Family Owned & Operated
50% OFF TOWING WITH ALL MAJOR REPAIRS
We Service All Makes & Models
FREE Shuttle Service Within 3 Miles
Complete Auto Repair
April 4, 2021
Ever wonder what one of the best things is to ever happen to your vehicle's engine? It's the little thing that usually looks like a can, the oil filter.
Just like your kitchen sink strainer filters out errant particles of food from clogging your drain, the oil filter cleans out small particles that could cause your engine harm.
Your engine operates in a dirty, hot environment and gathers a lot of tiny contaminants like dirt, dust, little metal shards and unlucky bugs that get sucked in. Get those things circulating in your engine and those little particles can cause friction, which starts wearing out those finely machined metal parts.
You know how important it is to change your oil regularly. It's vital that you change your oil filter at the same time to keep the oil as close to brand new as possible.
Most oil filters look like a metal can with some holes in the bottom. Inside there are carefully chosen materials that can screen out the contaminants while at the same time allow the lubricating oil to pass through. Early oil filters had steel wool, metal mesh or actual screens. Then they tried fabric filters using material such as linen and cotton. Finally, a less expensive disposable filter using paper and cellulose did the trick.
Cellulose or other synthetic media are used in most oil filters today. Cellulose is inexpensive and effective. Fibers filter out particulates and let the oil flow. The other synthetic media have the ability to screen out even tinier particles while not significantly restricting the oil from getting through. Engineers continue to work on even more advanced filter material.
Choosing the right oil filter is something our pros at Tuffy Grand Rapids - Fuller Ave. can help you with because there are a lot of them out there. Factoring into that decision are your driving habits, how far you drive and the temperatures to which your engine will be subjected. While some filters will cost more than others, they may be worth it to extend the life of your engine.
But most important is remembering to come have your oil changed at Tuffy Grand Rapids - Fuller Ave. regularly at the intervals recommended by the vehicle's manufacturer. Just like you wouldn't want to have a plumber come over to fix a clogged kitchen drain, you certainly wouldn't want to have to pay for major engine repairs if they could be prevented by regular oil and filter changes.
Tuffy Grand Rapids - Fuller Ave.
1121 Fuller Ave. NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
616.458.8091
https://www.tuffyfullerave.com/
November 17, 2024
Do I keep my old vehicle or buy a new one? It's a question most Grand Rapids drivers ask themselves at some time or another.Generally, what it comes down to is the choice between a car payment and the possibility of repair bills. Most of the time, we want to choose the car payment because we don'... More
November 10, 2024
If your vehicle had something in its design or production that the manufacturer had figured out had an unanticipated problem, you'd want to know about it. And you'd want it fixed. There is something that can help drivers with just such a scenario. It's called a Technical Service Bulletin, or TSB.... More
November 3, 2024
There's nothing that radiates cool like a vehicle radiator that's helping to keep your engine running at the proper temperature. You don't have to baby it, but you can't simply ignore it, either. Let's take a quick dive under the hood to let you know what the radiator is doing. It takes the he... More
