Importance of Gear Oil

When it is time to get your oil changed, most people assume that it is their engine oil that needs to be taken care of.  While this is the most common lubricant requiring routine attention from car owners, it needs to be known that there are other areas of your car that need proper lubrication other than your engine.

Gear oil is often times forgotten or not even recognized when it comes to properly scheduled maintenance.  The main purpose of gear oil is to lubricate, cool, and protect all of the parts of the car that have rotating and moving metal gears.  These are the gears that enable your wheels to spin at the appropriate speed when you step on the gas.  If your vehicle is not checked for proper gear oil, then you will begin to notice a decline in performance over time.

When properly used, gear oil ensures a limited amount of friction within gear operation.  Less friction means less debris near contact zones within the engine.  Another purpose of gear oil is to control extreme temperature and pressure.  The proper balance of temperature and balance prevents wear, pitting, spalling, scoring, scuffing and other types of damage that can result from gear rotation.

How often should Gear Oil be changed?

Most of the wear on your gears is going to occur during the break in period of your car.  This means if you have a new car, you should have your first gear oil change with your first oil change (about 3,000 miles).  After this, you will probably not need to change it again for the next 30,000 to 50,000 miles.  This will depend on your specific car along with your driving conditions.

If you cannot remember the last time you had your gear oil checked or changed, or if you didn’t even know that you had to change your gear oil, don’t worry.  Bring your car into Quality Lube Plus and we will check it out for you.  We will even change your oil while you’re here!