Oil Change Perspective Shift

If you’re like most people, you think of getting an oil change from your
own perspective: You care only about what it will do for you, your
vehicle’s health, your financial standing. Have you ever thought about
it from your oil’s point of view? Like most of your engine’s fluids, it
plays an important role in keeping your car running effectively. After a
few moments to consider what it might be like to drip in its pan,
hopefully you’ll agree that it’s at least deserving of the minimal
attention it asks of you, 4 or 5 times a year.

1. It often goes unnoticed.

This fluid doesn’t have the premier position of being an important part
of a vehicle, like a transmission, carburetor, or engine. No, it’s just
the stuff that provides lubrication so that your engine can run
effectively. In many ways, it’s similar to support staff in an office or
a water boy on a baseball team. It often goes unnoticed, unappreciated,
and unrecognized, even when it’s doing its job well. It works hard,
nonetheless, thankless trip after thankless trip.

2. It endures harsh working conditions.

American workers have unions, labor laws, and legal recourse available
to make sure working conditions aren’t adverse to good health. But for
your engine’s lubricating fluid, there is no defense available. Working
in hot, cramped, filthy conditions really takes its toll. All it wants
is some relief, someone else to take its place so it can rest. It’s
tired and hot and wasting away. It just can’t bear the unpaid overtime
with no vacation time, any longer.

3. It doesn’t ask for much.

Other aspects of your car require prompt attention or expensive service
calls, but not oil. This fluid isn’t going to ask you to spend
thousands, or even hundreds of dollars, in order to keep it doing what
it needs to do. It just asks for a $20 to $50 commitment ever few
months, in order to replace it with another batch that has the energy to
carry on. Is that too much to ask?

4. It gets really tired and dirty.

Once oil gets to be dirty, it simply can’t perform for your engine, as
it once was able to. It wants to, but it simply can’t. Imagine comparing
a young athlete who’s just finished training for a triathalon, and
comparing his stamina to someone who’s been sick and living on the
street for over a month. If you hired both to help you move, which one
would you trust with the heavy lifting?

5. It’s old and shrinking.

By the time 3 months or 3,000 miles goes by, evaporation and other
environmental factors have taken their toll. By that point, even the
most efficient driving will not make a difference. There is only one
thing you can do for your old, less voluminous oil: Change it.