How Often Should You Change the Air Filter on Your Car?

The engine air filter in your car is designed to filter the air as it gets sucked into your engine to keep the inside of your engine clean.  Not changing the engine air filter on your car can lead to a ton of engine related problems.  But how often should you replace the engine filter in your car?

Answer:  Most vehicle manufacturers recommend changing your engine air filter every 15,000 to 30,000 miles.  That means for most people the air filter on your car should be changed after 2 or 3 oil changes depending on the oil change interval specified for your specific car.

So how do you know when your car’s air filter needs to be changed?  What would happen if you never replaced your engine air filter?  Is an engine air filter easy to replace?  These questions and more answered below.

What Does an Engine Air Filter Do?

If you already understand what an engine filter does you can skip this section.  But if your curious to learn more about what an engine air filter does and how they work keep reading.

Your engine is essentially a large air pump that sucks in air, combusts said air, and then expels it out the exhaust pipe.  It’s important for the air being sucked into your engine to be clean because you don’t want a bunch of dirt and debris to be sucked into your engine, you want the inside of your engine to remain clean.

The job of an engine air filter is (you guessed it) to filter the air coming into your engine. Most car air filters are made from paper and will have pleads (pictured above).  Engine air filters will become dirty over time and are designed to be replaced.  But how important is it to change your engine air filter on your car and how do you know when it needs to be changed?

Is It Important to Change the Engine Air Filter In Your Car?

Yes, it’s important that you change the engine air filter in your car periodically to allow clean air to flow through the air filter and into your engine.   With a new engine air filter, your engine can breathe freely without restriction.  As dirt and debris collect in the air filter it will increase the air restriction and won’t allow as much air into your engine.  So how do you know when your air filter needs changing?

How Do You Know When Your Car Engine Air Filter Needs Changing?

The easiest way to determine if the engine air filter on your car needs to be replaced is by inspecting it.  The good news is that most car manufacturers make checking your engine air filter easy, you just need to remove the top of your air intake box and your engine air filter will be sitting inside.

The air filter pictured below probably has 10,000 miles on it, it’s starting to get dirty and would need to be replaced in the next 5,000 – 10,000 miles.

A brand new engine air filter will be white and not have any debris in it.  If your air filter is white but has some debris in it you can remove the air filter to clean out the debris.  However, if your engine air filter is visibly dirty and there is a bunch of debris lodged into it then it’s best to have it replaced with a new one.

What Are The Symptoms of a Bad Engine Air Filter In a Car?

1. Rough Idle

One sign that your engine air filter is bad and is need of replacing is a rough idling engine.  Your engine should keep a steady RPM once it’s had a chance to warm up.  If your engine RPM’s are bouncing up and down at idle after the engine has been given time to get to normal operating temperatures this can indicate that your engine air filter is clogged with debris and is not allowing enough air to flow to the engine.

2. Engine Dies When Driving

Having your engine die when driving can be another symptom of a dirty engine air filter.  Your engine needs to keep sucking in air to keep it running.  When you have a bad or dirty/clogged air filter it can restrict the airflow going into the engine.  If your engine is cutting out or dying randomly it’s worth checking your engine filter installed in your car to make sure it’s not all clogged up with dirt.

3. Engine Won’t Start

When your engine air filter is clogged with dirt it can prevent the engine from getting the air that it needs which can keep your engine from starting altogether.  If your car won’t start or is hesitating to start and you’ve ruled out your battery you’d want to check your engine air filter to make sure it’s not completely filled with dirt and other debris.

4. Dirty Throttle Body

The throttle body on your car is designed to open and close to allow a specific volume of air to pass into the engine and is connected to the air intake of your car.  When your engine air filter is dirty it can allow excess dirt particles to get past the air filter and make their way to your car’s throttle body.

When this happens it can obstruct the throttle body valves and not allow it to open and close properly.  If you inspect your throttle body and it’s dirty (and you didn’t replace your engine air filter recently) there is a good chance that your car’s air filter is dirty and needs

How Much Does It Cost to Replace an Engine Air Filter on a Car?

