Change engine oil
If you decide to change the engine oil of your vehicle yourself at home, we will give you important tips on how to do this. This ensures a safe oil change.
Why does the engine oil have to be changed?
Since engine oil wears out with continuous service life, it must be changed completely at regular intervals. The deadlines are specified by the vehicle manufacturer. In the long run, pure refilling of the oil is not enough to keep it functional. For example, dirt particles are regularly introduced into the oil, which the oil keeps suspended by additives. If, however, all additives are bound, the dirt settles in the engine and causes wear. Even so, the oil changes its properties through oxygen and water input and can no longer work as intended in the long run. A natural oil aging occurs.
If the oil loses its lubricating properties, it can no longer separate the friction partners in the engine (piston and cylinder) from each other. This causes the moving parts to seize up, resulting in a total loss of the engine.
When does the engine oil have to be changed?
There is no general statement as to when an engine oil must be changed. Pay attention to the manufacturer's instructions. For passenger cars the replacement interval varies between 15,000 and 30,000 kilometres driven, depending on make and year of construction.
If you drive a car with dynamic oil change intervals, the change intervals are calculated by a board computer. Parameters such as oil level, mileage, fuel consumption, engine speed, etc. are continuously measured and evaluated. As a rule, the replacement intervals are then 30,000 kilometres and more. However, it is imperative to always use the longlife oil provided for this purpose so that this calculation remains correct.
How is the oil in the engine changed?
Before you drain the old engine oil, you should first find out which engine oil can be filled into your vehicle. You can obtain this information either from a note in the engine compartment about the last oil change, from the operating manual of the vehicle or by searching in our oil finder. Get the suitable oil on-line or by direct purchase with one of our ADDINOL dealers.
Then the oil change can already begin. Follow the short instructions:
- Warm up the engine. This makes the oil thinner and whirls up the dirt particles in the engine. These will then be flushed out better.
- Open the oil cover in the engine compartment to avoid negative pressure.
- Always place a shatterproof container under the outlet to collect the used oil and prevent damage to the environment.
- Then drain the oil from the oil pan of your vehicle. Under certain circumstances, it may be advisable to place cars on a lifting platform beforehand in order to get better access to the underbody. The screw for opening the oil pan is logically at the lowest point. The oil already flows when the screw is slightly unscrewed.
- Change the oil filter including the rubber seal by turning it with a filter wrench.
- Put the new rubber seal on and screw the new oil filter tight.
- Then close the oil pan again with the drain plug and a new seal. The screw must be tight.
- Fill the new oil into the engine block. Refer to your vehicle's owner's manual to find out how much oil needs to be added.
- Close the oil cover and let the engine run for a short time. Finally you should check the level of the engine oil again with an oil dipstick. Depending on the result, oil may have to be refilled or drained. Never drive long distances with too low or too high an oil level. There is a risk of engine damage.
- The used oil must be disposed of properly after a successful change.
Our tip for an oil change:
If you would like to flush the engine properly and remove all dirt particles before changing the oil, engine cleaning would be the right thing to do. ADDINOL offers the Flushing Oil Super for this purpose. After correct use, the used oil drains off better and leaves less residue in the engine.
What are the costs for the oil change?
If you carry out the oil change yourself, only the material costs for oil filter, seal and fresh oil are incurred. The sum amounts to approx. 40-60€ depending on the required oil.
If you go to a workshop, you will save free time, but you will have to pay working time and possibly increased oil prices, as the workshop only acts as an intermediary for the engine oil. In this case the costs can rise up to 100€ and more per oil change.
