DIY: Cleaning your car's air filter

What: Like its name suggests, your air filter cleans out the air that goes into your engine. 

Why: We run our cars in cities for an overwhelming majority of the time, so it’s very likely that the cleaning interval for your air filter will be shorter than the recommended interval in your manual, thanks to the dirt and dust the millions of people in your city manage to kick up every day. An air filter that isn’t performing as it should, leads to a drop in performance and fuel efficiency.

When: Not too often – half your service interval time, in most cases. That should be enough. Anything more is purely a personal choice based on the local conditions – if you use your car on an unpaved road, for example, you’ll need to up the frequency.

Skill level: On a scale of 1-10, this is level 1. All you really need to know is how to tighten or loosen screws.

Equipment level: As with the skill level, this will be level 1. All you’ll need is a screwdriver or a spanner to unscrew the airbox lid.

DIY:

You’ll need a little patience the first time you do this. 

1. Find the airbox that holds your air filter, and unscrew the top. 

2. Remove the air filter element carefully – shake it and dust will begin dropping off into the box and engine bay.

3. Use a flat place to tap the filter element and get the loose dust out. A white sheet of paper or light-coloured floor will show you how much dust your filter element contains.

4. Prepare yourself to see a significant number of dead bugs that have been sucked into the air filter. 

5. If you’ve got a bicycle pump or an air compressor, you can make your job easier by blowing the dust off the filter element.

6. Be careful to blow air in the direction OPPOSITE to that which it flows through the filter during use. Get this right and it will dislodge all the dust and bugs quickly. Get it wrong and you’ll only lodge the dust particles in the element even further.

7. Once your filter element is rid of dust, put it back into the airbox, and screw the lid back on tightly.

Congratulations, you’ve just serviced your air filter successfully!