A lot of drivers know they should be changing their engine oil regularly. But do they realise they should also be changing their oil filter at the same time? While there isn’t a simple answer as to how often you should change your oil filter, we’ll discuss below, when you should change your engine’s oil filter and engine oil.
When do you need a new oil filter?
Every car is different but most cars require servicing every 5000-10000km or every 6 months, whichever comes first. Your vehicle handbook should indicate the manufacturer’s recommended oil change intervals. It should also include the type of oil required.
The factors that affect how often you should change your oil filter includes driving style, average mileage, and general weather conditions. If your driving requires a lot of acceleration and heavy braking, like Singapore’s city driving with lots of traffic lights and traffic jams, as opposed to long open countryside drives, you might need to change your oil filter and oil more regularly.
It is important to change your engine oil and filter together because once the filter medium (see yellow part in above picture) is completely saturated with oil and cannot hold any more contaminant, the oil begins to go through the filter when it circulates within your engine. This increases the risk of contaminated oil entering the engine and causing damage.
Some cars include a servicing reminder for you to change your oil and oil filter. If the “service engine” light lights up on your dashboard, do drop us a call and schedule a service. The process of servicing your car is fast and can be done at our workshop.
If you are the hands on type of person that likes to DIY, Squad Workshop offers rental of hoist space and tools per hour. We are located at 48 Toh Guan Road East #04-131 Enterprise Hub Singapore 608586. Just drop us a Whatsapp or a call or fill in the contact form and we will give you an appointment slot for you to DIY your car. It doesn’t need to be related to car servicing. You may rent our space for any other car modifications or mods you like. If you want us to pre order any parts for you, just let us know!
Squad workshop likes to see Singaporeans DIY and learning and experiencing new stuff everyday!