Can an overdue oil change do permanent damage to a car engine?

My girlfriend's car is about 4,000 miles overdue for an oil change due to a lack of funds. We should be able to get it done fairly soon, but is it possible that permanent damage will have been done to the engine, or any other part of the car? If it is important, it is a Volkswagen Beetle that's about 4-6 years old.Can an overdue oil change do permanent damage to a car engine?
That's the fastest way to ruin an engine. More friction in the engine wears it down faster. If you don't do anything else - oil/filter changes every 5000 miles should be done to protect the engine. Oil loses it's viscosity and doesn't function when it's overused.


1) You will literally get better fuel economy with clean fresh oil.


2) It will start getting past the rings when the cylinder walls wear more from the increased friction caused by old oil. When it starts getting past the rings it gets in the combustion chamber and starts to burn - causing smoke and even worse economy.Can an overdue oil change do permanent damage to a car engine?
Once wear takes place in your engine from the dirty oil, there is no way to repair it without taking it apart. I suggest you do the oil change yourself - it's much cheaper than going to a service place like Jiffy Lube. You can take the used oil to Shucks or Kragen (depending on your area) and they recycle it for free so there is no disposal charge. You don't want to put it in the trash.





If you can't afford the oil, you can't afford to put the gas in it to drive it.
When oil gets too old, the viscosity in the oil breaks down....Long term damage can result....





Example:...in the summer your oil thins out because of the heat..





In winter, it thickens a bit....





Be sure to use the proper grade of oil in your car. Only what the manual suggests you should use.





if it's 10W30...don't use 10W40 no matter the price difference.
Just make sure she has checked how much oil she has and if its below put a few quarts in. As long as the car isnt running on NO oil it wont cause damage.
If it is an old Beetle you might be all right (very strong) but I would change the oil before you have to change to motor
It is possible, but unlikely.