Oil and it's changing.

Okay, I know, your mechanic probably preaches to you the importance of an oil change; 3 months or 3,000 miles - whichever comes first.  I'm not going to say anything different because it IS very important to your car's health to change the oil when it is supposed to be changed.

Think of it this way:  Oil is good for your car; makes it run smoothly and maintain an even temperature  (yes, oil aids in the cooling of your engine), and keeps your parts from slamming into each other, and grinding, and all kinds of other very uncomfortable things.

When the oil goes bad, it stops doing all of those things, and can instead cause some of them to happen.  It gets gross, it turns nasty black and starts to form this horrible sludge that sticks to EVERYTHING!!  It's like cholesterol building up in your heart.  Bad news all around.  Yes, a car will run for quite some time with this nasty sludge build up, but it will break it in so many ways.

You want to pay $30-$40 for an oil and filter change, or $3,500+ for a new engine?  It seems simple enough to me.  But then again, I guess I am a car gal so it does seem like simple logic to me.  ^_~

I know, I know.  "I don't always have the (insert item here) to do it."  I understand, I've even been there myself.  Admittedly, my oil is a bit overdue in my own car.  The point is: don't let it get out of control, and expect some damage control if you don't stay on top of things, ok?  A good cleaning additive might be something to consider for those like me who maybe push it a few hundred miles or a month or two over the limit.  Ask your friendly mechanic what is good for your car.  (This is not a solution to oil changes - this is simply to help your car deal with the side effects of not doing it on time.)

More on oil, and related things:  If you're ever driving, and your oil filter 'falls off', there are 2 things you should know.  1) stop driving, you'll break your car (granted, the chances of this ruining your engine are somewhat high, sorry.) 2) It's most likely caused by 'double gasketing'.  What happens is that when the old filter was removed, its gasket stuck to the mount and went unnoticed as the new filter was put on.  Cars don't like this.
You should also be sure that every time your oil is changed, the filter is also changed.  Why?  Well, because all of that nastiness that is in your oil, is filtered through that filter - it is grosser than your oil, trust me.

And, while you're at it; why not get your air filter changed too?  That is entirely a suggestion, but a good one, I promise.

That is all for today!

GEAR IT UP!

Nothing Important Here

Today I don't have anything specific to share, I simply wish to post my first entry on this blog on its day of creation.
Like I said in the 'What you probably want to know' bit above; I am learning as I go, and I intend to share that with you all.
It may be things as simple as how many of what kind of cars I have seen 'today', or what I have learned about a specific kind of car.  Maybe there is some recall that I become aware of that I will share with everyone in hopes that whatever it may be, those with that particular vehicle may get it repaired before any real damages come of it.
Who knows where this will go, eh?  I do not.
I think I will put some small 'you should know this' tidbits in every now and again.  Things that we should all probably know, but some may not; like the fact that the air pressure in your tires has to be adjusted from winter to summer.  Handy?  Hopefully.
Well, that is all for now.
Out for the week ~ Gear of Gears.