Oil lubricates all the parts of your engine and keeps them cool. It’s a necessary fluid to keep your engine healthy and running. That’s because it takes a lot of moving parts to power your car or SUV. When machinery is constantly at work, heat can build up under the hood.
Anytime your engine is on, there are a lot of parts in motion. All that heat can cause friction to build up between them. That friction can cause problems with your parts. Oil eliminates that friction by both cooling the parts down and lubricating them, so they run smoothly.

After a while, the oil in your engine will start to break down. A few thousand miles of working its way through your engine changes both its color and consistency. The result is that it stops being an effective lubricant and needs to be replaced with fresh oil.
So, how often will your vehicle need an oil change anyway? That depends on what you drive and what kind of oil it takes. Check your owner’s manual or talk to a service technician to find out what works best in your car and what its recommended maintenance schedule is.
Some older vehicles take conventional oil. It’s derived from crude oil and usually needs to be changed every six months or every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. Most vehicles on the road today take synthetic oil though. It’s designed to last longer and stand up to more extreme temperatures. Usually, vehicles that run on synthetic oil, like the VW Jetta or VW Tiguan, only need an oil change once a year or every 10,000 miles.
It’s alright if you’re not sure how long it’s been since your last oil change. Your car or SUV is designed to remind you. Some of the signs you should look out for include:
When you’re in need of an oil change near Freehold, NJ, schedule service with Toms River VW. We have a team of experienced technicians in our service center who can take care of all your routine maintenance and keep your vehicle in great shape.