Bringing your car in for service can be a chore. We get that. You’re losing valuable time and money, and sometimes you might think it’s not really worth doing something. You ask yourself questions like “Why do I need to change my oil?”, “Who cares about my filter?”, and “Why DO kids like Cinnamon Toast Crunch?”. Well lucky for you, we can answer all your service related questions, and potentially any other questions you might have about life, the universe and everything. Read on fellow car owners and discover the answers you seek.

Why Do I Need To Change My Oil?

First of all, what does engine oil do? A car engine is basically a bunch of moving parts, and as those parts move and rub against each other, they generate friction and therefore heat. What your engine oil does is lubricate all those moving parts and helps to absorb the heat so your engine can rub together all it wants without overheating.

Over time, the oil will start to break down and will become less effective at lubricating the parts and absorbing heat. As the oil wears down, your engine parts will start rubbing together without any lubrication and will essentially become metal grinding on metal. This could cause overheating, engine parts wearing down, and eventually major engine troubles.

Do I Need To Replace My Air Filter?

There are actually two air filters in your vehicle: an engine air filter and a cabin air filter. The engine air filter is, obviously, a filter that goes in your engine. It helps to stop dust and dirt from clogging up your engine, and therefore, a clean one has many benefits such as increased fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

The cabin air filter does the same thing, but for air that comes into the seating area. They can greatly reduce allergy issues and stop gross things like mold spores and rodent droppings from entering the vehicle and going into your lungs. Personally, I’m not a fan of inhaling mold so I’d say this is a part you want to replace every so often.

Why Should I Rotate My Tires?

For the sake of this point, we’re going to use the average weight of a Canadian male, about 177 pounds. Every time a vehicle is driven, there’s going to be someone in the driver’s seat of the car (This comment will be out of date in about 5 years). So that is an extra 177 pounds of weight pushing down on the front left tire (Or front right, if you’re in Europe). Since there is more weight being pushed down on that tire, it’s going to wear down much faster than the other three tires. Depending on if you have friends or not, there could also be varying wear on the other tires depending on how many passengers you have.

The whole point of a tire rotation is to balance the weight applied to each tire. It’s recommended that when you buy new tires, you buy a whole new set so you can start fresh concerning wear. By rotating your tires, the life of your set will be increased as you won’t need to just replace the tire you’ve been sitting on.

Which Fluids Do I REALLY Need To Top Up?

There’s a reason there are so many fluids in your vehicle, and they ALL serve a purpose. Generally, the fluid’s purpose is pretty easy to figure out just based on the name. Brake fluid applies your brakes, power steering fluid helps your power steering, washer fluid…washes. Some fluids aren’t that easy to figure out such as transmission fluid (lubricates your transmission) or differential fluid (lubricates your differential). At the end of the day, you want to make sure ALL your fluids are topped up, as they’re all essential to keeping your vehicle running for a long time.

How Much Attention Should I Be Paying To My Tire Pressure?

Air pressure in the tires is one of the most overlooked maintenance items out there. Ironically, it’s also one of the simplest for you, the car owner, to look after. It’s very rare that you’ll find a gas station that DOESN’T have a tire pump.

But how can low tire pressure affect my vehicle? Well for one thing, having low pressure can lead to blowouts which lead to accidents. That’s not good. Low pressure will also affect your fuel efficiency, leading you to more fill-ups (which, oddly enough, is where the tire pumps can be found. Take the hint).

Why DO Kids Love Cinnamon Toast Crunch??

Cinnamon Toast Crunch basically has four ingredients: wheat, sugar, cinnamon and more sugar. I think it’s pretty obvious why kids love it.