Any Reason To Change Filter Based on Time Only???...

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Dec 3, 2013
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is there any reason you should/would change an air filter based mostly on time in service???...I have 2 years but only just under 10K miles on an air filter...it mostly looks clean but I realize sometimes that when you compare brand new next to old you see how really dirty your filter might be...in this case I have looked and brand new and my old one and they look similar but for a dirty spot on the older filter...

the filter brand mentions the filter should be replaced ever 12 months or 12K miles...the filter is not an OEM which shows 30K miles as the change interval...I've usually used OEM filters and despite the 30K claim, I've found them dirty prior to that mileage and replaced...this filter however appears nearly new color wise...

I am curious as to your thoughts and experience in this...

Thanks,

Bill
 
Yes. In low use, low abuse situations I use my air filters longer than the one year interval recommended on my workplace John Deere tractors. My compact tractor loads up quick and I change it every two or three years. My larger tractors go 4 to 5 years between changes. Without any objective information, I do get concerned that at some point the rubber seal or filter media might start degrading. I've mentally decided that 5 years, under MY conditions, is the maximum I want to go. It's a balancing act. Risk ruining $50,000 equipment vs. throwing away perfectly good filters.
 
The rubbery seals I've seen all my car life appear to remain pliable. I bet they're capable of doing their job for a long time.
1) I have settled on 30K to 35K for service life in miles.
2) I refrain from "inspecting" the filter as it's pointless most of the time. Ongoing road construction, forest fires or volcanic ash fallout will get me to inspect/replace early.
3) Occasions to remove the filter housing do arise for difficult bulb changes or other access. I can inspect then.
4) ANY compromise in the seal means, "Good-bye filter". I like the nice "quiet noise" the lid makes when it sets squarely on the filter.
Seems we're all on the same page.
 
I use a restriction gauge and change when it reaches 11".
Last time that was 43k miles and 8 years.
It was a Toyota filter with no rubber gasket.
 
if its a cheaper filter less than $25 then 15,000/one year or up to 2 years to rack up that mileage. Some premium filters could go 30,000/2 years. My 6.0 powerstroke has an expensive $50+ filter & is pretty large. It can hold a lot of dirt as a result of the size but I'll change it by 30k regardless.
 
thanks everyone for your responses...I don't know why this came up for me in the first place...perhaps because the F150 is not my daily driver and gets so little use...I'm at 2 years and about 8600 miles (after looking up my service notes for this truck) and the filter really doesn't look bad at all...with other vehicle I take care of I change when it appears dirty and don't follow the time in service interval anyway...and I still think I change them too often... ;)

I'll wait until I think the filter looks bad enough to change before changing it...

thanks again

Bill
 
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I'm still using the air filter that was in my '16 Versa when I bought it in Feb. 2019 and suspect it's the original. The Versa has 26,600 miles and the filter still looks good. I've got another filter here that I ordered about a year ago but I won't install it until I think it needs it. I haven't checked but I suspect the cabin filter is in worse shape that the engine air filter. I'll probably let the cabin filter stay in until after the spring pollen season then put in a new one.
 
I agree about the rubber seal hardening with age. For vehicles that aren’t driven much, I change the air filter every 5 years.
 
Believe it or not, on my Tacoma (I bought new) I ran the factory air filter for 15 years and 50K miles. I really should have changed it at 25-30K miles based on hind sight, but the truck was never driven off-road and was driven a lot in the rain (ie, road dust doesn't kick up from other cars with wet roads). Once I got it out for close inspection, it was way more dirty than I thought it would be. The rubber seal was still in excellent condition, still soft like new. Replaced it with a Fram Ultra air filter.
 
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