What problems will happen to your car if you don't add engine oil as recommended by the manufacturer?

If you open the hood of your car and look around a bit, you will probably see some kind of message or even a brand logo near the engine oil filler cap. The message can indicate what type of oil you should use in your engine.

For example, the oil cap on a Hyundai will usually say "Shell Recommended", on a Porsche it will say Mobile1, on a Land Rover it will say Castrol... In fact, on the engines of many cars there is no recommendation for any specific brand.

When it comes to motor oil, the key is volume and performance grade (also known as grade). Volume is the number you'll find in your vehicle's owner's manual and on bottles of motor oil. Modern cars use multi-grade oils, which means you'll see two numbers on their specifications.

For example, 5W-30 or 0W-20. The number before the “W” indicates the temperature at which the oil can start the engine well when cold. The number after the “W” indicates the thickness of the oil.

Each car manufacturer has its own engine design. Therefore, they have different performance and clearance specifications, so the engine oil must be calculated accordingly. Therefore, different car brands and engines will require different capacities and grades.

For example, most modern Toyotas use 0W-20 fully synthetic oil. Others may use 5W-30 semi-synthetic oil.

In reality, the recommendation to use a particular brand of oil is simply a marketing strategy that stems from the partnership between oil companies and automakers. Many automakers have agreements with certain brands of oil and are tied to those logos. So you’re essentially paying for the logo stamped on the bottle of oil.

While most independent repair shops still buy oil in bulk to replace for customers, that's why the cost of oil changes at outside units can be cheaper than at the dealership.

If you want to save money on oil changes, just make sure you use the correct oil volume and grade, and your average car's engine will still function properly. Don't worry too much about the brand name, as long as you don't buy a fake or low-quality imitation.

However, for high-performance vehicles, not adding oil according to the manufacturer's recommendations can affect the engine's performance. Therefore, you may need to pay more attention when using oil for this type of vehicle.

Ultimately, after making sure you're using the correct capacity and grade of oil for your car's engine, the best maintenance you can do to prolong the life of your engine is to change your oil regularly.

Do this more often than recommended by the manufacturer. Change the oil twice a year if you drive less or every 5,000-7,000km to prevent dirt and sludge build-up over time.