When is the Best Time to Change Your Car Filters?
Making sure the air in your car’s engine and cabin is clean is an essential part of keeping your car running smoothly and your driving experience healthy. You keep the air clean with two air filters — the cabin air filter and engine air filter, respectively — which need regular replacement to stay effective. But why and how frequently should they be replaced? Auto Correct is here to answer your questions.
Replacing Cabin Air Filters
When air is pulled in from outside your car and into the cabin, it passes through the cabin air filter. This prevents things like dirt, bugs, and pollen from reaching you inside your vehicle. However, by catching all of these particulates, the filter will eventually become clogged — or even moldy and mildewed if it gets waterlogged — making it difficult for the air to pass through.
To prevent this from happening, you want to replace your cabin air filter on a regular maintenance schedule: every 12-15,000 miles or annually, whichever happens first, though if you live somewhere that is particularly dusty, you may want to change it more frequently. Being proactive with your car maintenance can prevent future car issues or damage in the future. However, if your filter ends up needing to be changed outside of the normal schedule, there are signs. If your dashboard vents are not producing as much air as usual, you are consistently smelling something rotten or moldy, or you are noticing that stuff is making it past the filters, it is likely time to change your filter.
Replacing Engine Filters
Your engine air filter cleans air the same way the cabin filter does but on a more precise scale, because it has to ensure that the oxygen that mixes with the burning fuel in your engine is as pure and clean as possible. In fact, engine air filters are meant to catch particles as small as 5-10 microns, so anything that would make it through is truly negligible. But, as with any other kind of screen or filter, these, too, will clog up and need replacement. Luckily, these follow the same maintenance schedule as cabin air filters; change your engine air filters every year or every 12-15,000 miles.
However, if your filter needs to be changed early, you may notice that your car takes longer to get up to speed. Additionally, your Check Engine light may come on, the car may misfire, black smoke can come from the exhaust, or you may notice the smell of gasoline. If any of these start to occur, take a look at your filter — usually located in a box-container in the engine bay — to check its condition. If the engine filter is damaged or has a lot of debris build up, it definitely needs to be replaced.
Car Filter Replacement at Auto Correct
The filters on your car — both for the cabin and the engine — need to stay in good condition to keep you and the rest of your car safe and running. If you are coming up on your next maintenance milestone, or just aren’t sure when you last looked at the filters, swing by
Are you coming up on your annual milestone? Or have you forgotten the last time your car filters were replaced? Pearson Auto doesn’t judge, and we’re here to help. We just want you and your car happy and healthy out there on the road, and we have the filters you need. Just give us a call or swing by Auto Correct in Glendale for your car filter replacements.
