Back to all

Breathe Free in Oswego: Cabin Air Filter Replacement at Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Oswego

June 29, 2022

There are a lot of new features, both optional and standard, on Oswego drivers' vehicles these days. One you may not have heard of is called a cabin air filter. Simply put, its job is to keep the air in the passenger compartment of your car nice and clean.

A cabin air filter is similar to the filter you use on your furnace at home in Oswego. Cabin air filters can catch particles down to three microns. By comparison, a grain of sand is 200 microns. So cabin air filters are effective against dust, dirt, pollen, mold spores and most pollutants in our Oswego area atmosphere. Good news if you suffer from any types of allergies, or if you live in an area in Illinois prone to air pollution.

Cabin air filters are generally located in the engine compartment or under the dashboard. They can be tricky to access and replace, so you'll probably want to go to your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Oswego to get it done. Check your vehicle owner's manual to find out if your vehicle is equipped with a cabin air filter and how often it should be changed. Recommendations vary, but generally a cabin air filter should be changed every 12,000 to 15,000 miles (19,000 to 24,000 kilometers).

Of course, if you are an allergy sufferer in Oswego, you may want to replace it more often. Also, if you do a lot of driving in polluted or dusty areas in Illinois, you'll also want to shorten the cabin air filter replacement period. Dirty air filters just don't work well, and they can exude an unpleasant odor if ignored for too long.

Most Oswego folks know that good car care includes keeping your vehicle clean, including the air inside the passenger compartment, so changing your cabin air filter should be part of your routine preventive maintenance. It's good auto advice as well as good medical advice that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You really shouldn't wait until the interior of your car starts to smell and your eyes start to water before you change your filter. And trying to cover it up with a dangling green pine tree is not the right answer, either!

Cabin air filters can be a welcome relief to Oswego allergy sufferers, but they're also a great idea for anyone in Illinois who just wants to breathe better.

Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Oswego
1555 US Highway 34
Oswego, Illinois 60543
630-898-6220

 

More articles from Tuffy Oswego

Too Hot to Handle (Vehicle Overheating)

June 15, 2025

In the hot weather, seeing steam coming from the engine compartment is something we all dread. No one wants that to happen to them. But if you know the signs of overheating and how to deal with it, you may be able to reduce the risk of damage to your vehicle, maybe even prevent getting stranded ... More

Losing Your Cool (Why is My Air Conditioning System Not Working?)

June 9, 2025

When you turn on the air conditioning in your vehicle, you expect cool air to come out of the vents. You depend on it, especially in hot weather, but it can also be important in humid weather when you need it to help defrost your windows and windshield. The air conditioning system has a lot of p... More

Motor Oil?The Synthetic Advantage (Synthetic oil vs Conventional)

June 2, 2025

Youve probably already heard that regular oil changes are extremely important for the health of your vehicles engine. Thats sound advice. But what you might not know is when it comes to motor oil, the real thing may not be the best thing for your engine. There are different types of motor oil: ... More