Many reasons affect engine oil life. Most new cars come with an oil life monitor. Some vehicles go by mileage; some take into account more dynamics and temperature and more.
Other factors are essential, like age, engine condition, and where you live. Your oil life will be a maximum of 6k to 7k miles if you drive on flat and accessible roads. But if you go to the city or hill, you should change your oil maximum of 5k miles on average.
Fully synthetic oils last much longer than traditional ones. Check the oil level once or twice between oil changes if your engine uses more oil. Due to low oil, the residual oil decreases much faster. If you drive with low oil, it can build up sludge.
Reason for Oil Life Going Down Fast
When you maintain your car, it increases its reliability and value over time. Besides this, it also keeps under its warranty. Sometimes oil life indicator completely eliminates maintenance stress. For Example, the Honda oil life indicator is an excellent tool.
This indicator sends you a signal if you need an oil change. An oil percentage below 0% indicates that your oil is past its useful peak life. Besides, regular oil changes are important because the oil helps your engine to keep lubricated and cool.
But you should know the oil has a limited and valuable life but if it is contaminated it will increase many problems. This contaminated oil can lose its viscosity and become too thin. Eventually, it will wear down the car’s interior, rendering it unusable. Due to oxidation sometimes oil turns thick also. These all incidents make oil life go fast.
Probably you’ve driven more miles than advised, or it needs to perform more adequately because the oil quality has degraded. Avoid wasting money by doing oil changes and other maintenance jobs on the automobile at the right time. It also increases vehicle longevity, meaning more years of durable service.
When Should Oil Life Percentage Go Down Fast?
If you want your car to perform well, you should change your oil before it reaches a low percentage. Unfortunately, changing your oil percentage needs to be understood because more misinformation exists.
You need to change your oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, or every three to six months. Additionally, you should change your oil when your car’s oil life index goes from 40% to 15%.
You will have a percentage number next to “Oil Life” on your dashboard in some cases like Honda. To track your oil life, you use this indicator. Fresh engine oil life percentage is 100%. But if you drive your car for miles, it drops over time. Especially if you ride on the city road your oil life percentage will go down fast than on the free road or long drive. On the other hand, Sometimes overdue engine maintenance schedule also causes oil life to go fast down. So you should also be careful about that.
Oil Life Honda:
Accordingly, if you read out that your oil life indicator is 15%, that doesn’t mean you are 15% far from oil running out. That means you are fast approaching an oil change.
As an additional reminder, when the 15% threshold is reached, the Honda Maintenance Minder system shows a yellow wrench icon. Moreover, it doesn’t mean your vehicle is unsafe to drive. Additionally, it means this oil has degraded, and you need to change it soon. Generally, it’s an ideal time to check and change your oil.
Most importantly, if your oil readout drops to 5%, it indicates your lubricant is dirty. It would help if you changed before it drops further. Actually, once it reaches 0%, you’ve not only got to the point where the service is over. That means you reach the point where your current oil will harm your engine.
Read more about Honda oil life
How Does the Oil Life Indicator Work?
The simple word, as your Honda’s maintenance minder system, Honda’s onboard computer system continuously monitors everyday driving conditions.
This indicator is the remaining oil life percentage of your car. Based on all performance conditions, the system determines when an oil change is necessary, starting at 100% of the oil life.
Oil Life Percentage Chevrolet:
Adequately, the Chevrolet (OLM) Oil Life Monitor System implies when and what service your vehicle needs. The Chevrolet Oil Life Monitor (OLM) system is not a simple oil quality sensor but a software and algorithm-driven device.
Determines whether an oil change is required by considering the various operating conditions of the engine. You can find the oil life meter on the dashboard. And this meter will countdown your oil life from 100% to 0% when you continue to drive. That’s why you should change your engine oil immediately.
With the 15% oil life threshold, your computer reminds you that your oil change is due. And it gives you some time to plan your oil change before servicing your vehicle.
Service your vehicle, especially once the indicator shows 0%. If your servicing is overdue, it means you are going to have severe engine damage. For that reason, GM suggests an oil change be performed between two fuel tank fill-ups since the message first appears.
Why Readout My Oil Life 15 After Oil Change?
It can be because of resetting your oil life at your last oil change. The oil capacity may vary slightly depending on which motor your Honda has. The “oil life” indicator does not indicate how much oil is in your car’s engine at that time. This is an indicator that is reset every time you change your oil. And it did that based on the mileage driven since the last oil change.
Generally, it takes an amount of mileage driven relative to the suggested total mileage. It expresses a remaining oil life percentage until you need your following oil change.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):
Q. What causes oil life to go down?
Basically, it depends on the kind of driving that you are doing. If you drive your car in the city, your life will drop faster than the free road. If your oil drops so fast, you should change your oil frequently.
Q. How can I increase my oil life?
There are many ways you can increase your oil life. After receiving a 0% oil life warning, you should change your oil. In this way, you can improve your oil life.
Furthermore, you can increase your oil life if you change your oil filter after the oil change. Likewise, if your indicator says there is low oil after an oil change, you should have added more oil.
Q. Can you add oil to extend oil life?
Although additives can extend the oil life, they can’t prevent aging and degradation. Adding additives can also degrade the lubricant’s compositional balance.
There are ways to restore worn-out additives to extend oil change intervals. One way is an additive reformulation, which includes introducing an additive concentrate into the service oil.
Q. How many miles are left on 10% oil life?
You can go about 800 or even 1000 miles on 10% oil. You can take a long trip and return home with less oil. The indicator is an excellent way to see when you should start planning an oil change. In other words, 10% oil life shows you should change your oil quickly.
Read Also: How long you can go after oil change is due
Final word:
On the other hand, if on the way you are receiving a 0% oil life warning, you still drive your car. But as soon as possible, you should visit a service station to change your oil. And, after getting a 0% warning, if you use your car, your car will cause irreparable damage.
So, if your oil life drains so fast, you should stop driving your car and change your oil life. However, we hope you can know why my oil life going down fast from here. After reading this article, you can maintain your car oil life perfectly.
Read Also: Why My car Leaking oil after oil change