Oil

Petrol powered cars and light vehicles require an oil change every 5-10000kms and diesel powered vehicles require one every 5000kms. Even if you do not have such high mileage it is essential to remember to change your oil and filter regularly as short trips and a lot of stop-start driving is very hard on your engine. It never gets warm enough to boil off the moisture that accumulates in the crankcase and this results in accelerated engine wear as the oil reacts with the water to create acids and sludge.

Oil lubricates your engine but it also cools, protects and cleans it. It holds any contaminants and suspends them until the oil is drained. Engine oil wears out over time as any additives deplete and the oil begins to oxidise – forming harmful compounds. A good filtration system will prolong the life of your oil but often contaminants (unburned fuel, water, acids) are present. The oil should help prevent the formation of these but once they are there they need to be kept in suspension by your oil to avoid them settling on the internal surfaces of your engine until they are removed during the oil change.

Turbo charged engines reach such high temperatures in the turbo bearing housing that they can curdle the oil in the engine and create crusty deposits that damage both the turbo and the engines bearings. Removing the filter and oil and replacing them with new products gets rid of the accumulated sludge, acids and moisture. The filter alone will only hold solids like carbon , metal particles and dirt. For a proper clean you need to change your oil as well to remove any moisture, acid and sludge.