Oils Well That Ends Well!

Oil is the lifeline of any vehicle. If you had to draw parallels, oil is as important to a vehicle as blood is to a human being. In fact the flow of oil has been carefully designed over the years in order to allow for optimized lubricant change intervals, minimization of oil waste, and maximization of engine life while contributing lowering emissions and cutting down on the environmental impact as well.

Proper lubrication is the key to keeping an engine in tip top condition and as far as innovations go, lubrication companies are consistently working at developing better suited lubricants depending on the vehicle usage and purpose. A bike has different demands from a truck and petrol engines function differently from diesel engines. Each type of engine needs to be addressed accordingly in order to ensure that it’s functioning at its optimal level.

A case in point being TOTAL SA, France. The company is the 5th larges internationally traded integrated oil and gas company that reaches out to over 130 countries. The company has been working with lubrication usage in motor sport with associations with teams such as Red Bull Racing, Citroen in WRC, BMW in the Dakar Rally as well as with Peugeot in the Le Mans races. The stresses of motor sport allow for real time product testing and as can be seen here TOTAL has worked in various arenas of motor sport closely in order to gain the best information about their product. The trickle down effect from such testing allows TOTAL to develop the right grade and mix of lubricant for varied use. In India, TOTAL and the ELF brand caters to the two wheeler segment, passenger car segment as well as the heavy duty segment. Global research and input have allowed the company to offer premium lubricant solutions that go a long way in keeping an engine in tune.

The research and development carried out by companies such as TOTAL ensure that you are getting a world class product for your vehicle. The sheer amount of R&D that goes into checking lubricant performance does offer a certain level of peace of mind, however there are a number of checks that individuals can carry out from time to time in order to make sure that their vehicles are in fine working condition.

1. Choosing the right Grade: Always ensure that you use the right grade of lubricant designed for the purpose. Lubricants come with ratings. Your vehicle manual will tell you the ideal rating of lubricants to go with for the different areas. Stick to these ratings only and don’t try and experiment.

2. Periodically check oil levels: this is done before firing up the engine in the morning. Insure that all lubricant levels are topped up to the specified levels according to the vehicle manual.

3. Check for Impurities: If you feel that the oil is grainy, then its time to go in for a change as dirt and grime have found their way in to the engine and can result in damage. Also check for other impurities such as fuel mixing with the oil or worse yet would be coolant mixing with the oil. To check if fuel is mixing with the oil, take a look at the dipstick in the morning and if you see a separate line of a lighter colored fluid above the oil level then there is a fair chance of fuel mixture. For coolant mixing in, just open the coolant tank and check for oil floating around. In either case the problem is bigger than just getting an oil change. It involves engine parts modifications as well.

4. Change as Directed: Every vehicle manual specifies the oil change intervals. It’s highly recommended that one follows those rules closely.

5. Routine Service: Taking your vehicle in for a routine service also ensures that your mechanic is on top of things such as oil changes, oil check ups and subsequently the fixing required if needed.