What Happens If You Don’t Change Your Oil?

Your BMW is an essential part of your lifestyle in Corona. Not only does it carry you on your daily commutes and weekend adventures, but getting to your destination is always a thrill thanks to BMW TwinPower Turbo performance. The BMW maintenance schedule is designed to keep your luxury vehicle performing at the top of its class, but when life gets hectic as it often does, you might be tempted to delay smaller service tasks like oil changes. Of course, this is ill-advised, and you’ll understand why when you learn what happens if you don’t change your oil. Read on with our service team to better understand the importance of BMW oil changes.

What Does Motor Oil Do?

Oil is a lubricant that helps your engine perform at the height of its abilities on the roads around Riverside. To be more specific, oil helps your vehicle in the following ways:

• Reduces the wear and tear on moving parts caused by friction 
• Cleans sludge from the engine using dispersants 
• Cleans varnish from the engine using detergents contained in the oil
• Helps neutralize the acids that can form from fuels, improves piston ring seals, and keeps the engine cool

What happens if you don’t get your oil changed? Without proper lubrication, the engine’s moving parts are more susceptible to friction. The friction causes more heat than the engine can withstand, leading to warped components and other types of wear.

When to Change Your Oil

You’re probably not eager to learn from firsthand experience what happens if you don’t get your oil changed. So, how often do you need to change the oil? If you have your oil and oil filter replaced every 7,500 to 10,000 miles, you can expect uninhibited performance in Ontario. However, you might need your oil changed more often if you drive long distances to work every day or if you often use your vehicle for towing.

How to Change Your Oil

Many drivers prefer to have their oil changed by a professional, but if you want to roll up your sleeves and try your hand at DIY maintenance, here’s what to expect from the process:

1. Using jack stands or steel ramps, elevate your car off the ground.
2. Place an oil basin directly below the oil drain plug under your engine. Unscrew the drain plug and wait about 15 minutes for all of the old oil to drain. You can replace the drain plug when you’re certain all of the oil has drained.
3. Use an oil filter wrench to remove the old oil filter. An extra bit of oil might drain out at this point, so you should leave the oil basin in place to catch it.
4. Before you insert the new oil filter, rub a small amount of clean oil around the rubber seal to help keep the filter watertight.
5. Get the new oil filter properly seated, then tighten it by hand.
6. Now you can get ready to add the fresh oil. Double-check that the type of oil you have matches the recommendation in the owner’s manual. If it’s correct, you can proceed to remove the oil cap and add the new oil with a funnel. You can find out how much oil should be added in the owner’s manual. When finished, don’t forget to replace the oil cap.
7. Check the oil level after adding the new oil to be sure you didn’t underfill it. If the oil level is low, you can add a little more at a time until you reach the proper amount, checking the level in-between additions.

Schedule Oil Service at BMW of Murrieta

It only takes about an hour to have an oil change completed at our service center! You can even visit our customer lounge to work remotely or relax while you wait. Keep your vehicle’s engine healthy and schedule your next appointment online today. If you have any questions, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to help!