Ok, time for what's probably a silly question!

I'm chuffed with myself for completing my first home service on my 21 year old Mk1 today. The main reason I was still taking it to the garage was the oil change. Just sounded like such a faff. However, I finally broke my oil change cherry, and it was far easier than I thought. 

My question is....I swear the car drives much better after the change! In acceleration mainly, seems more responsive. Also seems to run more quietly. 

I'm curious if this is just a placebo effect, or if anyone else has had this?

Now, it has been 2 years since the last oil change, and also I replaced the air filter....but the old air filter looked fine.

Simultaneously I've replaced a faulty o2 sensor, so maybe it's that, but I wouldn't have expected an instant change from that. I would have thought that would show up more in MPG.

 

Anyway. Am I talking *****? 😂

Changing the O2 Sensor would have made the car drive better because would have been in Open Loop with the faulty one instead of Closed Loop.

I also feel that my cars drive better after an Oil change, especially the older ones that I have had. Maybe because the old Oil will be thicker with all the contamination or maybe it is the placebo effect, who knows.

42 minutes ago, DrPepper said:

I replaced the air filter....but the old air filter looked fine.

Did you try breathing through it to see how easy the air came through ? 🤣

Yes your car probably does run a little better, but it will be a combination of all the parts you replaced and the placebo effect.

Agreed - a combination off all those things.

But when I worked in a large office we all agreed that our cars drove slightly quicker immediately after we'd washed them!

4 minutes ago, alanfp said:

But when I worked in a large office we all agreed that our cars drove slightly quicker immediately after we'd washed them!

Just think with a couple of 'Go faster stripes' they would have been racing machines 🤣

😂 

 

Ah crap I forgot.....I also put a new air freshener in. That explains it. 

42 minutes ago, Tizer said:

Changing the O2 Sensor would have made the car drive better because would have been in Open Loop with the faulty one instead of Closed Loop.

Interesting Tizer, I just assumed it wouldn't be that noticeable. 

1 hour ago, alanfp said:

we all agreed that our cars drove slightly quicker immediately after we'd washed them!

yeh, mine deffo feels quicker when it's just been cleaned 😁 (maybe it's the dehydration after hours of work 🤣)

11 hours ago, DrPepper said:

😂

 

Ah crap I forgot.....I also put a new air freshener in. That explains it. 

You were probably tripping on air freshener solvent then!  

Tbh, I must have carried out hundreds of oil changes now.  I can't remember ever feeling that a car drives better afterwards.    I'm fairly sure it is just placebo for those that do.  People need to justify the cost & time they've put into it.  For those doing it themselves, especially for the first time, it could also be the euphoria from the sense of achievement...