Oil change

Oil does three things in the engine: lubricates, cools, cleans. Over time and tens of thousands of kilometres, oil degrades — additives deplete, oil oxidises, and fine metal-wear particles build up. 'Tired' oil stops lubricating well, which increases wear on bearings, valves and cylinder walls. On modern engines, with very tight mechanical tolerances, this degradation is even more critical — oil that's 5,000 km overdue can literally cost you the engine.

Timely oil change is the simplest, most profitable maintenance on a car. Costs €60-180 depending on oil, and saves repairs that run to €4,000-8,000 in case of engine damage.

Today it's not enough to ask for '5W-30'. Every engine has a certified spec (ACEA A3/B4, A5/B5, C2, C3; API SN, SP; VW 504.00/507.00; BMW LL-04; Mercedes MB 229.5 or 229.52; Ford WSS-M2C913-C; etc.). Using a right-viscosity but wrong-spec oil can, on modern engines, trigger warning lights, force DPF regenerations (on diesels), or damage variable valve systems.

At Multipark we only work with oils meeting the manufacturer's certified specs. Big brands — Total/Elf, Shell, Mobil, Castrol, Motul — produce ranges specific to each requirement. We never have 'one oil for every car'. To each car its own.

The oil filter is always replaced alongside. An old filter carries months of dirt and particles. Reusing it cancels every benefit of the new oil.

A full oil change typically takes 30-45 minutes. We start with a warm engine (not hot — too-hot oil is dangerous and too liquid) to ensure complete drainage. We remove the sump plug, let it drain at least 10 minutes, change the filter (with lubricated O-ring for proper sealing), replace the plug at specified torque (important — over-tightening strips the sump thread, under-tightening leaks).

We fill with the exact quantity the manufacturer specifies, start the engine and wait 60 seconds for circulation. Switch off, wait 2 minutes, check level on the dipstick (or dashboard display on cars without a physical dipstick). Adjust if needed.

We finish by resetting the service indicator (the ECU's 'reset' telling when the next change is due) and logging in the service book + a discreet sticker on the pillar with date and next-change km.

As routine, during oil change we check other easily-accessed consumables — engine air filter, cabin (pollen) filter, fuel filter. If they're within replacement interval, we swap them together after client heads-up. More efficient than coming back in 3 months.

For clients parking with us during long trips, we offer a 'fast maintenance' package combining oil change + filters + tyre pressure + fluid checks. All in under 2 hours, using the parking window.