How to Properly to Check your Oil from Ohio's Engine Oil Experts

The most vital fluid that goes into the engineering of your vehicle is without a doubt your engine oil. The main purpose it serves is to lubricate the many moving parts inside your engine, preventing metal breakdown, and ensuring a proper compression within the cylinders. Checking your oil is a relatively straight forward process, and should be done occasionally in between oil changes. For more information on how long you should wait in between oil changes, visit our blog post here. Oil changes can be done at any local Bob Sumerel Tire, click the link here to schedule your appointment today!

• Allow your car to run for a little bit before checking it- Checking your oil "cold" can give off an inaccurate reading. It is essential to allow the oil to circulate and warm up before checking it. 
• Always check your oil with your car off- With your car not running, oil has time to settle at the bottom of the oil pan, which is most accurate way of reading your oil dipstick. 
  
• Make certain your car is on a level surface- If your car is on a slope, the oil level will not be "flat," thus giving an inaccurate reading on the dipstick. 
• When taking out the dipstick, do not tip it upside down- Bring the dipstick straight out of the tube, and make sure the bottom of the stick faces down. Flipping it upside down can cause the oil to run, giving an inaccurate reading. 
• Find the two dots/dashes- Most dipsticks have a low/high level represented by two dots, or dashes on the stick. 
• Add oil accordingly- If your oil is below the "low" level, try to add half a quart of oil. Once this is done, check the oil again to see where the level is at, repeat this process until it is between the two dots. 

Typically, when the level is below the "low" dot, it will take approximately 1 quart of oil to get it back to the "full" level. Every car is different however, and you should be cautious not to overfill your oil when you are adding oil. A common misconception about oil is that if it is dark in color, it is dirty, which means it needs to be changed. Color has little to do with the condition of the oil, you should always go off of your mileage when thinking about when you should get it changed next. Take advantage of the coupon at the bottom of this blog to get $5 off any oil change at your local Bob Sumerel Tire!

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Truth Behind Five Star Crash Ratings

There are so many important features to check when shopping around for any new vehicle. From the estimated MPG, to expected maintenance schedules, even down to the type of interior features the particular vehicle offers. One thing that many overlook is the crash ratings, which is a suggested rank assigned by the National Highway & Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The government has made strides to adopt a New Car Assessment Program, part of which lists the crash ratings for every newly manufactured car. Pictured below is a sample version of what these crash ratings look like in a vehicle's sticker tag. Over the years, the NHTSA has developed their crash experiments to test 3 separate crash tests on any given vehicle.

1. Front-side impact- The first test the NHTSA tested, this measures the likelihood of any head and chest injuries upon impact.
2. Side impact- Within the last 20 years, this test has been among the others, and it measures the chance of a head injury in all side impact collisions.
3. Rollover- This is the newest of the three tests which tests the stability of the vehicle through a roll scenario. 

The NHTSA essentially evaluates crash scenarios based on the severity of injuries that could occur in a given crash setting. With the help from modern safety features like Anti-lock brakes, and side curtain airbags, the average ratings have gone up in the last 30 years. The more sophisticated vehicles have gotten, the stricter the government regulations in order to ensure safety throughout. So the next time its time to shop for a new car, be sure to check the crash ratings on the window sticker, and compare them to others!

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