The Important Role of Oil Filters: Why They Are Crucial for Engine Health

Your Oil Filter Does More Than You Might Think

Many drivers are aware that their vehicle needs an oil change, but few drivers specifically think about their oil filter. The truth is that your oil is the lifeblood of your engine, and your oil filter is an essential part of your vehicle's operation that helps to increase the longevity of your oil and promote healthy engine performance throughout your vehicle's life. 

At Ramona Tire, we offer quality oil change services on all make and model vehicles. Not only do we perform oil changes that you can trust, we also use high-quality oil filters to ensure that your engine enjoys the best protection and your oil goes through quality filtering. 

Come with us as we talk about the role of your engine's oil filter and why it’s crucial for engine health. When your vehicle is due for an oil change, schedule an appointment at Ramona Tire and trust your vehicle with the certified experts.

Your Oil Filter — The Unsung Hero

Your oil filter is a component that is attached to your vehicle's oil system and is intended to filter contaminants out of your oil as it circulates through your engine. This unsung hero captures harmful contaminants from your engine oil and allows for smooth operation and longer engine life. 

When you start your engine, your oil pump will immediately begin pumping oil through your engine, coating many of its moving parts with oil. As your oil flows over these moving parts, it provides lubricating and cooling properties and captures contaminants that could be in your system. Some of these contaminants include:

• Dirt and dust. Airborne particles can enter the engine through the air intake system and mix with the oil.
• Metal shavings. Metal-to-metal contact can generate fine metal shavings during engine operation. This can occur during normal engine operation, or when lubrication is sparse. 
• Carbon deposits. Carbon deposits can form as a result of the combustion that rapidly occurs inside your engine. These deposits can contaminate your oil, raising engine temperatures, and lowering your oil efficacy.
• Moisture. Condensation inside your engine, typically during winter operation, can introduce moisture into the oil.

Why a Quality Oil Filter Is Important 

Now that we've established how important your oil filter is for your engine, we must touch on how important it is to install a quality oil filter. Installing a low-quality oil filter not only can hinder engine performance, but can actually cause engine damage. Each type of engine is designed to work with a specific type of oil filter that meets your vehicle's oil flow, temperature, and performance needs. Installing a low-quality oil filter could negatively impact your vehicle's performance and cause serious problems for your engine:

• Oil starvation. An oil filter that is not designed to perform on your engine could slow engine flow and lead to oil starvation. This means that your engine parts where you get the vital lubrication and cooling properties that they need.
• Reduced filtration. If your vehicle needs a heavy duty oil filter that is designed to capture large amounts of contaminants, installing the wrong type of oil filter could lead to increased engine sludge, dirtier oil, and potential engine damage. 

At Ramona Tire, our ASE-certified mechanics are here for all your automotive needs. When you schedule an appointment, we’ll perform an oil change that includes a new oil filter that meets or exceeds your vehicle's needs. When you trust our facility for an oil change, you can rest assured that you never have to second-guess the quality of your oil filter. 

How Often to Change Your Oil Filter

Your oil filter is typically changed when your oil is changed. The frequency of your oil change will depend largely on the type of oil that your vehicle uses. Just like all oil filters are not created the same, all oil is not the same. There are three different types of oil that can be used on your vehicle. Similarly, each type has its own change frequency:

• Conventional oil: every 3,000-5,000 miles
• Synthetic blend: every 5,000-7,500 miles
• Full synthetic: every 7,500-10,000 miles 

Performing an oil change on time is vitally important because your oil filter can only capture so many contaminants. If you neglect your oil change and your oil filter is full of contaminants, a bypass valve will open to allow continued oil flow. This means that contaminants in your oil will bypass your oil filter and flow right back into your engine, potentially causing harm, damage, and the possibility of further auto repair.

Schedule Your Oil Change at Ramona Tire 

At Ramona Tire, getting an oil change is an easy and hassle-free experience. We feature a team of ASE-certified mechanics who use top-shelf oil and high-quality filters to ensure that your vehicle always enjoys the best protection. 

We perform oil change services on all make and model vehicles, and we even offer additional savings thanks to service coupons that allow you to take advantage of professional service at incredible prices. Schedule an appointment at Ramona Tire and trust our ASE-certified experts to perform your oil change today.