Engine tuning and oil changes - a memo for the car owner

The most common mistake a beginner car owner makes is underestimating the importance of proper, regular maintenance. As you've probably guessed, we're talking about regularly changing the engine oil and filters. And that's a shame, because the condition of a car's components and how likely they are to fail depends directly on how well it's serviced. There's a simple saying: “the cheapskate pays twice”, and it's especially true when it comes to engine maintenance. And it doesn't matter what car you drive: say, a Hyundai Tucson, a Nissan or a Toyota. Any engine always needs extra attention from its owner, especially if it's been tuned.

Here we give a few elementary but crucially important tips that will help you keep your engine in good technical shape a bit longer.

• Try to avoid using any additives or supplements in the engine. Whatever the advertising claims, any effect will be short-lived at best, and down the road you'll need a major engine overhaul with one hundred percent certainty.
• Don't buy oil at the market! Counterfeit oil will almost certainly damage the engine, and you'll be repairing it before long. Pay a bit more, but buy oil from a reliable source. The truth is that good engine oil is simply genuine oil, and it makes no real difference which brand is on the label, Castrol, Motul or Mobil 1.
• Never rush to buy cheap filters. The lower the quality of a filter (talking about the air, oil and fuel filters), the more dirt and foreign particles get into the engine. Down the line, that dirt turns into an excellent abrasive that efficiently destroys your engine from the inside.
• Change your engine oil more often than the engine manufacturer requires! Engine manufacturers count on the engine being run in close to ideal conditions — namely, quality fuel and clean streets. Since that's not always possible in our conditions, engine oil gets contaminated much faster.
• Take choosing your engine oil seriously. Car oils come in different types (and not just in brand and viscosity), and far from all of them suit your particular engine. The oil must fully match the car manufacturer's recommendations!
• At every oil change, insist that the mechanics check your suspension and steering. The car's already up on the lift anyway, isn't it? For a relatively modest extra fee, you'll get the assurance that nothing serious will go wrong on the road.
• Alternate vacuum oil changes with a classic drain-and-fill every other time. A vacuum change leaves a lot more used oil in the engine, which noticeably degrades its performance properties. And it's safest to use an “express” oil change only in rare cases where there's simply no other option.

All the rules above apply to any engine, at any mileage and any age, but it's worth understanding that engine tuning makes it far more vulnerable and far more demanding when it comes to service quality.