Change that air filter

I got into motoring as a young journalist because of an air filter. Sound strange? Well I was sitting at my desk at the newspaper when the editor walked in and asked if I could help him. He’d heard that I was interested in cars, and was having some problems starting his.

We went around the back and he quickly popped the bonnet on his car so I could have a look. I asked him to start the engine, and it really didn’t sound too good, so I decided to unclip the catches holding the air filter cover in place.

The air filter was pretty mucky, so I knocked it out on the floor and all sorts of dust and even bits of sand came out. It transpired he’d been to visit his dad on the family farm, and driven behind a slow-moving tractor on a dirt road.

The car ran fairly well after that, but I advised him to take it in for a service, or get a new air filter and I’d fit it.

“You know, Mr Oxley, our motoring editor has just got a new job. Do you want to take over?” he asked. And the rest is pretty much history!

Which brings me to air filters. Most of the time people just don’t bother. They believe they haven’t been in any dusty conditions and that it’s just a waste of money, but it’s up to workshop service advisors to explain that, air filters don’t need to be changed every time you get an oil change, they do need to be changed with some degree of frequency – especially if they live in a more rural area where there are dirt or gravel roads.

In those conditions, sometimes the filters may need to be changed several times a year, and even if they live in the city or suburb, they should get it changed at least once or twice a year.

Explain to your customers that the reason engine air filters need to be changed is because when they are clogged or dirty, it lowers the air flow into the engine and causes extra fuel to be used in to get the same driving power as if they were clean.