Your engine requires a constant inflow of fresh air to create the perfect balance of fuel and oxygen inside each combustion chamber. The air filter prevents dust, dirt, bugs, pollution, and other airborne contaminants from entering the system. However, this filter slowly gets clogged up and can start to restrict the airflow. Let’s look at how frequently you should have a new filter installed at your local Chevy dealer.
How Often Should You Replace Your Chevy’s Air Filter?
Once a Year for Most Drivers
Engine filters typically last 12,000 to 15,000 miles, which is about a year of driving for most. If you replace your filter once a year, you’ll probably never experience any problems with the airflow. Toward the end of the year, you can visually inspect your filter for signs of clogging in between the pleats.
How Dusty or Polluted Is Your Air?
If your usual driving conditions have air that’s filled with more dust and dirt than usual, such as off-road tracks or rural driving, your filter might clog up faster. Natural factors such as pollen during spring or falling leaves during fall might also make a difference, as might the drier, dustier air of summer.
Regular commutes in heavy traffic strain the filter with a higher level of fumes and air pollution. Urban environments often have more polluted air in general, which can shorten the lifespan of oxygen filter. If you believe your filter must contend with a great deal of airborne fumes and debris, you may need to replace it twice a year.
Warning Signs of a Clogged Engine Filter
As previously mentioned, you can visually check to see how dirty your engine’s filter is. And if your filter has become clogged up to the point where it’s preventing proper airflow, your engine will experience problems. An excess of fuel may build up inside the cylinders, eventually causing the spark plugs to misfire, making your car shudder and cough as it loses power.
The unburned fuel can also make its way in to the exhaust pipes, causing backfiring, damage to the catalytic converter, and black smoke to billow from the tailpipe. If you detect any of these symptoms, have your engine filter checked and replaced right away.
Ask Your Chevy Dealer To Inspect Your Filter
Our courteous, experienced technicians are happy to check your filter for you. Replacing an old filter is a relatively straightforward and inexpensive task. As a clogged filter can cause damage to other parts of your car, it’s always better to have your filter replaced sooner rather than later.Visit Jim Turner Chevrolet in McGregor, TX, today to have your engine’s filter promptly replaced. We offer a broad range of top-notch cars and trucks along with convenient financing and comprehensive vehicle maintenance and care.
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