Today I want to talk about your engine air filter. That's the filter that cleans the air, before it's burned in your engine. Pop Quiz! How often should you change your engine air filter? The simple answer is…when it's dirty. That's a function of how much air is passed through the filter. So the manufacturer will recommend a mileage interval for replacing the air filter, but you can imagine that how dirty the air is would affect how quickly the filter gets filled. If you drive where there's a lot of dust, pollution or pollen, your engine air filter will get dirty more quickly and need to be changed sooner. That's why we check the air filter with every full service oil change. We can visually tell if the filter needs to be changed. What happens when the air filter gets completely dirty? The filter can only hold so much dirt. So, dirt will pass through to the engine, once the filter is full. This dirt gums up the combustion chamber and hurts performance and may cause damage. It can also contaminate the mass airflow sensor, which will affect drivability and can be fairly expensive to replace. So, a dirty air filter would also restrict the amount of air that gets to the engine. We can replace your engine air filter with one that matches the factory specifications, or you can upgrade your filter for enhanced performance. Changing a dirty air filter is probably the easiest and least-expensive maintenance procedure you can have done, and it really benefits the performance and life of your engine. The next time your Elite Service Advisor shows you a dirty air filter, you'll know how important it is to get it replaced.
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