TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires Engine Air Filter Replacement
October 21, 2015
When your experienced TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires service advisor technician changes your oil, he will also inspect your air filter. You shouldn’t need a new filter at every oil change, but you will need to change it regularly. Heed your technician’s auto advice if they tell you to change your filter. It’s not expensive, and it makes a big difference to your SUV.
An air filter does what its name implies: it filters stuff out of the air. Air is drawn into your engine through the filter because your engine needs air to burn fuel. If the filter weren’t there, a lot of dust and debris would come into the SUV engine with the air. That dust and debris would get hot, burn, and produce all kinds of ash and gumminess that would eventually clog up your engine.
Drop in an air filter and voilá! Problem solved.
But air filters themselves get clogged up with all the junk they clean out of the Royal Oak air. This doesn’t allow the junk into the SUV engine, but it does block up the airflow. A blocked airflow will reduce engine efficiency.
An engine needs about 12,000 gallons of air to burn just one gallon of gasoline. Think of a runner. If he is breathing well, he can run well. But if he has a lung condition, he won’t be able to generate the oxygen necessary to keep his cells powered up. He won’t be able to run at peak efficiency.
Or consider a vacuum cleaner. Even without the light, you can tell when the vacuum bag is full because the machine just doesn’t clean anymore. Change the bag and its efficiency immediately improves.
So keep your SUV breathing well by keeping its air filter clean. That’s good car care.
Royal Oak car owners who get a charge out of the feeling of power in their engine might consider upgrading their air filter. Talk to your friendly TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires service specialist. Premium air filters have been proven to increase horsepower and torque. So with the cost of a premium air filter, you can increase the horsepower in your engine — there’s no cheaper way to do that!
It’s also one of the least expensive and simplest elements of critical routine preventive maintenance – and protects against damage to expensive SUV electronic systems. No Royal Oak resident should have an excuse to drive around Royal Oak roads and freeways with a dirty air filter.
Need Service?
More articles from TLC Auto Care

TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires On Your Serpentine Belt
June 14, 2026
Today we're going to be talking about serpentine belts for our Royal Oak, Michigan, customers. Let's start by talking about the accessories that are driven by the serpentine belt. First is the alternator. That's the device that makes electricity to power the vehicle and recharge the battery. T... More

Flat Tire? Three’s the Charm (Tire Repair)
June 7, 2026
For most drivers, at some point youre going to have a flat tire. Depending on how it was damaged, it may have to be replaced. But sometimes, a repair will do the trick, as long as the puncture isnt on the sidewall and the hole is smaller than inch/6.35mm in diameter. Here are the three common w... More

Fuel Saving Tip: Royal Oak Tune Up
May 31, 2026
Have you ever gone to listen to an orchestra? The musicians take the stage early and tune their instruments. Each individual instrument must be in tune, but the critical thing is for the entire orchestra to be in tune with each other. That's why they tune up together.Now this is no surprise; I'm ... More
