There are various filters for various different components on your vehicle. Each one of these filters is important to keeping your vehicle living a long and healthy life. So which filters need changing and when?
The first filter change that is often over looked, yet extremely important is the air filter. This filter keeps fine particles of dust and road grime out of the engine. If these particles were allowed to enter the engine, major damage could occur. The average interval to change this filter is around 6,000 to 10,000 miles, or every other oil change, depending on the manufacturer recommend mileage interval. The air filter is often one of the easiest, cheapest filters to change and can often be done with few or no tools..
The next filter change that is important to your vehicle is the fuel filter. As gasoline sits in the fuel tank at the gas station or the fuel tank in your car dirt and other nasty items can accumulate. This fuel contamination can clog fuel lines or even cause internal engine or fuel injector damage. The normal change interval depends on manufacturer specifications and can vary greatly depending on where you drive, how you drive and where you purchase your fuel. Changing this filter is usually best left to a professional mechanic due to the highly dangerous nature of fuel and the commonly high pressures modern fuel systems run at.
The next important filter change for your vehicle is the oil filter. This filter is threaded into the engine block and prevents small metal shavings and other contaminants from entering the oil passages in your engine and causing crippling engine damage. Many manufacturers recommend that this filter be changed every other oil change, but many oil change shops and professional mechanics will replace this filter at every oil change service. Changing your oil is an important part of keeping your vehicle healthy. Doing a cheap oil change can save you thousands of dollars in savings down the road. Changing the oil filter is usually left to a professional mechanic; however a competent individual can often change this filter themselves.
One last filter that many modern cars are including is a cabin air filter. This filter catches dust and other items that may find a way into the passenger compartment. The normal interval for changing this filter is often quite long. These filters can sometimes present a challenge when it comes time to change because they may be hard to reach.
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Tags: car, engine, filter change, filters, fuel