What Do Your Filters Do & When Should You Change Them?

Every modern car has four primary filters: the cabin air filter, engine air filter, fuel filter, and oil filter. Proper filter maintenance is essential for keeping your car in working order. We’ve outlined what each filter does and how often you should change them below. 

Cabin Air Filter

The cabin air filter keeps the air inside your vehicle’s cabin clean. It works to minimize dust, smoke, and odors within the vehicle. Atlanta has plenty of dusty construction areas, which can make your cabin air filter work overtime. Each vehicle manufacturer will recommend how often you should replace your cabin air filter, with a general rule of every 15,000 to 25,000 miles. At a minimum, you should change your cabin air filter once a year. 

Engine Air Filter

Your engine needs air to function. The engine air filter removes dust and other particles that may be sucked into your engine while it pulls air through. Dirty engine air filters can cause a handful of problems, like poor performance, reduced power, and lower fuel economy. A dirty engine air filter can also cause your engine to malfunction if not replaced on a timely basis. Engine air filters should be replaced every 15,000 to 30,000 miles. 

Fuel Filter

Fuel filters will catch impurities within your fuel and prevent them from entering your engine. Allowing these impurities to enter your engine can negatively impact performance. Waiting too long to replace your fuel filter can result in sludge build-up within your engine. Your driving habits and environments will impact when to replace your fuel filter, but generally speaking, they should be replaced every 30,000 miles.

Oil Filter

The purpose of engine oil is to keep your engine’s mechanical parts lubricated. As the oil gets dirty, it gets sludgy and can cause your engine to underperform. You should replace your oil filter at the time of your oil change, which we can do for you!

Filter Maintenance Is Essential!

Whether you prefer to change your filters or have our ASE-Certified technicians change them for you at your scheduled service, the four primary filters in your car are crucial to keeping everything working as designed. Contact us to schedule your service to change your filters today!