Re-use your car air filter. Save £s

George_Bray

I've just cleaned the main air filter on my car and it looks almost as good as new again. Why spend even £20 on a new filter when it's not necessary? Every little helps.

My cleaning consisted of waving a vacuum cleaner pipe over the air filter, removed of course. Then I washed it in the kitchen sink with a warm solution of Persil, like you'd use in a washing machine. The water turned dark gray and dirty, but on the final rinse the water was clean.

The paper construction of the air filter now looks almost as good as new and I simply can't believe it won't work just as well as a brand new air filter. Or will it? If anyone thinks they know better, please speak.

A clean air filter is essential for efficient engine performance and fuel economy - use less petrol at (soon to be) £1 a litre. You need as much air intake as possible. My air filter was clogged up with some dead flies, etc.

Air filters are often NOT changed during a standard car service. I will now be cleaning my air filter every 3-6 months. I suspect many people look after their Dyson vacuum cleaners air filters better than on their cars!

Regards
George

Skint_Catt

How easy is it to remove George?

Never thought of that, but in the hope of savings few pennies I will go and do it!

S_C

George_Bray

S-C

The exact procedure to remove the air filter varies from car to car, but it's generally one of the easiest jobs you could ever undertake, as it's a service item. Check the Haynes manual for your car if in doubt. Normally 3-4 clips and 2-3 bolts, or less. You can't lose. If, after cleaning the filter, it doesn't look as good as new again, and just as capable of trapping particles once more, than just buy a new one anyway.

Regards
George

Silent_Bob_3

Hope nothing manages to get through your "washed" air filter as it will wreck the engine. A standard air filter for my V6 sports car cost about £8. For that price it is not worth trying to save a few pounds. The only ones that should be cleaned for re-use are some specialist air induction kits which are desgined for this.

mr_accountant

Silent_Bob wrote:

Hope nothing manages to get through your "washed" air filter as it will wreck the engine. A standard air filter for my V6 sports car cost about £8. For that price it is not worth trying to save a few pounds. The only ones that should be cleaned for re-use are some specialist air induction kits which are desgined for this.

I agree, the air filter for my car costs £5 from GSF, and is made to 100% the same specification as the manufacturer, plus it only needs changing every 36,000 miles according to the manufacturer, so the costs is pretty minimal. and takes 2 minutes to change.

Also a slightly dirty air filter reduces the intake of very small dirt particles into the engine. The air filter in my car is about 2yers old and still very clean. Spend you money on regular oil and filter changes this is much more important then messing around cleaning air filter.

HTH
.