Today we want to talk about your engine air filter. That's the filter that cleans the air before it's burned in your engine. People wonder how often they should change their engine air filter. The simple answer is when it's dirty. That's a function of how much air has passed through the filter, so your manufacturer will recommend a mileage interval for replacing the air filter. But you can imagine that how dirty the air is would affect how quickly the filter gets filled.
If you drive where there's lots of dust, pollution or pollen, your engine air filter will get dirty more quickly and need to be changed sooner. That's why we check the air filter with every full-service oil change. We can visually tell if the filter needs to be changed.
Your filter can only hold so much dirt. Once the filter is full, dirt will pass through to the engine. This dirt gums up the combustion chamber and hurts fuel economy and may cause damage. It can also contaminate the Mass Air Flow Sensor which will affect drivability and can be fairly expensive to replace.
A dirty air filter would also restrict the amount of air that gets to the engine which hurts fuel economy. We can replace your engine air filter with one that matches the factory specifications or you can upgrade your filter for enhanced performance.
So when your service advisor shows you your dirty air filter, you know how important it is to get it replaced.