If you open your car’s owner’s manual and flip to the maintenance section, you will find the preventative maintenance schedule. Included in the schedule are the best times to change the air, cabin (if your vehicle has one), fuel, and oil filters. CAR FIX recommends that you stick to the schedule. If you don’t have your vehicle’s owner’s manual, we will list the general recommendations below.
Air
Generally, the air filter should be changed annually or every 12,000 miles. You need a clean air filter for optimal engine performance and fuel economy. The air filter is the filter that removes contaminants from the air that flows into the engine before it is used for engine combustion. A dirty air filter will prevent the airflow your engine needs to run efficiently. This will not only cause engine performance issues, such as sputtering and stalling, but it will also reduce your automobile’s fuel efficiency.
Cabin
If your car, truck, crossover, or utility vehicle has a cabin air filter, it generally needs to be changed every 30,000 miles. This filter helps to keep the air inside the passenger cabin purified. It removes contaminants, dirt, dust, exhaust, pollen, and other irritants from the air before it is blown through the vents. People who are driving with a dirty cabin air filter often complain of headaches or feeling sluggish every time they are in their car. This is a sign that the cabin filter is dirty.
Fuel
Generally, the fuel filter should also be changed every 30,000 miles. If it isn’t, it will become clogged with dirt and sediment and you will end up with the same engine performance issues as discussed in the air filter section of this blog post. In fact, if your fuel filter is clogged completely, you will not be able to get your automobile started because fuel will be unable to make its way to the fuel injectors. Make sure your automobile always has a clean fuel filter for optimal performance.
Oil
Finally, the oil filter gets changed when you schedule an oil change service. It’s important to make sure that the oil filter does not get clogged, as this will directly affect the oil’s performance in your engine. Did you know that an engine without oil will seize up and die in less than 30 minutes? This is how important clean motor oil is to your automobile’s engine, so make sure you stick to your oil change schedule so you always have a clean oil filter.
CAR FIX in Oak Ridge TN, are experts in automotive preventative maintenance and we can make sure that all of your vehicle’s filters are replaced when they need it.
