How to get an oil Change for Winter Driving

There are several things to do to properly prepare your car for winter driving. Lubricating your engine with the right kind of oil is a must in colder climates. While your car service specialist can recommend the best weight of oil in your climate and for your car, there are some general guidelines to follow when getting an oil change for winter.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Get oil changes as often as your car manufacturer recommends. This is usually every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, but really depends on how much you drive your car and under what conditions. This information can be found in your car manual and is essential to safe winter driving.

2. Speak to your mechanic about which oil is best for your car at your regular oil change. Depending on how much you drive in the winter and the temperatures in your region, he can recommend the ideal weight of oil.

3. Switch oil. If you live in a region where winter means temperatures at or below freezing, most mechanics suggest switching from 10W30 to 5W30 oil in your car. This reduces wear on your engine because the lower viscosity of oil will allow it to flow more quickly in colder temperatures.

4. Choose a high quality oil to get the best performance out of your engine. It helps minimize damage to your engine when starting your car on cold mornings if the oil is rated to both reduce friction and seal valves even in lower temperatures, for example.

Tips & Warnings

• An oil labeled as 5W30 means it's a multi-grade oil that will run like 5-weight oil in colder weather and a 30-weight oil in hot weather.