How to Change an Auto Air Filter

Changing the air filter on your car is one of the easiest things you can do to maintain it, short of filling up your gas tank. Even if you don't know anything about cars or how they work, you can complete this task in under 10 minutes. On most modern cars, you don't even need any tools to do it! Just make sure that the replacement filter you buy is designed specifically to fit the make, model and year of your vehicle, and you'll have no problems.

Things You'll Need

• Replacement filter
• Screwdrivers
• Vehicle owner's manual

Instructions

1. Make sure the car's engine is cold. Pull the hood release latch, open the hood and prop it up.

2. Locate the air filter compartment. This is often very easy, but it can be hard to find in some cars. The air filter compartment is usually made of black plastic, is about the size of a breadbox and is connected to the engine block with a large, rigid, black plastic hose. It is usually on one side of the car rather than in the center. On modern cars, the compartment is often kept closed by shiny metal clips, which can also give the air filter compartment away. If you can't find it based on these clues, refer to an under-hood diagram of your car in your owner's manual.

3. Open the air filter compartment. If you can see metal or plastic clips on the sides, loosen these clips to lift the top or side off the compartment. On some cars, the cover may be held on with screws instead of clips. You'll have to use the appropriate screwdriver, usually either a flathead or Phillips-head, to remove the screws. Some European cars may even require a Torx wrench to open this panel.

4. Remove the old filter. Depending on the design of the air intake on your car, there may or may not be additional clips holding the filter in place. These clips should not require any tools to remove, however.

5. Put the new filter in place. If you had to undo any clips in Step 4, close them again after installing the new filter.

6. Replace the cover on the air filter compartment and lock it back down using whatever mechanism you removed in Step 3.

7. Close the hood of the car.

Tips & Warnings

• Look on the packaging the new filter came in for guidelines on how often to replace it. Check to see if there are air filter replacement instructions for your specific car make and model on eHow.