Oil is an essential lubricant in your engine. There is a number of moving metal components in the engine of a car and the engine oil lets metal press against metal without damage. Without oil, the metal-on-metal friction creates so much heat that eventually the surfaces weld themselves together and the engine seizes. Regular engine oil changes are needed to maintain a clean engine, if you do not maintain your vehicle dirt will accumulate in the oil. The filter will remove the dirt for a while, but eventually the filter will clog and the dirty oil will automatically bypass the filter through a relief valve. Dirty oil is thick and abrasive, so it causes more wear. Additives in the oil like detergents, dispersants, rust-fighters and friction reducers will wear out, so the oil won’t lubricate as well as it should. Over time as the oil gets dirtier and dirtier, it will stop lubricating and the engine will quickly wear and fail. All vehicles have a recommended service and maintenance schedule which should be followed if you wish to keep the vehicle in a roadworthy condition. The same oil will run through the engine for many thousands of miles, before it caused catastrophic failure. Here at AE Services in Sutton we also recommend an engine flush, which is exactly what it sounds like. It flushes the rubbish out of your engine. Chemicals are poured into the engine, which is then gently idled for a few minutes to make sure the cleaning agent reaches everyplace oil would normally go. Then the chemicals are drained, just like the oil would be for an oil change. As a matter of fact, an engine flush is often performed after the old oil is taken out and before the new, clean oil is poured in. Sometimes, the way we drive keeps engine oil from being able to do the job it was made to do. Short trips of only a few miles and lots of stop-and-go driving can cause particles in the oil to become deposits in the engine, which can build up over time. These deposits restrict the flow of oil. Tune in tomorrow for part 2 on Engine Oil.