How often to change air filter in car?

The engine air filter is probably one of the most important pieces of safety equipment on your car. An air filter is designed to keep all the air that the engine breathes clean, so if we put it in terms of gas mileage, for every one gallon of gas that your car burns, it also took fifteen gallons of air that gained through the air filter.

The job of the engine air filter is to keep the pollutants, the dirt, the dust, and all the stuff in the air from getting inside your engine, where it can turn to grit and it can damage stuff inside the engine.

So, a dirty air filter is unsafe to your engine. Over the time, the engine air filter becomes dirty and clogged, and will need to be replaced. How often the engine air filter will need replacement varies. Checkout this post below to know how often we should replace the engine air filter...

Normal usage vehicles

The best option on how often to change air filter is to consult with your owner's manual. It will describe the right times and mileages, spesifically for your car model and type. Differrent brand have different time and mileages interval in order to replace the engine air filter.

For example, the recommended change interval on most Ford engines is every 30,000 miles, but Chevrolet says it should be done every 45,000 miles on many of its engines. Mitsubishi also says every 45,000 miles for engine air filter replacement.

But in general, engine air filter needs to be replaced every 12,000 to 15,000 miles or it takes about 1,5 -2 years with one cleaning interval for normal driving usage. General means that your vehicle is used in normal usage such as for normal city driving with good environment, mobility from home to office, travels on weekdays, or just used to go to the shopping mart.

Severe usage vehicles

While normal driving usage tooks 12,000 - 15,000 miles for replacing the engine air filter, there are several cases that needs an earlier air filter replacement. Identify as "Severe usage", its apply to only vehicles used under severe operating conditions, such as:

Driving in a dusty area or in an area in which the vehicle is likely to be exposed to salty air or brine.
Driving on rough roads, on submerged roads, or hilly areas.
Driving in cold zones.
Engine idling for a long time or short-distance travel during cold weather.
Frequent, sudden application of brakes.
Towing of a trailer.
Use as a taxi or as a rent-a-car.
More than 50% of operation time in heavy city traffic in hot temperatures of 86 °F or higher.
More than 50% of operation time at speeds of 120km/h or higher in hot temperatures of 86 °F or higher.
Operation under excessive load.

Within "severe usage" conditions, it may tooks 6,000 - 7,500 miles to replace the air filter with one or two cleaning intervals.

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Signs that is the time to change the engine air filter

If you dont have any clue about your vehicle repair history on when the air filter have been replaced, then you can use several signs to use to replace the engine air filter. Below is signs that the engine air filter is need to be replaced.

Air filter visual looks dirty and bad ; If the filter looks black, dirty, dusty and seems that the air filter never been touched for a long time. This can be a sign that the air filter needs to be replaced.
Poor acceleration ; Poor acceleration can be a sign to replace the engine air filter. When accelerating, the engine need lots air supply rapidly to equalize the fuel injection amount. If the engine air filter is clogged, it will affecting the engine performance, mostly when acceleration.
Increased fuel consumption ; When your fuel consumption increased while your vehicle activity hasn't changed much, this also can be a sign for you to check and replace the engine air filter.

Getting the engine air filter changed is generally not an expensive repair. It’s basic maintenance that you need to take care of regularly in order to keep your car running great. Just replace it when you start noticing signs that it is clogged, this will keep your car in great shape for as long as possible.