How Often Should You Replace Your Oil Filter?

How Often Should You Replace Your Oil Filter?

What is an oil filter and what does it do?

An oil filter is a can shaped part that’s used in your car’s engine to filter the oil. This part is incredibly essential to keeping your engine running smoothly. 

When oil passes through the filter, any impurities or contaminants from your engine oil are removed.

How often should it be replaced?

Most manufacturers advise you to replace your oil filter every 5,000km - 10,000km or every six months depending on which comes first.

Always check your manufacturer’s handbook to see what they recommend. This, of course, can vary depending on how you use your car and its age.

The harder your engine works, the more contaminants your oil filter is likely to pick up, particularly in extreme weather conditions. Therefore, if you drive in especially dusty or wet conditions, your engine will be working harder and you may need to replace your filter sooner. This also applies to short, frequent trips and high speed driving in hot weather.

If you drive an older vehicle or frequently use your vehicle for towing, you also may need to replace your oil filter more regularly.

Does it matter which brand you use?

Is there really a big difference between the cheaper and more expensive oil filters? The short answer is yes. The slightly longer answer is that cheaper oil filters are more prone to splits and breaks. This means debris and impurities will not be filtered like they should and can clog up in critical areas of your engine causing more problems to fix that require A LOT more money than the difference between a cheaper filter and a higher quality filter.

Here at Bigbox Service & Tyres, our technicians are equipped with the correct special tools, experience and knowledge to identify and replace an oil filter no matter the car. If you’re unsure when was the last time your vehicle’s oil filter was replaced or know that you are due for a car service soon, book a service with us today and we’ll save you the hassle. We’ll make sure your oil filter is spick and span and that no harm is being done to your engine.