Replacing engine oil every 5,000 km is a habit maintained by many drivers for many years. However, a car repair technician at Ninety Eight Auto (Cat Lai ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that this is not a rule applicable to all types of vehicles and all types of lubricants. If understood incorrectly, car owners may both incur maintenance costs and not fully exploit the lifespan of engine oil.
According to Ninety Eight Auto, the concept of "5000 km oil change" originates from the maintenance schedule of many previous models, especially when using mineral oil or semi-synthetic oil. At the same time, this milestone also coincides with the periodic inspection and maintenance cycle during the warranty period of many car manufacturers, causing many people to assume that this is the standard oil change distance for all cases.
In fact, the oil replacement cycle depends on the type of oil used, operating conditions and manufacturer recommendations.
With mineral oil or semi-synthetic oil, the usage time is usually shorter. Meanwhile, fully synthetic oils have better lubrication, antioxidant and heat resistance.
If the oil level and technical standards required by the car manufacturer are used correctly, many types of total synthetic oil can meet a replacement cycle of 7,500 - 10,000 km, or even longer on some car lines in ideal operating conditions.
As for cars that previously used mineral oil or semi-synthetic oil, car owners can consider switching to total synthetic oil if this type of oil meets the technical standards of the manufacturer.
The conversion not only helps the engine be better protected at high temperatures but can also extend the oil exchange cycle, thereby reducing the number of maintenance times. However, choosing which type of oil still needs to be prioritized according to the correct viscosity level and standards recommended by the car manufacturer.
Besides the concept of the 5,000 km mark, another fairly common mistake is to only add more oil when the oil level on the test strip decreases without replacing new oil.
Engine oil not only has the task of lubricating but also contributes to cooling, cleaning and sweeping away soot, dirt and products generated during burning.
After a period of use, the additives in the oil will gradually decrease, making the lubrication, cleaning and protection of the engine no longer as before. Therefore, just adding new oil cannot remove the amount of dirt and degraded oil remaining in the engine.
In addition, if the car frequently consumes oil and has to be refurbished between maintenance periods, car owners should not consider this a normal phenomenon. Oil consumption may be a sign of problems such as oil leakage, crushed wear, slight brake failure or engine degradation.
On vehicles using turbocharged engines, oil leaks in the turbocharged cluster can also be one of the causes of oil loss. If you only continuously replenish oil without checking the cause, the damage can become more serious.
Therefore, car owners should check their oil levels periodically with a test stick to promptly detect oil shortages or abnormal oil consumption.
