CABIN FILTER
AIR FILTER
OIL FILTER
Why Is A Car Cabin Filter Important?
As you drive down the road and realize you are getting hot, you turn on the AC and expect to wait a few minutes for the air to get cool and make the rest of the ride comfortable. But it doesn't get cool after a few minutes. A smack on the dashboard returns no more results and you give in and roll down the window a crack. What is wrong with the AC now when it worked just fine a week ago. Or did it?
Many air conditioning systems in cars that were built after the year 2000 have what is called a cabin air filter inside of them. The cabin air filter sits outside of the engine area and filters air that comes from the outside and in to the AC system. The air filter will get rid of a lot of pollutants getting in the cabin of the vehicle. But, imagine a filter on the outside and what else it can pick up when it drives down the road, mile after mile? Cabin air filters can easily get clogged.
A cabin air filter that hasn't been changed recently can make the AC in the car not work or not work as efficiently. With a clogged air filter, no air can get in - it is simple as that. So when you recently tried to turn on the AC and it didn't produce results, it might be an easy fix as to just switch out the filter.
Skipping the filter can be expensive if you don't have the ability to do it yourself. However, it isn't something you can go without doing, especially if you have discovered the AC doesn't work. Check with your mechanic or dealer and see what the cost is for a filter. They might even be able to look at it and see if that is initially the problem or if there is something else, more sinister going on with the AC system.
The cabin air filter works to keep bad air out of the cabin when it comes in for the cooling process. The air molecules it can keep out include pollen, dirt from the road, pollutants from the air, road grime, dust, dirt, leaves and anything else flying around on the road. The air filter works just like a filter does on the furnace of the home or an air purifying system. Frequent changing of the filters is best and will keep everyone inside a little bit healthier. The cleaner the air, the better it is for those with allergies or even asthma and need to have clean air in order to feel good all of the time.
Why Is A Car Air Filter Important?
How to tell if your car air filter needs changing is important because a clean air filter is a necessity for the proper operation of a car. A clean air filter results in improved gas mileage, better acceleration, increased engine life, lower emissions and overall improved engine performance. Not only does an air filter clean the air entering the engine but it also prevents debris from entering the engine and causing damage. For each gallon of fuel the engine burns, it requires up to 10,000 gallons of clean air; thus why the air filter is such an important engine component.
As an air filter becomes dirty, the capacity for it to filter the air going into the engine is reduced. Because of this, the engine is not able to function properly, which may cause numerous drivability issues. Examining and replacing the air filter, as indicated by the manufacturer's maintenance schedule, is important but often times overlooked.
Symptoms of a dirty air filter vary but will often times include a noticeable decrease in gas mileage. Other symptoms are potential ignition problems cause by fouled spark plugs. A dirty air filter prevents the necessary volume of clean air from reaching the engine which affects the emission control systems of the car; reducing air flow and causing a too rich air-fuel mixture which can foul the spark plugs. Fouled spark plugs can create an engine miss, rough idle and even starting problems. In addition, a too rich fuel mixture increases engine deposits which may even cause the Service Engine Soon light to come on.
A brand new air filter will generally appear white to off white. A visual inspection of an air filter may reveal that the air filter has become darkened or full of debris. A visual inspection can be done by examining the air filter in bright light. However, an air filter can become clogged with dust and even pollen that may not be easily seen. Therefore, most car manufacturers recommend replacement every 12,000 to 15,000 miles regardless of whether or not the air filter appears to be clean. Cars driven in dusty or frequent stop and go conditions will requires a more frequent check and replacement of the air filter.
Changing an air filter is relatively easy and inexpensive. The air filter is located near the top driver's side of the engine in a rectangular shaped plastic housing that either snaps or screws shut on most new cars. Older cars with carburetors usually have a circular shaped air filter located in a metal housing on top of the engine that fastens with a wing nut. Make certain to use the correct air filter replacement for your make and model of car.
In some situations, a clean air filter will improve gas mileage by as much as 14% and may increase acceleration by up to 11% depending on the make and model of car. This translates to a potential per gallon fuel savings of up to 15 cents. Learning how to tell if your car air filter needs changing will help you keep your car running properly and ultimately save money on gas and repairs
Why Is A Car Oil Filter Important?
There are many times in our business that we meet customers who don’t understand why a car oil filter is important. Most of them recognize the importance of quality oil but don’t realize how the oil and oil filter work together to keep their car running. So why is a car oil filter important?
Oil filters have a very important function and if your oil filter has poor quality, it can shorten the life of your engine and cause other parts to fail as well. This small part of your car’s lubrication system plays an important role in protecting your engine from premature wear. All the moving parts in the engine need clean oil to properly lubricate them. Tiny bits of metal chip off of various engine parts while it’s running. If these bits of metal are allowed to recirculate through the oil, they could break off other bits of metal, which eventually will cause erosion in the engine. A quality oil filter helps prevent this erosion from taking place. The oil filter cleans the oil as it passes through the filter and prevents abrasive contaminants from damaging the parts in the engine.
It is very important to choose a high quality oil filter because the internal construction and quality of the filter has a huge effect on the life of your car’s engine. Here at Express Care, we use a Wix oil filter. Wix was patented in 1954 and has been at the forefront of oil filter technology and performance for passenger cars, trucks, buses and off-road vehicles ever since.
One of the standards used to determine the quality of an oil filter is called filtration efficiency or particle size retention. Particle size retention is the measure of how well a filter can retain particles of various sizes. Wix has developed optimum filtration efficiency in their filters. They are able to trap and hold essentially all the particles larger than 25 microns (a human hair measures about 70 microns in diameter.) These filters can also capture a high percentage of even smaller particles.
Another standard that a quality filter must meet is dirt-holding capacity. This is the amount of contaminants that can be removed and held by the filter until the filter no longer works. The capacity of Wix filters is much larger than the minimum requirements that are specified by vehicle manufacturers for a regular oil change interval.
Hopefully these facts help you understand why a car oil filter is important. A quality oil filter and quality motor oil work together to help our cars run more efficiently.
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