How Regular Oil Change Service in Tulsa Can Save You Money

It’s no secret that auto maintenance comes at a price, and that’s definitely the case for oil changes. This type of auto service doesn’t cost as much as in-depth repair work, but it’s still a regular expense for any responsible driver.

That said, getting an oil change service in Tulsa, Oklahoma, isn’t just an essential step toward preserving your vehicle’s well-being. When you take this auto maintenance task seriously, you’ll save money as a direct result. Keep reading for an in-depth look at how prioritizing oil changes can help you cut down on short- and long-term expenses.

Oil Change 101: Oil Change Basics

Oil changes are a vital element of any successful maintenance schedule, but that doesn’t mean this task is particularly complicated. While handling oil changes, mechanics remove your vehicle’s old motor oil and replace it with fresh oil.

There’s a good reason why this basic task is so crucial — motor oil is effectively the lifeblood of your vehicle. Motor oil protects your engine by taking care of vital duties, such as:

• Keeping your engine clean. Letting contaminants, such as dirt build up in your car’s engine is never a good idea. Motor oil can prevent this from happening by trapping foreign particles before they can cause performance issues.
• Reducing friction between moving parts. Car engines are full of moving parts, and all of these parts need to be thoroughly lubricated to function as intended. Fresh oil is designed to provide this lubrication, keeping friction in your engine to a minimum.
• Controlling engine heat. There’s no getting around the fact that your vehicle’s engine will generate heat while it runs. Therefore, you’ll need a way to keep this heat under control and direct it away from sensitive engine components — and oil can do just that.
• Protecting your engine from internal rust. The additives commonly found in today’s motor oils can greatly reduce your engine’s risk of developing rust.

Of course, even the best oil will get dirty and break down over time. When that happens, this fluid will become less capable of doing the jobs listed above, and your engine will have trouble running the way it should. Fortunately, avoiding this outcome is as simple as setting up oil changes every few months or so.

Saving Money With Oil Changes

As you can see, there’s no denying the importance of oil change service. Even so, the benefits associated with this job go beyond protecting your car’s engine. Frequent oil changes can also help you save money by:

Improving Your Fuel Efficiency

The harder your engine needs to work to power your vehicle, the worse your fuel efficiency will be. If your engine is forced to use old, dirty oil, its moving parts will be poorly lubricated. Because of the resulting friction, your engine will need to put in extra effort to get you to your destination.

In contrast, engines don’t need to work nearly as hard when they have clean oil. That means your fuel efficiency will improve significantly after an oil change — and you won’t need to fill up as often as you did before taking care of this service.

Lowering Your Repair Risk

Unchecked heat, high levels of internal friction, and other problems associated with aging oil can spell trouble for your engine. The longer you wait between oil changes, the more significant these issues will become. Eventually, dirty oil could cause the kind of issues that can only be resolved with engine repair.

As you might expect, getting an oil change a few times each year is much less expensive than repairing an engine. By prioritizing the former task, you’ll greatly reduce your odds of needing the latter.

Extending Your Vehicle’s Life Span

In a worst-case scenario, oil-related damage could get to the point where your engine is unable to operate. In that case, repairing this component might not be enough. Instead, you might need a complete engine replacement — or an entirely new vehicle.

Though this possibility is obviously concerning, it’s not something most drivers need to worry about. When you get an oil change in Tulsa every so often, your engine (and your vehicle) will be able to keep running for as long as possible.

Keeping Your Warranty Intact

Did your new or certified pre-owned vehicle come with a warranty? If so, you’re in luck — this policy should help you pay for repairs for a certain number of miles or years. But in order to keep this warranty active for as long as possible, you’ll need to take good care of your car.

These days, all auto manufacturers include recommended maintenance schedules with their vehicles. Among other services, these schedules include advice on oil changes. If you don’t follow this advice, you could accidentally void your warranty long before its expiration date.

Don’t Bother With DIY Oil Changes

Doing your own oil changes may sound like a good idea — in a perfect world, this would give you the cost-saving opportunities listed above while eliminating the expenses that come with any auto shop appointment. However, things aren’t quite that simple in reality. If you handle oil changes on your own, you might inadvertently:

• Spend more money than you’d expect. Assuming you don’t already have the equipment you need to do oil changes at home, you’ll need to invest in everything from a car floor jack and jack stands to drip pans and safety gear. By the time you’ve purchased everything required to handle this service, you’ll have spent hundreds of dollars.
• Waste time. Oil changes are a quick, routine auto maintenance task — for professional mechanics, that is. As a newcomer to the field, you’ll need to spend quite a bit of time learning how to complete this job.
• Put your safety at risk. When you’re working underneath a vehicle, you’ll inevitably find yourself dealing with safety risks. Skilled technicians know how to safely handle hazardous materials and use jacks and ramps, making them the perfect people to take care of this task.
• Damage your vehicle. You definitely don’t want to make mistakes while performing an oil change. If you use the wrong type of oil for your vehicle, overfill or underfill your oil reservoir, or install a defective filter, you could do a great deal of damage to your car’s engine.
• Miss out on critical maintenance services. The best oil changes in Tulsa come with vehicle inspections and other maintenance tasks. Even if you learn how to perform a basic oil change, you won’t have the know-how to take care of these other services — and that might have a negative impact on your car.

