Now that all the snows melted, the roads are clear and the weather is finally looking a little more bearable for driving, it’s the perfect time tune up your vehicle for the new season.

Whether you live in the farmlands of Luskville or the waterside homes of Chapeau, it’s been a long winter for everyone, including your vehicle.

With a little help from a local expert in the automotive industry, here is one thing that should never go overlooked before taking your car out for a spin this spring.

According to Shawville Auto Service co-owner Gerry Monette, the most important thing to do with your car at the start of spring is to check your oil and change your filters.

“The important thing is really the air filter and cabin filter,” he said. “Usually if you change the oil you check the filter too. It’s kind of all together with the oil change.”

Most cars have a light that turns on or a sticker indicating when one’s oil should be changed. However not all of them make the job easy to do without help from a professional..

“Some of the cars nowadays, they require more tools,” Monette said.

A crucial aspect of oil changing is making sure you have a product with a viscosity grade that is compatible with your car.

With 11 viscosity grades featuring different numbers and letters like 0W40, 5W30 or 10W30, there are multiple different types to chose from. However, picking the right one is vital to the survival of your car’s engine, Monette said.

“You have to stay with what the car recommends,” he said. “That’s very important. If it says 5W20 stick with 5W20. Some of them take 020. Stick with that. That’s very important to do. Don’t change the viscosity. You can change the brands and that’s not a problem. But, just stay with the same viscosity. And if it requires synthetic, go synthetic.”

By using the wrong viscosity in your oil, you run the risk of damaging your engine, because vehicles are manufactured with components that are specifically designed to only contain a certain levels of viscosity, according to Monette.

“In a car you have your main bearings,” he said. “And all of these are designed for a certain viscosity. If you put a heavier viscosity, the engine will wear to the point that it can use that viscosity. And if you revert it back you could ruin the engine.”

Lastly, a key step to changing your oil is properly that should never be forgotten is recycling your fluids, according to Monette.

“Nothing should go out in the dump at all,” he said.

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