When you buy your first car, you tend to learn about a lot of auto care tips. One of the most common tips is that you need to get your oil changed on a regular basis. Wondering if this is really important? Here is a look at why you need to follow through with this auto care essential.

1. Oil Plays an Important Role To understand the importance of changing your oil, you need to understand what it does. Basically, your oil moves through your engine, lubricating the components and helping them move against each other without friction. On top of that, as oil moves through your engine, it also absorbs some of the heat coming off your engine. Then, when it moves out of the engine, it takes some of that heat away. The oil doesn't cool your engine on its own--your radiator and fan also play a big role--but it is important.

2. Dirty Oil Is Not Effective As oil moves through your engine, as described above, it picks up dirt and grime. Unfortunately, when oil becomes dirty, it loses its effectiveness. The debris in the oil can make it harder to move through the engine, and clogs may result.

3. Changing the Oil Helps to Ensure You Don't Have Leaks

When you take your car into an auto care specialist to have the oil changed, they also tend to look over your system to ensure that the oil is not leaking. If your oil reservoir is leaking, you may run out of oil. With no oil in the system, your engine can overheat or have other issues.

4. A Lack of Oil Can Wear Down Engine Components

In particular, if your car has old oil or no oil, the components of your engine start rubbing against each other. To explain how this damages your vehicle, imagine two pieces of oily metal rubbing against each other. The oil allows them to slide over each other easily.

Now, imagine those same pieces of metal rubbing against each other with no oil in between. The direct contact leads to a lot of friction, and the friction, in turn, wears down the metal. If parts start wearing down in your car like that, you may face some serious repair issues.

5. Oil Changes Are Affordable

In addition to being important for your vehicle, oil changes are also relatively affordable. Some people opt to change their own oil, and even that is a relatively straightforward process. You simply empty out the old oil and pour in new oil. To learn more, contact an auto care professional directly.