How Auto Shops Can Help You Save

As you can see, most drivers planning an oil change in Tulsa shouldn’t attempt to handle this task independently. Instead, the most effective way to save money on this service is to find a local auto shop that offers oil change discounts. When your shop of choice provides online coupons, you’ll be able to cut costs on oil changes without having to face the safety risks associated with this job.

In addition to these deals, some Tulsa-area auto shops offer financing options for their customers. Options like these can give customers a dedicated line of credit for auto services and benefits such as promotional financing, no annual fees, and affordable monthly payments.

All About Oil Change Scheduling

How often do you need oil change service? That’s something of a trick question — after all, an oil change interval that works well for one Tulsa driver could be a poor fit for another. Therefore, it’s best not to follow a standardized schedule for oil changes. Instead, you should create a custom schedule that accounts for your vehicle’s needs.

When you’re thinking about oil change scheduling, start by consulting your car’s manual. This document will give you valuable advice on the subject. The type of oil you use in your vehicle matters too:

• If you use full synthetic oil, you might be able to wait up to 5,000-7,000 miles between oil changes.
• Synthetic blend oil should be replaced slightly more often, about every 5,000 miles or so.
• Conventional oil has the shortest life span of any oil type, and it needs to be replaced every 3,000 miles.

Though these guidelines can help you estimate your oil change needs, you’ll also need to account for factors such as severe driving habits, the age of your vehicle, and extreme temperatures in your area. If any of these factors apply to you, you’ll want to get oil change service more often than the recommendations above.

Oil Varieties: What’s Your Type?

Once you’ve determined your oil change schedule, you’ll be just about ready to visit a local shop for this service. But before you do that, you should figure out what type of oil your vehicle needs. Some oil types worth considering include:

Conventional Oil

As a naturally occurring type of crude mineral oil, conventional oil is the single most affordable motor oil on the market — and it’s extremely popular because of that. Still, this form of oil has some notable disadvantages. For example, it performs worse than other products in its category and needs to be replaced much earlier than other oil types.

Full Synthetic Oil

The differences between conventional oil and full synthetic oil start with the processes used to manufacture these products. Full synthetic oil is made in factories and labs. While it’s more expensive than conventional oil, full synthetic oil offers the longest life span and best performance of any motor oil option.

Synthetic Blend Oil

If you’re unsure whether full synthetic oil or conventional oil would be the right fit for you, give synthetic blend oil a try. This product mixes the previous two oil types together, putting it somewhere between these options in terms of its price tag, performance level, and life span.

High-Mileage Oil

How long has your vehicle been on the road? If the answer is more than 75,000 miles, consider switching to high-mileage oil. This oil type is made specifically to help aging cars deal with problems such as corrosion and oil burn-off.

The Perks of Full-Service Oil Changes

Oil changes are one of the simplest auto maintenance services out there, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get equally good oil changes from every Tulsa auto shop. Typically, this job begins and ends with the removal and replacement of your car’s oil. However, some shops go one step further by offering full-service oil changes for their customers.

Unlike standard oil changes, full-service oil changes include a few extra maintenance tasks. Though the specific perks that come with a full-service oil change vary from one shop to the next, these oil changes typically include:

• Oil filter replacement. When an oil filter gets clogged, it can’t remove contaminants from motor oil. Oil filter replacement is included in most full-service oil changes to prevent this from becoming an issue.
• A multipoint vehicle inspection. While inspecting your vehicle, skilled technicians will be able to determine whether it’s having any issues you haven’t noticed yet.
• Tire rotation (if requested). Without tire rotation, your vehicle’s wheels could develop uneven tire wear. Because of that, most drivers should take care of this service every 3,000-7,000 miles — and that timeline is extremely similar to the average oil change interval.

Where Can You Get the Best Oil Change in Tulsa?

Though oil changes are a must for drivers trying to save money, less-than-reputable auto shops in the area will overcharge you for this task while providing subpar service. When you’re due for an oil change in Tulsa, you need to find a shop that offers:

• Extremely qualified mechanics. An auto shop is only as good as the mechanics working there. Since ASE-certified technicians are the most skilled people in the industry, keep an eye out for businesses that employ these workers.
• Locations around the area. No one should have to go out of their way to take care of auto service. Instead, Tulsa residents should find a shop with multiple locations in and around the city.
• All kinds of services. Ideally, an auto shop should be a place you can go when your car needs any type of work. Thus, exceptional businesses in this industry provide a broad selection of maintenance and repair services.
• A rock-solid reputation. There’s no reason why a newly opened shop can’t deliver good service. But when a shop has been around for multiple decades, they’ve almost certainly lasted as long as they have by earning the trust of people in the local area.

As the number-one auto shop in Tulsa, Tate Boys Tire & Service is more than capable of delivering benefits such as these to its customers. To get an oil change you can count on (and to save money in the process), request a quote today!

Frequently Asked Questions