MCD

Questions and answers

Why is my check engine light on?

What do I need to know about brakes?

Questions on oil changes?

How much is an oil change?

Thanks for asking!

Our standard oil change includes:

oil,
filter,
washer fluid,
power steering fluid (if needed),
transmission fluid (if needed),
air filter check,
wipers check,
light check,
belt/hose inspection,
under-engine inspection,
most importantly, an extra 30 minutes that you don't have to waste in a waiting room!

Couple all that with our (soon-to-be) famous to-your-door service and it's only $39.99 plus tax. Which day would you like for us to take care of your vehicle for you?

What is the difference between brand names?

Oil is regulated by the American Petroleum Institute, or the API. API certified oils are easily identifiable by the patented "sunburst" design and API logo on each and every bottle of oil that has passed the rigorous testing of the American Petroleum Institute. What the API does for oil is similar to what the Food and Drug Administration does for food.

Basically, the difference between Valvoline and Castrol is like the difference between Coke and Pepsi. Both have to pass identical testing to be approved by the API, it's just a matter of personal preference. (Personally, I'm a Diet Dr. Pepper man. ) The biggest difference between brands of oil are the detergents and additives that are added to the oil by the manufacturer. Basically, they take the same oil and add their version of Joy or Palmolive to the oil. Then it's packaged for retail.

Why are oil changes so necessary?

Those detergents are the real reason why we need to change our oil. Just like when we wash our dishes and add some Palmolive to the water, it creates a great detergent. However, by the time we add the pots and pans, the water isn't so clean, sudsy, and effective anymore. Our automotive oil is pretty much the same way. Just like the dish soap once helped to clean the dishes and had a positive effect, later that same soap is not doing any good. If we were to continue to clean the dishes, we'd need to empty the water and add fresh soap. However, the water that goes down the drain with the dirty soap is still the same ol' H2O that we added to begin with. Oil never loses it's lubricity, the lubricating ability. The oil isn't breaking down, the detergents and additives are breaking down. This is why we need to change our oil.

Little known fact: when used oil is recycled and cleaned, it is perfectly clear like water before the detergents and additives are added. That's why retail oil comes in such a varied hue of colors from a light golden to dark brown color, different addittives and detergents have been added.

Hopefully this information has helped and if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask anytime.

What kind of oil changes are offered by My Car Doc?

Basically there are three kinds of oil changes and I'll be happy to quickly give you the pros and cons of each one.Then you can decide which is right for you and your driving habits.

STANDARD oil change: $36. here are two benefits to using natural oils:

1) Cost. This is typically the least expensive oil change.

2) Frequency. Your mechanic is under your hood more often which gives him the opportunity to look over your engine and detect potential problems earlier before they get more serious.

The detrement to this is that natural oils don't last as long as synthetic oils, so there is a necessity for maintaining your vehicle more often, every 3,000 miles.

SEMI-SYNTHETIC oil change: $46.

This oil change uses a blend of naturally mined oils and lab-created synthetic oils. This is a unique marriage that offers a good compromise for car owners wanting longer-lasting oil changes but not the expense of full synthetic oil changes. The car can go 4,500 miles between oil changes instead of 3,000.

FULL SYNTHETIC oil change: $60.

This oil change is the most expensive oil change, however it's perfect for people that have very busy lifestyles and don't want to bother with oil changes very often since full synthetic oil changes last 6,000 miles. Also, many high-end vehicles require or recommend full synthetic oil changes.

What is the difference between 5w-30 and 10w-30?

Oil viscosity. We watch TV, we see the oil commercials and hear the word viscosity quite a bit. But what does that mean? Well, viscosity is simply the oil's ability to flow. This is affected by heat, cleanliness, the efficiency of the oil pump and other factors.

Oils have a viscosity rating that have been standardized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). To simplify things, the higher the viscosity number, the oil is heavier and flows more slowly. An SAE 10 oil will flow much more easily than an SAE 50 oil.

But you say, "John, that's great, but my car requires 5w30, what does that mean?" Hey, I'm glad you asked! That type of oil is called a multiviscosity oil. Basically this just means that the oil has a 5 rating at -18 degrees Celcius (0 degrees F) and a 30 rating at 100 degrees Celcius (212 degrees F). So the first number is the cold rating and the second number is the hot rating. Tada!

What gives multiviscosity oils this magical ability? The difference is that multiviscosity oils have additives in the oil called polymers. The polymers expand when heated and that provides the oil w/the different physical properties at different temperatures. Pretty neat stuff, isn't it? Okay, maybe it's just neat to me because it's what I do for a living, but still, at least you know what it means now!