engine Output Oil is the lifeblood of your vehicle's engine, as all the assorted internal parts need it to perform at their best. The connecting rods, crankshaft, pistons, and camshaft, and other many parts all require proper lubrication for minimal accumulation of sludge, less friction, and reduced wear and tear. Changing the oil at proper intervals helps ensure your car keeps the same graceful performance from the first day you bought it. Compliance with Emission Regulations Emissions tests check for a wide range of hazardous materials that your vehicle can emit. This is to ensure that vehicles emit the lowest levels of poisonous material for environmental sustainability. You can ensure that your vehicle emits as little as possible by changing engine oil frequently, which prevents the generation of a wide range of hazardous hydrocarbon gases. This will ensure that you pass the vehicle emissions tests and avoid several types of penalties. Complying With Your Car Manufacturer's Warranty Most car manufacturers and sellers nowadays offer extended warranties with certain conditions. One of such conditions is for you, as the car owner, to take your vehicle for regular maintenance to avoid voiding the warranty. During routine maintenance, an oil change is one thing that mechanics do to leave the car in optimal condition. Even if the car manufacturer does not offer an extended warranty but offers to cover routine oil changes, you should not ignore them. It is a valuable service that might have been calculated in the cost of your new vehicle. Most Frequent Car Checkup Opportunity While performing an oil change, a skilled mechanic will keep an eye out for other issues that should be addressed or that you may want to be addressed. The mechanic may also get a hint of other issues in your car engine after noting some sort of issue with the oil system. Metal shards within the oil, for instance, show that the motor may come apart and/or some of its components are loose and detaching. The mechanic can then fix these critical issues and prevent them from causing you many more problems later on the road. Changing your vehicle's oil regularly will help it last as long as the manufacturer's full mileage estimates before major service checks are ever needed. If you want it to last even longer, you must ensure proper maintenance and care to your entire vehicle and all its systems. See the Herb Easley Chevrolet service department if you need work done soon, or think you might, and feel free to contact us!

When it comes to your vehicle, you probably don't think about its brakes that often unless you're having problems. If you notice they squeak when you apply pressure, take more effort to push down on them, or can't remember the last time you had them replaced, you might need to have a trusted mechanic take a look at them. For the next time, though, try practicing the following habits to extend the life of your brakes. more Plan Ahead When driving, it's obviously important to keep an eye on the road at all times. If you can anticipate the need to apply the brakes, you can extend their life. Instead of stomping on the brakes right before a stop sign or traffic light, slow down well before you come to a complete stop. This allows the engine to do some of the work, reducing the overall wear and tear on your brakes. When traveling on the highway, once you notice brake lights in the distance, ease your foot off the gas pedal and begin to slow down. Change Your Route If you travel a regular route for work or school and notice it has numerous stop signs or stoplights, try to find an alternate way. The constant stopping can cause havoc on your brakes. Instead, seek out freeways or highways that have a constant flow of traffic, but make sure they're not congested during the time of day you're planning to travel. Avoid Brake Taps You can probably guess that dealing with traffic can be extremely hard on your brakes. Sitting in a long line of cars, you slowly inch forward and constantly tap your brakes. Even if you move at a quicker pace, you're likely to tap your brakes again if the roads get crowded again. By looking ahead, you can anticipate conditions. Most people tap their brakes because the vehicle in front of them does. If you know the traffic isn't moving very quickly, you can adjust your speed to maintain slow and steady progress, avoiding the need to hit the brakes often. Slow Down Similarly to planning while you're driving, it's important to slow down. Driving at high speeds not only puts an additional strain on your brakes, but it will make it harder to stop if you encounter an unexpected obstacle. The faster you're traveling when you press on the brakes, the more friction you place on the pads. This can cause the pads to wear out faster. Even driving 10 mph over the speed limit can cause a huge strain on your brakes if you must stop quickly. Obey the Three-Second Rule Choose a stationary object that's even with the vehicle in front of you. It can be a sign or building, but should be something you can easily see while driving. Once you find it, count to three. If you end up passing that vehicle before you make it to three, you should back off the vehicle and leave more space between you two. Keeping a safe following distance is the easiest on your braking system so you don't have to suddenly stop if that car in front brakes unexpectedly. Use One Foot for the Brake Some people prefer to use one foot for the accelerator and the other for the brake. You should avoid doing this, however. Called brake riding, this can quickly wear down your brake pads and warp the brake rotors because you might end up pressing both the accelerator and brake at the same time. Flush Your Brakes Just like you flush other fluids in your vehicles, such as oil and transmission fluid, your brake fluid can become oxidized. When this happens, it becomes less effective. Brake fluid with poor quality can cause the brake calipers to fail. How frequently you need to flush them depends on several factors, including how you drive, your vehicle, and the type of brake fluid used. However, it's best to bleed and flush your brakes every two years, especially if you're driving an older vehicle. Lighten Your Load The heavier your vehicle is, the more effort it takes to accelerate and stop. You might even notice that when you're transporting more cargo than normal, that you must press the brakes harder to stop within the same distance as you would without a heavy load. Avoid overloading your vehicle with too much cargo, and if you're unsure about your vehicle's specific weight limits, make sure you talk with a trusted mechanic to receive expert advice. This also applies to add-on features of your vehicle, so consider swapping out heavier rims for more lightweight options. Have Your Brakes Inspected Regularly Perhaps one of the most important ways to extend the life of your brakes is to have a professional take a look at them regularly. Whenever you schedule a wheel alignment or tire rotation, have a mechanic inspect your brakes. It's vital to get them replaced before they wear down to the rotors and cause grinding that can lead to serious and expensive damage. Also, if you notice signs that your brakes are beginning to wear down, such as hearing squeaking noises or taking more pressure to stop your vehicle, schedule an appointment to have the brakes inspected. Invest in Quality Brakes You've probably heard the saying you get what you pay for, and brakes are no exception. If you skimp on brake pads or parts, they're not going to last very long. The best way to ensure you'll get plenty of mileage out of your breaks is to purchase quality parts. Higher-quality parts are manufactured out of more durable materials, and many times they include warranties. If for some reason your brakes fail prematurely, you can obtain replacement parts without spending a lot of extra money. Even if you practice the best driving methods and care for your vehicle properly, your brakes will eventually need replacement. When that time occurs, reach out to the experts at Herb Easley Chevrolet. They can get you in touch with the service department and help you schedule a service appointment. Our mechanics will not only repair the issue, but they will perform a complete inspection to make sure you're vehicle continues to work properly.