#MotorOil

Liqui Moly is a company that’s serious about automotive performance. That means substance over style, and it’s a seriousness that has helped build the company’s reputation as a leading oil, lubricant, and automotive chemicals manufacturer. And when it comes to motor oil, you won’t find one better than Liqui Moly’s Molygen.

There was a time when motor oil was motor oil. The engine in your car or truck was built with low stresses in mind, with wider tolerances and the expectation that it would have to be overhauled and rebuilt well before the odometer rolled over into six-digits. Today, the engine in your car, truck, or SUV is vastly more complicated than ever before. Turbochargers, variable valve timing, cylinder deactivation, and the expectation that it will live and perform for hundreds of thousands of miles while making more power and using less fuel.

Changing your own oil is the cheapest way to perform the most important piece of maintenance on your car, truck, or SUV. It’s also a great way to keep a close eye on the state of the rest of your vehicle, giving you the chance to check your brakes and other fluids as well as look for rust and other damage, every time you get under for an oil change. What if you’re not handy with a wrench and aren’t sure what to do? No problem, here’s how to change your own oil.

Motor oil has evolved a lot over the decades, and today’s advanced synthetic engine lubricants would be virtually unrecognizable to the chemists of yesteryear, with their detergents, dispersants, viscosity modifiers, and other high-tech additives. For drivers, the proliferation of advanced synthetic motor oil options means better engine protection, longer oil change intervals, and even improved fuel economy; the thinner the oil, the less energy is lost trying to pump it, and modern chemistry has opened the door to a whole new crop of low-viscosity oils.

Stroll down the oil aisle of a typical auto-parts store and you’ll be confronted with a literal wall of lubricant.

To quickly answer the inquiry posed in this article’s title, NO! Modern vehicles do not need to have their crankcase lubricant exchanged every 3,000 miles. However, there are caveats and you need to be aware of them. We’ll explore these in greater detail after the jump so go ahead and click the link. We’ll wait for you.

Every week Ask AutoGuide provides iron-clad vehicle-shopping advice to distressed, confused or otherwise bewildered consumers. Whether they’re in the market for a family-friendly crossover or something that’s good in winter weather, the Oracles of all things automotive have been there to lend some helping hands. But this week they’re taking a slightly different approach.

It’s a cliché analogy, but oil really is the lifeblood of a vehicle’s powertrain. Without its friction-cutting properties engines would literally grind to a halt, failing in spectacular fashion. Connecting rods would punch holes in blocks, camshafts would pulverize themselves and bearing inserts would spin like the blades of a jet turbine.

That Hello Kitty sure does get around. She’s on everything – cell phones, socks, backpacks, and now… motor oil.