By Ainaz Eghbali
It is every car owner’s concern when and how to change the car air filter. Changing the air filter is a part of caring for your car and since your car’s resale value matters, caring for it is a necessity. Don't forget that a regular auto detailing at Shiny can help with keeping your car air filter clean.
Your Vehicle’s Air Filter Replacement
To maintain a great performance on your car, you must check on your vehicle’s air filter regularly and change it on a regular basis if needed. In this article, we gathered around all the information you will need on car air filter change. If you have questions on engine air filter replacement keep on reading to find all the answers you will ever need.
What Does The Air Filter In Your Car Do?
To understand the process of air filter replacement and the regular check-up on it, you need to know what the air filter does in your car. Filters are mostly made to prevent harmful contaminants from entering different parts of your vehicle, such as the engine or the cabin.
What Does The Engine Car Filter Do In Your Car?
Engine car filter prevents any harmful impurity from entering your engine. After some time, your engine filter will get clogged and that’s when many problems relevant to your engine will arise.
What Does The Cabin Filter Do In Your Car?
If you have been wondering what a cabin air filter does for your car, well the answer is that the cabin air filter stops any toxic contaminants such as dust, odors and pollen from entering the interior part of your car.
Benefits Of Changing Your Car’s Air Filter
Preventing small particles from entering the engine and causing potentially expensive damage is not the only benefit to replacing your vehicle’s air filter, as you can read below.
1. Increasing the efficiency of the fuel
A dirty filter will make your engine work harder; therefore, it uses more fuel.
2. Elongates the life of the engine
Any damage done to the engine is super expensive to repair. A dirty or damaged air filter will let toxic pollutants into your engine and will definitely cause unwanted problems.
Getting To Know Your Car’s Air Filter Replacement Steps
You don’t need to be a professional to change your own vehicle’s filters. Anyone with a little knowledge of using tools can replace the cabin air filter. Follow the following 4 steps to change your car’s air filter safely.
Step 1: The Black Box
Open the hood of your auto and find the engine. On top of the engine or beside it, you see a black box. That is your engine filter.
Step 2: Screws & Clips
The air filter storage might be fastened with different types of screws and clips, so choose the right tool to unfasten it and open the air filter housing. Be cautious because the air filter might have wires and might even contain electricity. For your complete safety, remove the old air filter after a double check
Step 3: The New Engine
Carefully place the new engine air filter in the filter storage. Ensure that the rubber rim is facing upwards and double check that it has been placed in a correct way.
Step 4: The Storage Room
Put all the screws and clips back on and fasten the top of your filter’s storage again. And you are done!
How Often Do You Change the Air Filters of Your Car?
You can tell when a filter needs replacement by looking at it. Open the filter’s housing and look at the used air filter. if you can spot dirt on the filter, it obviously needs changing.
However, if you can’t determine whether or not the filter needs a change on an average it is about every 3 years or 30,000 to 40,000 miles that a filter needs changing. If you take your car for tune-ups, you can ask the repairman to check your air filters as well. There are also some symptoms that might mean you filters need changing:
1. Low fuel efficiency
2. Check engine light on
3. Strange noises, especially from the engine
4. Smell of petrol in the cabin
5. Sight of black smoke
How Much Does It Cost To Replace An Air Filter In Car?
Depending whether you go to a mechanic or you do it all by yourself, the cost of an auto air filter change can vary from $30 to $90. By changing the filters yourself, you will be saving about $10 to $30. But it is recommended you seek help from a professional.
Your Car’s Air Filter Installation Car
Air filter installation of your car is not a hard job but it is vital for you and your auto’s safety and for the efficiency and the good performance of your car. Now that you are thorough with this article you know all you need about car air filters. So go and check the filter of your car and change it with full safety if needed. Place your filter back in the filter box. Make sure it sits snuggly in the box!
