Top up your oil knowledge or risk topping your car
Nearly one in ten UK motorists never check their oil while almost two in three don’t know the correct type of oil to use, leaving millions of vehicles vulnerable to expensive repair bills and increased fuel costs.
This information was revealed in a survey of four European countries’ car owners, conducted by CCB FastMAP recently on behalf of Chevron Global Lubricants for its Texaco Havoline brand. The survey also revealed that the 7.4% of UK motorists who left their engine’s need for oil to chance were just the tip of the iceberg.
More than two in three did not know what type of oil to use, with just 17.2% of survey respondents saying they would check with their franchised dealer or independent garage, leaving 80.2% to rely on the vehicle handbook and other documentary sources. The worrying trend of apathy towards maintenance by UK vehicle owners is further compounded by the fact that 70.6% buy their own oil for top-ups between services.
By contrast, an average of just 3.1% of European motorists surveyed in Spain, the Netherlands and Romania do not check their oil levels between services.
In Spain, 60.3% of car owners would check their vehicle’s oil requirements with their vehicle’s service centre before topping up. In fact, 55.7% prefer to drive to the franchised dealer or independent garage and pay to have them top it up: just 14% of UK owners prefer to pay the service centre to top it up for them.
Meanwhile, in the two other countries surveyed, an equally stark contrast was found. In Romania, where Chevron’s Havoline with Deposit Shield has its highest claimed share of the market, car owners are very well informed on the correct type of oil to use in their vehicles, with 79.4% aware of the brand of oil currently in their car.
In the Netherlands, more than 55.3% of owners did not know what oil was in their car, reflecting a similarly casual attitude towards their car maintenance as in the UK where just 44.4% of owners knew which brand of oil was in their engine.
Marketing manager for Chevron Global Lubricants in the UK, Brian Hayes, said: “For the second year running, our research has shown there is a significant gap in UK motorists’ understanding of the role of engine oil. Having the right oil in the right quantity is vital to an engine. It not only lubricates all the moving parts, keeps operating temperatures down, allows easier cold starting and stops the buildup of harmful deposits, but has a key role to play in keeping emissions and fuel consumption down as well. If car owners don’t know the right oil to use and fail to keep it at an optimal level, they risk premature wear and tear, potentially large repair bills and face extra fuel costs.
“This is especially true of modern engines with their improved performance, reduced emissions and increased efficiency. These advances have been made possible by the formulation of specific oils for specific applications which have seen Havoline’s range of engine oils expand from four to 14 in just 15 years. Now more than ever, a knowledge of which oil to use in your car’s engine is as essential as knowing which type of fuel to use.”