Proper engine oil usage and maintenance can do wonders for your car. While using the right quality engine oil alone is important, it’s not enough. Backing up good products with regularly scheduled maintenance and inspection helps sustain your engine’s condition. As such, understanding the proper way to check oil in your car is vital for any Kia driver.
Ideally, you should check your engine oil weekly. This should be done when your car is warm and on level ground. You should stop the engine and wait a little while until the oil settles. Afterwards, open the bonnet and take out the dipstick cap. This is usually placed on the centre of the engine.
Wipe the dipstick with a clean cloth and push the dipstick back in completely. Take it out and check the level. Ideally, the oil should be between the minimum and maximum marks in the dipstick. If the level is low, fill up. You can top up the oil through the oil filler cap. You can find this near the dipstick cap. The filling up part should be handled with care. You wouldn’t want to spill oil over to the other moving parts of the engine.
Once filled, give it a few seconds. After the oil has settled check the oil level again to make sure you’ve topped up oil to the right level. Additionally, you should also keep note to add the same quality oil. If not, the engine may get damaged.
The best oil quality for your Kia
Speaking of oil quality, there are different engine oils with varying qualities. You would note that every engine oil comes with a standard marking like 10W-30. This indicates the oil’s thickness levels at high and low temperatures. The figure preceding W points to the oil’s thickness in winter temperatures, specifically measured at -17.8°C (0°F), while the following number refers to thickness at 100°C. What’s important here is to use engine oil that balances out during different weather conditions. Ideally, your engine oil should be more resistant to thinning while it should not be too thick in lower temperatures. In other words, a lower number attached to the W while a higher number to the other.
Simply put, the quality of your engine oil has a lot of implications for your car in the long run. A high-quality engine oil will ensure that you get maximum longevity out of your engine’s moving parts. Reduced wear and tear on the engine can also mean that performance will also be significantly higher with a high-quality engine oil, not to mention the higher cost savings and better fuel economy over a longer period!
The premium Kia car service
Still have a few unanswered questions? Not to worry, our team of experts are here to help.
Phil Gilbert has been serving the automobile industry in Sydney for over a decade. We specialise in your Kia car essentials, including servicing your air filters. So, come visit Phil Gilbert Kia or you can shop our Parts & Accessories store online today. You can also book a service online, call us on (02) 9735 8400 or contact us here.
