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How Often Do You Need to Change Your Oil Filters?

October 11, 2017

As the old saying goes, nothing lasts forever. That's a truism all car owners understand. Tyres wear, spark plugs foul, and oil filters age. Incidentally, that filtration device is designed to keep contaminants away from the moving parts of the engine. What happens if that lubricant filter is so old, so choked with particulate matter, that it no longer fulfils its purpose? Nothing good, that's for sure.

Oil Filters Stop Engine Contaminants

Automobile oils are formulated to withstand the hellish conditions inside a car engine. Compressive forces pull the slippery stuff apart while combustion heat tries its best to break down that formula. Quite frankly, engine oil is not like a fine red wine. It doesn't improve over time. Old engines release tiny quantities of worn material. The oil loses it smooth, glossy appearance, and it no longer functions properly as a part's lubricant. Oil filters remove the grainy particulates so that they don't compromise this action. However, there's a law of diminishing returns in motion, because those particles are slowly filling the filter.

Determining a Replacement Schedule

As long as the lubricant filtration system operates, those suspended particulates are removed. However, that filtering medium has a limit. At some point, the device's capacity for effectively straining the particles will fail, unless the oil filter is replaced as part of a general maintenance program. As a general rule of thumb, that replacement procedure is usually carried out at the same time as an oil change. If the car is a newer model, many garages advise the replacement as an alternating measure. In other words, the filter is replaced every other oil change when the car engine is still new. Another general rule of thumb, we have one on each hand, after all, counsels a three-month or three-thousand mile (4828 kilometres) rule. Whichever comes first, whether it is distance or time, dictates the replacement threshold.

It's best to adhere to these guidelines when you're trying to determine how often you need to change your car's engine oil. Granted, there are other factors in play. The age and condition of the engine, the type of oil, and the brand of oil filter all influence the period in which the fluid-sieving media will lose its peak performance filtering attributes. Take the car to a qualified garage for a more detailed look at the lubrication system, plus an oil change. Otherwise, stick to the twin rules of thumb discussed here today. After all, they exist to stop capacity-filled oil filters from spilling those locked-in engine contaminants.

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