Every vehicle owner who has taken their car in for an oil change has been told at one time or another that their engine air filter is dirty.  These are the steps that go into determining when your engine air filter needs to be changed.

First, your vehicle owner’s manual will have a recommendation of when to change the filter.  Second, a visual inspection by your service technician may determine that your filter is visibly dirty and needs to be changed.

So between your vehicle owner’s manual and your technician’s inspection there is very little guesswork involved.

Now, most air filters purchased in the Denver area don’t cost a whole lot to replace, but most of us don’t really enjoy getting caught with an unexpected expense.  On the plus side, though, changing a dirty air filter at Express Car Care can often save enough on gas to pay for itself before your next oil change.

You can compare it to a dirty furnace filter in your home.  When it’s all clogged up, enough clean air can’t get through and your furnace struggles to heat your home.  In your vehicle, a dirty air filter means that your engine can’t get as much air as it needs to burn the fuel efficiently.  So it makes do with less air and has to use more gas to move your vehicle around on the roads.

Your vehicle actually needs about 12,000 gallons of clean air for every gallon of gas it burns to run efficiently.  So give your vehicle some clean air for your engine and have your air filter changed.  It doesn’t cost a lot initially and saves you money in the long run, while also protecting your engine and giving it better performance.