Oil Change

An oil change at your local Allendale, Michigan, auto shop sounds simple, but there are some pretty important things to know about preventing oil sludge.

Oil eventually starts to turn into jelly, literally: petroleum jelly. Sludge clogs up oil passages and keeps oil from getting to some areas of the engine, causing parts to wear out prematurely. And that means expensive engine repairs.

That's why you need to change the oil and oil filter on schedule — to get the old oil out before it turns to sludge. Your manufacturer will have a recommendation for how many miles/kilometers you can go between oil changes. They also usually have a number of months between recommended oil changes. That's because the detergents and other additives in the oil break down over time.

Your owner's manual will have a recommendation for time and distance, but you need to remember that it's based on using the recommended weight of oil. And if your vehicle came from the factory with synthetic oil, the recommended intervals assume you will continue to use synthetic.

Also, how you drive around Allendale, Michigan, can have a big effect. Most owner's manuals will have a list of driving conditions that are harder on your vehicle — things like stop and go driving in Allendale, short trips to Allendale, driving in very hot or very cold weather, heavy loads and towing. If some of your driving fits these patterns, you may need to change your oil and do other maintenance on a more frequent schedule.

This may sound complicated. Some vehicles in Michigan have an oil life calculator that takes all of these factors into account and tells you when you should change your oil. Otherwise, talk with your Michigan service advisor at Tolman's Auto-Tech about how you drive and get his/her recommendation for when to take care of your service.

Finally, if any of the steering or suspension parts can be lubed, your technician at Tolman's Auto-Tech will take care of that with a lube, oil and filter service.

Tolman's Auto-Tech
5455 Auto Court
Allendale, Michigan 49401
616.895.7500

At Tolman's Auto-Tech we install quality NAPA replacement parts.