All auto filters are designed to prevent harmful debris from entering any parts where air and fluid flow, including your engine, radiator, fuel lines, and more. Once a filter is no longer performing its intended function, decreased performance—even engine damage—can result.
You’ve been reaping the benefits of filters your entire life. If you’ve ever used a furnace or air conditioning system at home, you’ve had to replace a filter from time to time. If you haven’t, well, you might want to go and check those out too. You can send us a thank you letter later—if you want.
In the meantime, here’s what each automotive filter does:
Air filter: Prevents harmful debris, dirt, and contaminants from entering your engine.
Cabin filter: An implementation that began appearing in vehicles in 2002, it prevents dust, pollen, dirt, and other pollutants from entering your car through your A/C and heat vents.
Fuel Filter: Keeps dirt, debris, and contaminants from clogging your fuel lines and causing erratic, unstable fuel performance and reduced fuel economy.
Get to know the filters in your car
Every car has four main filters: the cabin filter, oil filter, fuel filter, and air filter. The function of all these filters is to enable flows and catch impurities: the dust and contaminants in the air, the impurities in the fuel, or the dirt in the motor oil. If your car filters are not replaced in time, they won’t work properly and in the end, it could cause an impact on the mechanics. By replacing your filters, your car will be more efficient. Let’s take a closer look:
What is a cabin filter?
The cabin filter cleans the air that comes into the interior of your car through the heating and air conditioning. It filters out dust, pollen, and other airborne particles. If you’ve got a carbon activated cabin filter it also captures exhaust gasses and odors. Having clean air in your car is particularly important if you have any allergies or respiratory problems.
Reasons to change your cabin filter in Duncanville and Dallas, Texas on time:
- To breathe fresher air
- The cabin filter allows you to breathe clean air, by filtering bacteria, pollen, and polluting substances. If you don’t change your cabin filter regularly in Duncanville and Dallas, Texa, you may notice unpleasant odors and could have allergic reactions (sneezing, coughing, etc.)
- To avoid safety and visibility issues
- When a cabin filter is clogged, it may partially block the airflow coming into your car. This can be problematic, especially when you need to defog the windows.
- To increase the life of your car’s A/C heating system
- Having a clean cabin filter will maximize airflow and extend the life of your car’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.
What is an air filter?
Just as humans need oxygen to breathe, a car needs oxygen for the combustion process. The air filter prevents any insects, dust, particles, sand, or debris reaching the engine and ensures a good mixture of air and fuel to support performance. Car air filters come in different shapes:
panels, circular or cylindrical. They are made of a pleated material that filters the air and may be made of cotton, synthetic paper, or foam.
Reasons to change your air filter in Duncanville and Dallas, Texas:
- For a better car performance:
- When the air flowing into the engine is clean, the mixture of fuel and air supports maximum power.
- To save on fuel:
- Decrease fuel consumption by ensuring good combustion.
- To avoid black smoke:
- When the air filter is clogged, the fuel combustion is incomplete and leads to dirty exhaust smoke – which is a bad sign.
What is an oil filter?
The oil filter maintains continuous oil flow and removes particles (dirt, oxidized oil, metallic particles) that may appear in the motor oil due to engine wear. It purifies the motor oil so that it can do its job efficiently. An oil filter has enough contaminant holding capacity to remain fully functional until the next oil change in Duncanville and Dallas, Texas.
Reasons to change your oil filter in Duncanville and Dallas, Texas:
- To reduce engine wear:
- A failing oil filter will allow impurities to pass through and slow down the arrival of oil, which can lead to early engine wear, poor performance, or even engine failure.
- To avoid soiling your new oil:
- The oil filter should be generally be changed at each oil change in Duncanville and Dallas, Texas (every 10,000 km for a petrol car and every 15,000 km for a diesel) to avoid soiling your new oil.
What happens to air, cabin air, or fuel filters as they get older?
Any filter—home, auto, or otherwise—will eventually age and become contaminated with pollutants and debris. When that happens, the filter loses its effectiveness and hinders the performance of the parts it is supposed to protect.
When your air filter is dirty, your engine is forced to work harder, resulting in poor fuel economy, higher emissions, and, possibly, a loss of engine power. In turn, as a worst-case scenario, a clogged cabin air filter can lead to under-performance of the A/C system, causing weak airflow from the cabin vents. It can also lead to unwanted, unfiltered air in the cabin. As for a mucked-up fuel filter, that’ll land you with weakened fuel supply to injectors, a reduction in engine power, poor acceleration, and lousy fuel economy—not to mention a potential breakdown.
Replace old filters to avoid placing stress on other vital car parts.
What is the benefit of replacing an air, cabin air, or fuel filter?
The benefits are car-saving and performance-enhancing. They protect vital car parts by keeping harmful debris at bay so your car runs right. Filters also ensure your car runs more efficiently. The cleaner your filter, the more it allows for the maximum flow of air or fluid through the system. Like a clogged drain, a dirty filter starves the system of the vital air or fluid and makes each system it protects work harder to do its job. Once filters are dirtied, they should be replaced.
The purpose of each filter is clear: to trap and protect.
Air filter: Engine protection is the name of the game. So is engine performance. Acceleration can improve up to 11% after an old, dirty air filter is replaced.
Cabin air filter: Made to prevent outside allergens and dust from entering your ride’s air vents. The benefit: it keeps the air that you breathe inside the cabin clean. They’re engineered to trap a whole bunch of things, including pollen, dust, mold spores, smoke, soot, and smog—none of which belong in your nose.
Fuel filter: The cleaner the fuel system, the more efficiently your vehicle will operate. Even a slight reduction in fuel flow can affect your vehicle’s overall performance and fuel economy. With a new fuel filter, you typically notice a boost in fuel efficiency and overall performance. And with the cost of gas these days, that savings can be significant.
What is the fuel filter?
The fuel filter removes impurities like dust, rust, and grit contained in the fuel. By eliminating these contaminants, the fuel filter protects your fuel injectors and plays a key role in maintaining the performance and longevity of your car engine.
Reasons to change your fuel filter in Duncanville and Dallas, Texas:
- To maintain your engine performance:
- If your fuel filter gets clogged, it can reduce the flow and weaken performance as the engine has difficulties drawing fuel. With a clogged filter, the fuel pump works much harder and you may have problems starting the car or notice poor acceleration or stalling.
- To keep your car parts in good condition:
- Because of its abrasive action, dirt and contaminants in the fuel can speed up wear and tear, damage expensive parts, and even cause the fuel pump and injector to fail.
