With today's gas and go, very few people take the time to check their oil - this can be a fatal mistake.
To review - all car burn a certain amount of oil. This is determined by how hard you drive your car and under what conditions. The mechanical state of the engine also plays into this of course.
When a car is new and just braking in, you should check you oil level every week until it is broken in, usually around 3 - 6 months. depending on mileage. May people believe in changing their oil at 1000 miles and then at 3000 miles, in order to flush out assembly lube and wear.
A new car should go over 1000 miles without losing a quart of oil, and when broken in, over 2000 miles. But think about it. If you engine holds 4 quarts of oil, being one quart low means you only have 75% of the oil working to lubricate and cool the parts of the engine. That is why I do not like it to go below 1/2 quart before topping off.
Some people assume you can go from oil change to oil change without adding oil. Most of the time the oil change tech will not check the oil before a change, This leads to many people coming in a quart or two low, and never knowing it.
Some people check their oil and since it does not lose much if any, and get lax on checking it. This leads to surprises when something happens to the engine and they don't catch it in time. I find it better to check the oil on time, every week or so, while some people check ever fill-up or every other fill-up. For some cars with big tanks, this could be over 800 miles, so in that case better to check no more than every 500 miles. You need to set up your own schedule, put it on your calendar or better yet set an alarm in your phone.
What happens if you run your oil too low? Besides the wear and tear on your engine, you run the risk of an engine failure leaving you stranded on the road, or possible in an accident.
Going back to the Prime Directive:
The purpose of driving is to transport you and your passengers to your destination safely and efficiently, and to help other drivers do the same.
So checking your oil is an important part of safe driving.
Next time - Tires.
