Question about an OIL change?

I just recently bought a used car about a month ago but i've only been using it here in town where i live. Tomorrow i am out to a city that is four hours away and i don't know if i need an oil change or not.

How do i know if i need one or not?Question about an OIL change?If it's been 4000 miles since the last one. If you bought a used car , you have to assume that all it's current mileage maintenance is due. Doing maintenance will save money by avoiding repairs.Question about an OIL change?it would be a good idea to change it now. write the miles down and start a schedule for oil changesQuestion about an OIL change?look at the oil on your dipstick if its dirty change itQuestion about an OIL change?Doing an oil change JUST before a long trip is NOT a good idea. Save it for when you return. See this:



http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;



Stuff like this happens and sometime it take a day to a week for a bad oil job appears. You don't want to be far from home when your car breaks down.



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Check the oil level (and the oil color). If you have oil and the oil is still not clumpy (sludge), then you should be fine for a 4 hours trip (times 2).





Good Luck...Question about an OIL change?Let the car warm up to operating temperature and then check the oil level dipstick in the engine compartment. If it's very dark and a thin viscosity then get it changed.Question about an OIL change?Remove the oil dip stick and look at the oil on the tip. Feel it with your fingers.



If the oil feels gritty or is very dark brown, change it.



Light brown, feels clean........it's OKQuestion about an OIL change?Pull the motor oil dipstick. If the oil is black or gritty you should change the oil and filter. Also if the same oil has been in the motor for more than 4000 miles you should change it.Question about an OIL change?sinse you dont know when it was done that was the first thing you should have done.. yes do a oil change and air filter and even a fuel filter would be smart if not a complete tune upQuestion about an OIL change?When you purchase a used car you should never assume that oil changes or any preventive maintenance has been done. Just to be on the safe side.You should change the oil as soon as possible after buying a used car.Remember, its cheaper to change your oil than it is to change your engine.Question about an OIL change?Well if you can do the oil change yourself, I would do it anyway. This way, you do not have any doubts. Basically, you can just pull the dipstick out and if it looks really black and dirty, get the oil change.



If your vehicle is an older model, like at least 3 years old, i would do it myself, BUT use Synthetic oil. Now yes this is more expensive. But you only have to do an oil change every 6 months compared to 3 months with the regular oil. Synthetic will also help, especially if you do long distance driving.



Here is what you do to make you a true believer like me. Fill up your tank, TWICE in a roll so that you can get an accurate MPG on the oil you have now. If you were to do a regular oil change the MPG would not change much. Then do the synthetic oil change. Wait about a month or around 1000 miles, cuz the oil needs time to work itself in to the metal. Then get your one or two fillups and get your mpg. You should have a definite increase, then if you know how to calculate the miles saved times the gas, then you will see the oil has paid for itself. It REALLY gives you good mileage when you do long distance driving.



What they do not tell you is the regular oil breaks down after 12,000 miles and synthetic oil after 60,000 miles. Like milk going sour in a way. Anyway, when I found this out, then I just change my oil filter every two or three months and top off with the synthetic oil as needed. It is the microscopic metal that does damage and a clean,. oil filter is what i figured would collect it better then an old one. But then that is what I do. But it is recommended to do the synthetic oil change every 6 months though. Me, I am a cheapskate. I did it this way on my 1982 Toyota Celica for 10 years, diligently. The engine had more then 250k miles and still running good. Of course, I changed spark plugs and used STP gas cleaner. All these little things help your engine.



Even if you needed an oil change, you could still get by driving it for 4 hours away. BUT I would make sure I check the oil level before you go. It is a good idea to have a spare quart of oil for good measure, just in case you have a small oil leak. After you drive for two hours or drive all the way to the city 4 hours away I would recheck the oil level now. Have fun and safe driving.