Why You Shouldn't Just Change Your Oil

When it comes to maintaining your vehicle, the trusted oil change is one of the most well-known and “actually completed” services out there. With the addition of vehicle technology, synthetic oils, and unique vehicle systems, there’s never been a time that’s been more important than now to understand what an oil change means for your Ford vehicle.

Oil Changes: At First Glance

From a purely functional perspective: oil changes are necessary. The oil in our vehicles lubricates the moving parts in our engines, absorbs heat, and acts as a middle man. We change the oil in our vehicles to ensure that these parts continue to run smoothly, and without overheating. When we go too long without changing our oil, we run the list of overheating, running out of oil (running dry) and seriously damaging the most precious parts of our vehicle. This is why it’s important to proactively book your oil change appointment.

What PineRidge Suggests

When we have customers visit and request only an oil change, our goal is to educate them on why changing your filter and performing an inspection can be important as a part of your service. Here’s why:

• An oil change alone isn’t enough preventative maintenance, it’s the bare minimum. You’re doing what you need to presumably ‘keep your vehicle alive’ and nothing more. 

• An inspection should be completed at the time of your oil change to ensure that the parts related to your oil change (and beyond are running smoothly.

• There’s a lot of liability on both our, and your end when you forgo inspections and filter replacements, largely surrounding safety and warranty.

• Every driver should leave PineRidge Ford in a vehicle that is completely safe with nothing to worry about: that’s why we’re here and why we do very few “oil-change-only” visits.

Oil Changes: Liability and Warranty

When it comes to an oil change, we’re often asked if forgoing the offered inspection voids the vehicle’s warranty. Because there are so many different warranties between brands, as well as used or aftermarket warranties, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Some have a clause that includes preventative maintenance and regular (within a set time period) inspections to prevent small issues from becoming big ones; some don’t. Some warranties require your filter to be replaced during every oil change; some don’t. 

Skipping these services when offered, or when required by your warranty places liability on your end. We’ve had folks actively avoid an inspection, encounter problems weeks or months later, then ask why we didn’t find them during the oil change. Unfortunately, this could have been avoided if an inspection was signed off on. We strive to ensure that every customer understands the importance of regular inspections, both for safety and liability reasons. There’s nothing worse than hindsight, even though they say it’s 20/20.

Having an inspection completed with your oil change (as part of our works package) can save you time and money in the long run. Talk to our reputable technicians or service manager to learn more about why we encourage only the best in oil change standards. Book your appointment today!