Breathe Easy: Air Filter tips and Tricks

Breathe Easy: Air Filter tips and Tricks.

After several road trips and many miles during the summer months, we’ve all had to wash our vehicles a few times. Salt air, bug guts, pollen, mud and dirt all stick to and accumulate on your car. Sending your car through a car wash will certainly help to get rid of all that crud on the exterior of your car. However, that doesn’t get rid of the accumulation you now have in your air filters. In fact, you have much more of it in your filters then you ever would on the surface of your car. Your engine intake filter and your cabin filter make it on the list as some of the most important parts of your car.

Engine Air Intake Filter

Aside from electric cars, virtually all vehicles are powered by internal combustion engines. Air is required for combustion for that reason it is in constant demand while your car is on. Think lungs: we are constantly taking in air to sustain ourselves. And, the more we use our bodies (eg., work, exercise, etc.), the more air we need. The more your car works, the more air it needs also.

The air intake filters for your engine are vitally important to the life and performance of your car. Pollen, bugs, water and dust are all removed from the air that the car takes in before feeding it through the engine. Without it, debris and buildup can ultimately destroy an engine by latching on to your engine walls, pistons and rings. Contamination can also play tricks on your check engine light by preventing the sensors from doing their jobs.

During the summer months, many cars are exposed to a lot more pollen, pollutants, dust, mud and bugs.

Cabin Filter

Your cabin filter removes all the pollen, dust, bacteria, fumes and other unwanted allergens and particles out of the air you breathe while inside your car. During the summer, your cabin filter is prone to get clogged much quicker, decreasing the air quality in your car and also the performance of heating and air conditioning systems.

Just as with intake filters, cabin filters are the mercy of your driving habits. If you notice a stale smell coming from your car vents, dipping performance in your heating and/or cooling systems or if you’ve done excessive driving in rural areas or cities, have your mechanic check out your cabin filter.

Be sure to add these filters to your scheduled maintenance plan with your mechanic. They can take a look at the filter and let you know if you should consider replacing either one. In most cases, they can show your filter to you and point out dirt or damage.

Interested in having your filters checked out? Call us at BBack Car Care today or schedule an appointment online and let your service writer know you would us to check your filters out. It’s worth the small investment to your car and your family’s health to make sure that you are getting clean air.