Who doesn’t want their car to function properly on a regular basis?
Everyone does, and in order to maintain it, your car needs to go through regular automotive maintenance. And, one of the most common projects to sustain your vehicle’s running health is an oil change.
However, many car users have a number of queries about this task. And one of them is, how long does an oil change take?
In this article, we will be talking about these most common queries of people who want to know the necessary information about oil change.
Why Oil Change is Important?
With the fresh newly added oil, your vehicle runs smooth, more efficiently. This means, there is smoother engine operation, more fuel economy, and a longer life span of your car.
Clean oil helps the inner parts of your car engine not to grind against each other or to create friction that could be possibly damaging to your car.
To keep your vehicle running smoothly optimally, it is recommended that you make an oil change after a certain amount of driving distance. The number is not fixed and can vary depending on your car’s condition and age.
When Do You Need To Change Engine Oil?
Once you know why it is important to change your vehicle’s oil, you will also require knowing when you should do it. The best way to know whether it’s the right time to change your oil or not is to check the odometer of your vehicle.
Usually, every new vehicle requires an oil change after 5000-7500 miles of driving. Keep an eye on your car’s driven distance and schedule an oil change when the number is nearing that milestone.
The timeframe could be different depending on the type of oil you are using. A quick tip is always to try to stick with popular brands like Castrol or Mobil, for quality oils.
Where Should You Go For An Oil Change?
There are basically 3 options when you consider picking up an oil change source:
- Home
- Dealership
- Service Chain
You may think, “what if I change my own car oil?” Yes, you can do it on your own, but it requires enough experience along with professional tools. And again, this might take a longer period of time than a professional service.
So, if you are looking for a faster oil change, then it’s better to go with professional support. When it comes to professionals, you can either choose service chain technicians or dealership expert service staff.
Depending on your comfort you can go to any of them. But, a dealership would be the top priority if you want the top quality oil change service due to their specific specialization in that area.
How Long Does An Oil Change Take?
To know how much time you require during an oil change, you better know the whole process of doing it first.
So, what happens during an oil change?
Well, the process follows:
- Lifting the car
- Opening the oil drain plug
- Draining the oil
- Changing the filters, and
- Refilling the oil.
So, if your car is well maintained, then the whole process of oil change might take a minimum of 15 minutes to a maximum of 1 hour overall.
This time duration changes depending on who is doing it. If you take your car to a lube shop, it’s going to be a quick task for them than any other place, as they do it every single day.
If you are lucky enough to get your car checked as soon as you arrive, then the whole task can be completed within 15 minutes in a lube shop.
Sometimes, it takes longer than that due to the queue of customers who scheduled their oil replacement service before you did. When it comes to repair shops, it may take longer than usual. In that case, the whole process of oil change might take 30 to 45 minutes.
And, if you are doing it all by yourself, then it can take almost 30 minutes to 1 hour at max depending on your experience tools and the setup of your garage.
Again, the kind of car you own and drive has an impact on this process time as well. In some cars, the filters and oil drain plugs are easily accessible but in some cars, this is a bit complex.
So, depending on the accessibility of your car’s drain plugs, it may take a little extra, meaning more time-consuming.
Why Does It Take Longer In A Repair Shop Than A Lube One?
Basically, there are two main reasons why it takes longer in a repair shop compared to a lube one. The whole setup of a lube shop is designed for this very purpose of oil changing.
So, their system is always ready and geared to provide oil changing service the moment you arrive with your car. On the other hand, a repair shop usually goes through regular tune-ups and inspections first. They check your car’s coolant level, tire pressure, and also some other necessary maintenance issues.
So, you need to decide earlier whether you want your car to go through all this maintenance or just the oil changing process alone.
If you are in a hurry, then a lube shop is always a better choice, otherwise, you can let your car through maintenance check in a repair shop.
Because sometimes your car can have some ongoing serious issues within that can damage your car’s condition silently.
So, a maintenance check in a repair shop might help you to spot such damaging issues and repair them before any big damage occurs.
You can do your regular oil change from a lube shop as it takes the least amount of your time. And, you can also go to a repair shop sometimes for a routine inspection before a lube change for maintaining the overall health of your car.
Final Words
An lube change of a car is a regular maintenance project without which you can’t even think of a well functional ride.
Knowing how long does an oil change takes, helps you to decide where to take your car based on your time limits.
We hope this article answered all of your relevant queries about this matter.
