Oil Change Services Burlington VT

It would be easy to think of oil filter 'capacity' as the amount of extra oil you need to add when changing both your oil and your oil filter. But, in industry terminology, that’s not the true meaning.

“The real intention,” said Chuck Kerrigan, director of marketing for Purolator Filters, “is to describe the amount of debris an oil filter can hold before it becomes obstructed and causes the filter’s bypass valve to open. When this happens, the filter allows unfiltered oil to reach critical internal engine components, which is better than no oil at all, but not much.”

When choosing a replacement oil filter one should be certain that the filter has sufficient capacity to capture and hold all the debris it’s likely to encounter during its service life, explained Kerrigan.

The longer an engine oil filter is in service, the more debris it will hold. And, eventually, the filter can become completely obstructed, causing the bypass valve to open and, as described above, direct unfiltered oil to the crankshaft, engine bearings, and other precision components. The result can be catastrophic.

So how much debris should an oil filter be able to hold, and where does it come from, anyway? “To answer the second question first,” said Kerrigan, there are a number of potential sources of particulates inside an engine. Casting flash can break off of the inside of the engine block, or even the crankshaft, connecting rods, and even off of the pistons and valve train components.”

“Sources of non-metallic debris include dust and dirt, pieces of gasket material that may become dislodged over time, pieces of disintegrating valve stems seals, and even bits of hardened carbon that can build up on, and then break off of, valve train parts and other oil-wetted internal parts that are subjected to high temperatures that can bake oil into hard carbon deposits,” added Kerrigan.

All of this can add up to substantial amounts of debris that can build up over the thousands of miles that elapse between oil changes, making it essential that one choose and install an oil filter with substantial capacity.

How substantial? Consider this: a Purolator PureOne premium oil filter will capture and safely hold up to 13 grams of debris before directing the bypass valve to open. And how much is 13 grams? That’s the equivalent of 31 standard size paper clips – a huge volume of debris by anyone’s standards.

Sure, there are other features to consider when choosing an oil filter. 'Efficiency' is one such. Efficiency is a measure of the percentage of particles of a given size a filter is able to capture. For example, a Purolator Classic oil filter, on average, can capture 97.5 percent of particles larger than a thousandths of an inch in diameter. And a Purolator PureOne premium oil filter captures, on average, 99.9 percent of these same filters. So, both types of Purola...

Did you hear the announcement from Jiffy Lube about their new ­approach to the oil change interval? If not, here is an excerpt from the press release they issued…

Jiffy Lube , which helped establish the fast-lube category more than 30 years ago, is officially introducing a new approach to oil changes.

This new approach — called Oil Change Schedule (OCS) — enables customers to choose when they will return to Jiffy Lube for their next oil change based on vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations for their individual driving habits and conditions.

According to Jiffy Lube, the new OCS approach directly engages customers in the preventive maintenance process by helping them understand what their vehicle manufacturer recommends for oil changes. This includes sharing how their driving style and conditions — whether normal or severe — affect their vehicle, so they can determine when to return for their next oil change.

When customers visit a participating Jiffy Lube service center for a Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change, they will be given three choices for their new schedule:
• Follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation for severe driving conditions;
• Follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation for normal driving conditions; or
• Select an oil change schedule of their own choosing.

Jiffy Lube said these options are defined by vehicle manufacturer recommendations, and the selection process is quick and easy. A Jiffy Lube customer service adviser reviews the options with the customer and the customer then selects their schedule.

Customers will continue to receive a Jiffy Lube window sticker reminding them when to come back for their next oil change, based on the schedule they select.

So how does this affect your business? When the big player in the market, with more than 2,000 locations nationwide, changes the conversation, all shops need to listen. Most shops have been using the vehicle manufacturers’ recommended oil change intervals for severe driving, since most customers will fall into that category and a 3,000- to 5,000- mile interval is good for business.

But, the real change Jiffy Lube is bringing to its customers and perhaps the whole market is option #3, allowing the customer to select his or her own schedule. The most important thing for the shop is getting the customer to come back for additional services.

Allowing th...