Did you set your clocks ahead today? Here in Richmond, we observe the coming and going of Daylight Savings Time and this is the weekend when it’s time to set our clocks ahead. Fire departments have used the weekends when we reset our clocks as a means of reminding us to check the batteries in our smoke alarms and CO2 alarms. That’s a very good idea. It could save your life.

This is also an opportune time to remind yourself to change the oil in your car. No, it’s not enough to change the oil twice each year – once in October when the clocks fall back and once in March when the clocks spring ahead. But it’s still a good reminder.

If you’re changing the oil appropriately, depending on the car and the type of oil you use, you’ll probably want to change your car’s oil five or six times each year. Some synthetic oils will hold up longer but, you want to keep in mind that, even if the oil is still good, over time, it’s carrying more and more particles suspended in the oil. Those particles can do damage inside your engine when they’re squeezed between moving parts.

Changing the oil regularly, as scheduled (see your owner’s manual for the recommended schedule for changing your car’s oil), is probably the most important thing you can do to maintain the reliability and value of your vehicle.

The good news is that an oil change doesn’t take long and, relatively speaking, doesn’t cost much, depending on where you bring the vehicle for the oil change. There are plenty of options in the Richmond area. However, since a quality oil change will also include a thorough safety inspection of the vehicle, you may want to bring the car to an auto repair shop where they really know their way around a car.

You might want to avoid one of those quick-lube places where, often, the kid changing the oil, and, hopefully, doing the safety check, may know less about the car then you may know about the car.