Because engine air filters are mainly made from paper they are fairly inexpensive to replace. A replacement engine air filter costs anywhere from $20-$50 for the replacement part.  If you plan to have a quick lube or mechanics shop replace your engine air filter then you’d need to factor in the labor cost of the shop to have them do the install.  But what if you want to replace the air filter on your car on your own? How easy is it to replace your own engine air filter?

Can I Replace My Own Car Air Filter?

Yes, most people can replace a car air filter on their own.  Most of the time you don’t even need tools to replace the engine air filter in a car.  If you are unsure of how to replace your car air filter I’d recommend heading over to youtube to see how the process is performed on your specific model of car as every car is different.

How Do You Change An Engine Air Filter?

Replacing an engine air filter on your own is a fairly straightforward process, but before beginning, you’d want to make sure that you have a replacement engine air filter on hand before attempting to remove your old one.

1. Buy A Replacement Engine Air Filter

You can head to your local auto parts store to pick up a replacement engine air filter or you can also order a new air filter on Amazon.

If you’d prefer to check out the prices of a replacement engine air filter on Amazon then you’d want to put in your make, model, and year of your car in their automotive section and it will filter just the replacement parts that fit your specific car.   That way you buy a replacement engine air filter that is compatible with your specific vehicle.

Just make sure that you pick a replacement engine air filter and not a cabin air filter unless you plan on replacing both.  To check out the automotive section of Amazon to put in your vehicle specifics click here.

2. Remove Old Engine Air Filter

After you’ve obtained a replacement engine air filter you’d want to remove your old air filter.  One thing to bring up before beginning is that you want to take note of the orientation of the current engine air filter so that you install the new air filter in the same way.

With my car there are five latches that hold the top of the airbox to the bottom of the air box, all five latches need to be unlatched to allow you to access the engine air filter. Once you’ve been able to locate the air intake on your car and have been able to get access to the engine air filter go ahead and remove it after you’ve taken a picture of it with your phone or have noted how it’s currently installed.

Install New Air Filter

Now that you’ve removed the old air filter you would want to go ahead and install your new engine air filter in place.  After you have put the new engine air filter in the correct orientation in place you can then put the top of the air intake back on and you’ve completed the process.

If you are more of a visual learner and would like to watch the process in video form check out the video showing how it’s done below:

Related Questions:

Will A New Air Filter Improve Performance?

A new engine air filter typically won’t improve the performance of an engine but it can restore the performance lost from a dirty air filter.  There are air filters from K&N that are designed to increase airflow to the engine and increase performance but any performance increase would be minimal and would only return the engine to stock levels of performance.

Some people opt to install a cold air intake on their car which is mainly intended to increase the airflow going into their engine.  Cold air intakes can increase the horsepower of an engine from 5-10 horsepower which means you aren’t likely to notice much of a performance increase from a cold air intake conversion alone.

What Happens If You Don’t Change the Air Filter In Your Car?

Like I mentioned previously your engine has to suck in air to operate.  The longer you go without changing your engine air filter the harder it will be for your engine to draw in air.  This can lead to rough idle problems, a gummed up throttle body, and can even prevent your engine from starting.

Can You Drive a Car Without an Air Filter?

You can drive a car without an air filter attached to the air intake but it’s highly advised that you do not.  Driving without an air filter attached to your engine will allow any dirt and debris to be sucked into your engine which is not good for the overall life of the engine.

This would also vastly increase how quickly your engine oil would get dirty and would result in you needing to get your engine oil replaced soon.  If you needed to drive down the block without an engine air filter you should be fine but any farther than that and you’d want to make sure that you have an air filter attached to the air intake of your engine.

Can I Wash My Car Air Filter With Water?

Most car engine air filters are not designed to be washed with water, they are meant to be replaced with a new air filter periodically.  There are some engine air filters manufactured by K&N that are designed to be washed with water and reused but if your air filter is white and feels like paper then it more than likely needs to be replaced and is not meant to be washed.

If you are unsure which type of engine air filter is installed in your car then check your owners manual to see what the vehicle manufacturer recommends.

Will AutoZone Replace My Car Air Filter?

At this time it does not appear that AutoZone will change your engine air filter for you.  But changing the engine air filter on your car is not all that hard and usually can be done without even needing to use any tools.

How Long Does A New Engine Air Filter Last?

Engine air filters are recommended to be changed every 15,000 – 30,000 miles.