Using Your Oil Life Monitor

Anyone who has ever owned a car or at least driven one knows that keeping the car properly maintained is essential. Proper auto service and maintenance will ensure that the vehicle lasts a long time, and part of this includes utilizing the oil life monitor.

The purpose of the oil life monitor is simply, to keep watch of how much oil is used and how long the car has until an oil change is needed. For pretty much all newer vehicles on the market, the oil life monitor display can be found in front of the steering wheel with the speedometer and gauge cluster. For many Buick and GMC models, owners can just tap a button that changes between gas mileage, tire pressure and oil usage.

If properly maintained and sent for regular auto service, the oil life system can dictate that an oil change may not be necessary for several months, up to a year at the very most, though this depends on the brand of vehicle, the engine type and how often one drives around. Normally, between every four to six months is the average for when the oil change monitor lights up and warns drivers to consider getting their car serviced. In terms of mileage, this means that one can drive up to 5,000 miles or more before needing an oil change.

The oil life monitor also takes in consideration the type of driving the vehicle is used for. For example, vehicles such as trucks that are used mainly for heavy transport force more work on the engine, and more work on the engine means the oil needs to be changed much sooner. Vehicles used for day-to-day purposes such as driving to and from work or down the highway for a visit don’t need an oil change as often and are naturally a lot more flexible.

One thing to take into consideration with the oil life monitor is that it doesn’t necessarily measure the amount of oil remaining in the tank, only how good the oil is and how much longer the engine will last. In fact, the entire purpose of an oil change is just to get rid of old oil and replace it with a newer quality, which may be a synthetic brand depending on how new the vehicle itself is.