Does my car need this – Humble Mechanic

Hi folks! I hope that you all had a great weekend. I had a productive Sunday working on the Cabby. I will tell you all about it. First I have a couple of things to let you guys know.

Dubs For A Cause.
I have mentioned it before, but the show is coming up quick. If you plan to make the show PLEASE let me know. I always like meeting you guys. Plus this show is for charity. It does not get much better.

Travel last week
I spent a bunch of time in the car last week. Tuesday my boss and I drove to Charlotte, NC. We went to a job fair at NASCAR Technical Institute. I spent the day chatting with about 100 future technicians. It was a very cool/strange/fun event. I also snuck down to Euro-Wise, but more on that in a minute. My wife and I also took a mini vacation to Asheville,NC. We were only there for a day, but we had a blast as always.

Travel this week
This week I will also be doing some traveling. I will be in training for the better part of the week. It is about a 5 hour drive there, and a 7 hour drive back. Thank you DC traffic. The class is some type of diagnostic training. I don’t have much more info than that. I will do a post about it and fill y’all in on the details.

A little help
With my traveling this week, I have a chance to record a few podcasts. I just need some help from you guys. What do you want us to talk about? I have a few ideas, but I need some help. Post your ideas in the comments below. Here is what I am thinking

Winter Car preps. It may be a little late for some of you, but this is very important.
Mechanic training. Since I will be going to training, this makes sense
Tools. I am thinking specifically about tool costs, what techs need to start with, and some differences between pro level tools and average consumer tools

Alright, we have all that wrapped up, let’s talk Luv A Dub!

While the VR6 base engine has been installed in the Cabby for a while, I just installed all the “accessories”. That means I installed the following:

upper intake manifold
air intake with sensor and K&N filter
Radiator
Header
Exhaust
A full exhaust, thanks to boys at Euro-Wise!

I also finally hooked up all the coolant lines, and electrical connectors. We are very close to having a running car.

Here is another engine bay shot. Once I have the car properly running, I will clean up the wiring that is just throw in the bay. I want to make sure everything runs properly before I do the final fit of the wires. Plus the painted part of the engine cover is at work. 😉

Much like the engine, the interior has come along way. But also has a little ways to go. I still have to swap the lower dash cover, all the door cards, the center console, and the rear seats. Plus add all the little things like ashtray and vents in the dash.

Well that is where we are at with the Cabby. It has been a long long road. I am hoping to have the exhaust part welded today. If that is the case, I should have her running today. Don’t worry, I will shoot a ton of video of her first start. I hope it all goes well.

Hey everyone! I hope that you are all enjoying your Monday. I spent the weekend doing some remodeling on my bathroom. It turns out that I like working on cars much much more than I like working on the house. Okay enough about houses, let’s talk oil changes.

This is another installment in the “Does my car need this service” series. That is where we take a commonly recommended service, and drive in to see if you really need it. This week we are talking about oil changes. We have talked before about “What exactly an oil change is“. Today we will talk about WHY!

Why would it need to be changed?
The oil in your car does basically 3 things

This is the result of not changing oil

Lubricates
This is the obvious one. It lubricates by keeping metal riding on a thin film. That prevents metal parts from touching. If metal parts actually touched, they would seize pretty quick.
Cools
Oil pulls heat away from the moving parts of the engine. That is why most cars have an oil cooler. It also reduces friction, that keeps parts cooler.
Cleans
Engine oil is responsible for moving debris from the engine crank case and oil galleys. It is also built with detergent packs to keep those moving parts clean. This is one area that car separate cheap oil from the good stuff.

The longer the oil is in your engine, the less it will do it’s 3 main jobs. Oil, will break down over time and lose it lubricating properties. As it loses it’s lubricating properties, it will not cool as effectively or clean like it should.

Using a good quality oil filter will help keep your oil clean. I recommend changing the filter when you change the oil. I use manufacturer oil filters in all my cars. If you choose an aftermarket filter, be sure it is the right size. The 1.8t Passat is a great example. VW switched to a big oil filter in 2005. I still see them come in with the smaller filters. They fit just fine, but it is not the proper filter.

How to check the fluid
Checking the level of your oil is pretty easy. Just make sure that your car is on a level surface. I need to shoot a little video for you guys. That would really be the best way to explain it. I am due for oil changes on both my cars. 🙁

Checking the condition is a little trickier. I check it by dabbing a little oil from the dipstick on to a piece of paper. Sift through it and check the color, and check for small chunks. The chunks are generally carbon. If you are getting carbon chunks, you not only in need of an oil change, but probably an oil system flush. Carbon chunks are a bad bad thing. Things get a little tougher when you have a TDI. That is is almost always very black. It makes it hard to determine the condition.

All that makes a great case for keeping good records. At my dealer, we can look at all the services that a customer has done. We can only see what services were done at my dealer. I have a file in my desk that I keep all my car maintenance records in.

How is the fluid replaced?
Nothing really fancy here. Just shut off the engine, and pull the plug. It really is that simple.

So do I really need it?
100% yes! Changing engine oil and filter is one of the most important things you can do for your car. I have replaced more than one engine due to lack of proper oil changes. I have also done tons of engine oil services because people didn’t change the oil in their car. They were not all 1.8t Passats.

Make sure that your car is getting the proper engine oil. Follow your owners manual for the proper oil, and the proper replacement interval. This is definitely one of the cheapest, most important services your car needs. Please don’t skip it.

Change your oil, or your car will end up like this!

One last thing. I emailed the winner of the Snap-on tray. I have not heard back from them. If I don’t hear back by Wednesday, I will pick another winner. Make sure you all check your email. Be sure to check the spam folder. My email may have gotten filtered.

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Does My Car Need This Service ~ Oil Change