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

You Are the Fluid Detective! (Leaking Fluids)
March 15, 2026
When you see some liquid sitting underneath your vehicle, your mind starts churning. Is that normal? Is that something serious, or did I just spill my drink? Heres a quick list of what those fluids look, smell and feel like, as well as what they might be. No, we dont recommend you taste them to ... More

Don?t Be Hosed (Radiator Hose Replacement)
March 8, 2026
If you are like most drivers, you dont worry too much about what shape your radiator hoses are in. But they are a vital part of your coolant system, helping carry engine coolant from the hot engine to where it is cooled off in the radiator. When the cooling system has a problem, you will likel... More

Avoiding Exhaustion (EGR Valve Replacement)
March 1, 2026
No, ERG isnt the sound a pirate makes. Its a part in your vehicle that recirculates exhaust gas to reduce certain gases and pollutants in the atmosphere. In fact, ERG stands for Exhaust Gas Recirculation. One gas our vehicles may make when they burn fuel is nitric oxide, which can play a big ro... More
