Anyone who has ever torn a slice of white bread in the restaurant by spreading herb butter on it that was too cold knows that fats are a lot harder when cold. Or in the case of motor oil: less liquid. And that is why it is sometimes better not to put your car at the garage for a service the day before.
You prefer to perform an oil change with a warm one motor oil. When the oil is warm, it flows better and you have the best chance that most of the old oil will drain out before the new one goes in. Not all garages will take the time to warm up your car for the optimal temperature. And if you have left your car at the garage a day in advance, you can be sure that the engine is cold.
Other garages will do a round with your car to heat things up, but you may not feel comfortable with that at all garages. In that case, you may have to ask yourself why you brought your car there. If you don’t trust the mechanic with your car, find another garage. Cheap is often expensive when it comes to things like this.
Some garages drive your car anyway
There are also garages that make a test drive at every turn, prior to the maintenance service. Think of the official garages of the more expensive car brands. With these brands you also have a chance that they will pick up the car for you. If you are going to get started with an oil change yourself, it is best to do it with a warmed-up engine.
Incidentally, you may wonder how bad it is that a little old oil lingers in your engine if you change the stuff regularly. If your oil is so old and polluted that not a drop should remain, you may need to have it serviced more often. Some things, such as the spark plugs, are better to change cold. So at the end of the turn.
