One way to maintain your Volkswagen or any car is to regularly change the oil. How often you do that will depend on a variety of factors such as the car model, how old the engine is, the oil used as well as how you drive your vehicle.

Nevertheless, making it a habit to change the oil will help make sure your Volkswagen Rabbit or any car is in their best condition. To help you determine when you should have the oil changed, here are some things you should consider.

Volkswagen’s From 2009 Up To Present

If you have Volkswagen models released from 2009 up to the present, it is recommended to have the oil changed for every 10,000 miles covered or after a year of use. Some might say that the oil should be changed for every 3000 miles covered however, that doesn’t apply to most modern vehicles. These models and the type of oil used in them can last well until the 10,000 miles mark without the need to be replaced.

Earlier Volkswagen Models From 2008 And Earlier

Classic vehicles are a different case. Those that were produced on 2008 and earlier will require a more frequent tuneup and maintenance schedule. They are older vehicles and are required a little bit of extra maintenance work for them to perform at their best. This is why most older Volkswagen cars require oil change for every 5,000 miles covered or every 6 months of use.

Other Factors To Consider

The age of your Volkswagen is an important factor to consider when determining the schedule of the oil change. However, there are still other factors that will make require the oil change to be done sooner than scheduled. Such factors include your driving style. How often do you go off-road or are you speeding most of the time? Depending on your driving style, you might benefit from checking the car oil before reaching the 10,000 or 5,000-mile marks.

Another factor that affects how often you’d have to change car oil is the type of oil you use. There are synthetic oils, synthetic blends, conventional oils as well as high-mileage oils. Make sure to check your manual to see which type of oil is recommended for your vehicle. The manual would also state the recommended frequency of changing the oil.

Benefits Of Regular Oil Change

As seen above, we’ve discussed that oil change should be done regularly but we can’t really convince you to do so unless we tell you why. So here are the benefits of having the oil of your car changed regularly:

Keeps Your Engine Clean

The oil will flow through the different parts of your engine and any dirt or particles will go with it. If you don’t change the oil in time, there would be a build-up of those particles in the engine. You can prevent this buildup by changing the oil and by replacing your filters as well. Once your oil is filled with them, you can remove the dirty oil to also remove the dirt and debris. Do this before the dirt damages your engine.

Longer Engine Life

The engine oil lubricates and protects the engine so that it doesn’t easily get damaged due to wear and tear. However, if the oil is dirty, it cannot do its job properly. It won’t be able to properly lubricate the engine parts because the dirt can cause more friction to the engine parts, which eventually damages them.

Lengthen Gas Mileage

If you are looking into a way to better use your fuel efficiently, then changing your oil regularly helps. When you change the oil regularly, the engine runs smoothly and that means that the fuel isn’t wasted.

Less Hydrocarbons In The Emissions

If you want to make sure you pass an emissions test, then you better change your oil regularly. The dirty oil will cause a buildup of hydrocarbons in the engine. When theses get burned and released through the emissions, it will negatively affect the environment and it will also prevent you from passing the emission tests.

Car Oil Leaking After An Oil Change

Oil changes are important but if you find that fluid is oozing out of your car into the garage, then you likely have a leak. If this happens, should you panic? What should you do and what causes it? Those are just a few questions we’re going to answer below:

Reasons Why Car Leaks Oil After An Oil Change

There are three main reasons why you find a leak after an oil change. The first is due to residual oil drips. If only a small amount of oil is dripping, it is likely that it isn’t a leak. It just some leftover oil that isn’t cleaned off after the oil change. There is no need to worry about this situation.

The second reason is due to a mechanic error. It is possible that during the oil change, the mechanic made a mistake such as a lacking o-ring, a cross-threaded oil pan plug or filter, or if there are missing washers on the oil pan plug.

The third reason is a leak that’s covered by a “scab” due to the previous conventional oil used. Conventional oil occasionally forms a scab. This hardened scab can create a block on the oil so that it doesn’t leak. After an oil change, newer oil can contain solvents that are meant to remove the buildup of such scabs. This can lead to the discovery of the leak.