How can a petroleum product deteriorate, in particular a motor oil? Or is everything in practice not as simple and obvious as it might seem? Surely, many drivers at least once wondered if a lubricant has some kind of shelf life. Is it worth looking for any time marks on the packaging and taking them into account when using your favorite "swallow"? It's time to figure out the issue.
Shelf life is not only for butter and sunflower oil, but also for motor oil. This point should be taken into account not only when buying a can of lubricant, but also when changing the oil later, after some time has passed since the moment of purchase. In the end, the eloquent stamp with the date of production on the label of each canister is not at all for beauty.
How long can engine oil last? In fact, not as long as it might seem. The shelf life directly depends on the base of the lubricant. Mineral oils are stored much less than synthetic oils. In this case, the material begins to "rapidly" (by the standards of petroleum products) deteriorate immediately after the first opening of the canister of contact with the external atmosphere. Most often, the canister has an expiration date of 5 years. However, in practice this figure is lower. For mineral oils, it rarely exceeds 3 years.
When the set period expires, the oil does not cease to be a lubricant at one moment, however, the further, the more it will lose its performance. The use of such a composition is dangerous for the driver and people around him. Therefore, you should be very vigilant about all kinds of promotions, discounts and sales, in which stores are trying to sell cans of engine oil for less money. It is possible that the exposed lubricant is about to start deteriorating. Do not forget that the lubricant continues to lose its qualities, and in the formed mode, even after it is inside the car.
If you want to know even more interesting things about automotive topics, then you should read about domestic and fast: 5 Soviet-made sports cars.