Your automobile has three or four primary filters that need regular maintenance. Filter maintenance is simple; you just swap the filters out for new ones. Del Hatt Automotive can do this for you. Before we get into the different filter types, it’s important that you check your owner’s manual to see if your automobile has a cabin air filter. Many vehicles do not have this filter and if yours doesn’t, you don’t need to worry about changing it. Let’s talk about the different automotive filters in cars, trucks, and utility vehicles, what they do, and when they need to be changed.
Air
Every vehicle has an engine air filter. This filter cleans the air that flows into the engine from the outside. This filter needs to be changed every 12,000 miles. It can also be changed annually if you don’t put a lot of mileage on your automobile. When the air filter gets clogged, it can affect your engine performance and fuel economy. It can also make it difficult to start your automobile, or you may not be able to start it at all. Don’t let your air filter get clogged. Make sure to change it when it’s dirty.
Cabin
As we said above, not all vehicles have a cabin air filter so check your owner’s manual to see if yours does. If it does, check to see when your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends you change the cabin air filter. The average duration is every 30,000 miles, but some recommendations are as little as every 6,000 miles. This is why it’s important to see the recommendation in your owner’s manual so you know exactly when to change your automobile’s cabin air filter.
Fuel
All vehicles have fuel filters. This filter cleans out the contaminants and sediment that are naturally found in gasoline and diesel fuel. The filter will run the fuel through it twice to make sure that it is completely clean before it is introduced into the combustion chamber. The fuel filter needs to be changed every 30,000 miles on average. Again, if you don’t put a lot of miles on your automobile, you can change the fuel filter every two years.
Oil
Finally, you don’t need to worry about the oil filter because it is changed automatically during an oil change. The whole point of an oil change is to put clean oil in your engine, so it’s crucial that the automotive service technician change your oil filter at the same time. Otherwise, the dirty filter will contaminate the oil. Your oil filter is changed every 3,000 miles.
Again, Del Hatt Automotive in Poughkeepsie, NY, would be happy to change your automotive filters when they need it. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
