All car engines need high-quality motor oil to lubricate the moving parts and help reduce wear and tear. If your motor oil starts to thicken, degrade, leak, or reduce in volume, your engine will rapidly run into trouble. Routinely having your oil refreshed helps to make sure you avoid expensive engine repair jobs. Let’s take a look at how often you should visit your local MINI dealer for an oil change.
How Long Has It Been Since Your MINI’s Last Oil Change?
Every Six Months Is a Good Rule of Thumb
Most drivers should change their motor oil every 7,500 to 10,000 miles. Once every six months usually ensures that most drivers don’t accidentally leave it for longer than 7,500 miles. If you have your oil refreshed twice a year, you can also conveniently coincide it with other important maintenance, such as rotating your tires and having the brakes serviced.
Consider Your Regular Driving Conditions
Some driving conditions cause motor oil to wear down faster. If you think you might be putting your engine and oil through more severe driving conditions, it’s best to have your oil refreshed more frequently, perhaps three or four times a year.
Severe driving conditions include regular short trips of under five miles, which doesn’t really give the oil time to warm up and lubricate properly. Commutes in heavy stop-and-go traffic can also cause motor oil to degrade more rapidly, as can driving for long distances at relatively low speeds. Towing trailers and carrying heavy loads can also put additional strain on an engine. And using particularly dirty, dusty, sandy roads can cause motor oil to fill with contaminants and thicken prematurely.
Set Up a Routine Schedule at Your Local MINI Dealer
It’s a good idea to consult with a trusted technician at your local dealership. That way, you can set up an optimal schedule for changing your oil that takes your personal driving conditions into account. You’ll then have a regular routine to stick to, with automatic reminders from your dealership should you forget about an upcoming visit.
Take Your Powertrain Warranty Into Account
It’s also worth taking any valid warranties into account. Powertrain warranties usually demand regular oil servicing to stay valid. So if you wish to keep your warranty from voiding, look up the stipulated oil servicing schedule and stick to it. The fact that warranties require frequent changes of the motor oil further emphasizes how important fresh oil is to keep a car’s engine in tip-top condition.
Have your motor oil refreshed today by courteous, experienced technicians at Tom Bush MINI. We’re an award-winning community-focused local dealership that’s been serving the region’s MINI drivers with excellent vehicles, maintenance, repairs, and customer service for over two decades.
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