Is your Air Filter costing you money?

Driveability, fuel consumption and performance issues on a vehicle can cause motorists to assume the worst-- but the fix is sometimes a very simple one.

Your air filter generally sits in a sealed plastic box at the end of its air intake system.

Cars, regardless of their age, are machines. As such, they require periodic maintenance at prescribed intervals to keep things running properly. Neglect your vehicle’s upkeep, and you’ve got no reason to expect mileage, performance, and longevity on par with what the machine’s engineers intended for it.

An important and often overlooked part of vehicle maintenance relates to the engine air filter. Like you, your vehicle’s engine likes to breathe in clean air that’s free of dust, pollen, dirt and other foreign matter. A lot of air moves through your engine and its various systems on a given drive-- so a clean, fresh supply is vital.

Your air filter generally sits in a sealed plastic box at the end of its air intake system. The box containing the filter is typically connected to a fresh supply of outside air by a pipe or duct that runs into a fender, under the seam of the hood, or behind a headlight.

Air filters are almost constantly exposed to dust, salt, dirt, and insects. These will eventually leave your engine air filter clogged and in need of replacement. Imagine trying to jog with a heavy rag over your nose and mouth. If you’re air filter is plugged, you’re engine is experiencing this difficulty every time you run it.

So, if you leave your air filter unchecked, you can expect poor engine performance, a sporadic idle, loss of smoothness and even reduced engine life.

Your fuel mileage will go right out the window as your engine struggles to breathe, too. In fact, a dirty filter can cause an engine to burn up to 50 percent more fuel than it needs to. The negative effects of a dirty air filter are considerably amplified when the vehicle is worked hard-- for instance while towing.

Thankfully, checking and changing your air filter is one of the easiest and most straightforward maintenance tasks out there.

First, grab your owner’s manual, which will outline the location of the engine air filter, any tools you’ll need to get to it, and the replacement part number to help you quickly locate a new one at the auto parts store.

Checking and changing your air filter is one of the easiest and most straightforward maintenance tasks.