Replacing your car’s air filter is one of the easiest things you can do yourself and save money too. As a rule of thumb you should change the air filter every 10,000 to 12,000 miles, but check with your vehicle’s owners manual to be sure. If you live where the climate is dusty or there’s quite a bit of stop-and-go traffic in your daily travels, you’ll want to check your air filter more frequently since it can get clogged with dust, bugs and dirt quickly. Dirty air filters reduce gas mileage and produce poor engine performance.

1) Open the hood and look for the air-filter housing.  The air filter housing is typically a black or gray box about 12 inches long and located to the side of the engine compartment.   Older vehicles will have a round canister located on top of the engine that houses the air filter.

2) Using a screwdriver, remove the screws or clamps which secure the top of the housing.

3) Remove the old air filter inside the housing and with a paper towels or a rag, wipe out any dust or dirt from the housing unit.

4) Replace the old air filter with the new one.

5) Using a screwdriver, replace the housing and you’re done.

Some people recommend using a small attachment on the end of a vacuum cleaner to make the air filter last a little longer. So, next time you’re vacuuming out the interior, take a little extra time and pop open the hood, remove the air filter housing and using the small vacuum cleaner attachment, suck up the dust and debris directly from the air filter.

If you just want to check the air filter to see if it needs replacing, remove the housing and remove the filter. The filter looks like a paper accordion, so you’ll want to check for accumulated dust and dirt, which will also be in the folds and crevices. If the air filter is dirty, you’ll want to replace it. A little dirt is okay because the job of the air filter is to collect dirt, but too much dirt means it’s time for a new one.