It's no secret that the best way to keep your vehicle running like it did on Day 1 is to keep it regularly maintained. So, what's the most important maintenance item? If you said, "regular oil changes," give yourself a pat on the back, because that's exactly right. Your vehicle's engine has many parts that move unfathomably fast, rubbing against each other thousands of times per minute. That rubbing, naturally, creates extreme levels of friction. Friction not only causes heat buildup, it creates tiny metal shavings that can damage the internal components. Oil serves to lubricate these moving parts, absorb heat, and keep the metal shaving to a minimum.

Unfortunately, engine oil has a finite lifespan and loses lubricity for a couple of reasons. One job of engine oil is to carry contaminants to the filter, and while the filter removes most of the contaminants, it's impossible to remove all. Metal, dirt, soot, and other particles all accumulate in the oil over time, which is why it's important to change the filter at the same time as the oil. The other main reason is heat, which breaks down the oil over time.