Choosing The Right Oil For Your Vehicle

Types of Motor Oil

If you think that shops use the same motor oil for all oil changes — think again. There are many different kinds of engine oil. Not all of them are created equal and not all of them will be great for your specific vehicle. With the help of a certified technician, you can make the best choice in motor oil for your car depending on what’s most important to you, whether that’s efficiency, performance, or convenience. Let a technician at Jeff’s Auto Repair in Lynnwood, Washington guide you through the process!

Keyword: Viscosity

Before we dive into the various types of engine oil, it’s important to learn what makes each one unique and beneficial. Viscosity, the thickness or resistance to flow, is measured to rate engine oil at different temperatures. Colder weather causes oil to thicken, which means a high viscosity oil won’t be able to flow efficiently throughout the engine. Likewise, low viscosity oil is thinner and may thin out completely in hotter temperatures. The numbers on motor oils indicate the viscosity range. A technician can direct you towards one that will work best for you during different seasons.

Types

Conventional

You’ll see it at the dealerships, in auto shops, and on store shelves. Conventional oil is easy to buy in bulk for cheap, making it a great choice for drivers that schedule frequent oil changes. While they may not have a lot of additives to boost performance, they are a fine option for most vehicles.

Premium Conventional

We want to be specific when we say conventional oil is fine for most vehicles. New vehicles are much better off with premium conventional oil to help engines break in properly.

Full-Synthetic

High-tech engines need high-tech oil. Full-synthetics have been designed for long-lasting performance, strong flow at low temperatures, and optimal lubrication at high temperatures. You can think of this type as the designer brand of motor oils. It costs more, but certainly has a higher quality than conventional.

Synthetic-Blend

Premium conventional with a dash of full-synthetic. This formula is great to protect the engine under heavy loads (which mean higher engine running temperatures). Trucks and SUVs may benefit from this type of oil.

High-Mileage

Finally, there’s an oil designed for the most-experienced cars on the road. Today, there are more vehicles than ever on the road with greater than 75,000-miles on the odometer — and this oil is for them! Additives like seal conditioners take care of internal components to protect engine longevity.

At your next oil change, ask a Jeff’s Auto Repair technician which motor oil is best for your vehicle!