Do oil filters need to be changed every time?
While it is not compulsory to get the oil filter changed every time you change the engine oil, it is recommended that you do. A new oil filter will be more effective at keeping the engine oil clean and thus getting a new oil filter is much more preferable to using the same old one.
Oil filters are essential for the health of the engine. An oil filter is the component of the engine which filters out any pollutants or contaminants from the engine oil, which can hamper its functioning.
Since oil filters are collecting dirt and grime from the engine oil, they need to be changed from time to time for optimum functioning.
Can I use the same oil filter twice?
Oil filters need to be changed from time to time to ensure that they can continue to filter the engine oil well consistently, thus keeping it free from pollutants and keeping the engine safe and healthy.
Technically, an oil filter can be used for two oil changes. This means that you can change the filter with every other oil replacement.
However, while this method is mostly safe, it is always better to change the oil filter often too and thus get a new one with every oil change.
How long can you go without changing the oil filter?
The amount of time a vehicle can go without changing an oil filter depends on a lot of factors. Firstly, the make and model of car and the manufacturer’s recommendations, which will determine how often the oil filter needs to be changed.
Apart from that, the quality of the oil filter itself and the type of engine oil used can also affect the duration.
In general, with regular motor oil, the oil filter can go 5,000 to 8,000 Kms without being changed. With synthetic oil, the oil filter can go from 10,000 to 25,000 Kms, depending on the quality and type of car.
However, one should not let the oil filter remain unchanged for more than 25,000 kms, as it can cause damage to the engine.
Can you clean and reuse an oil filter?
Whether or not an oil filter can be cleaned and reused depends on the type of oil filter. There exist in the market special types of oil filters that are meant to be reusable.
Obviously, these filters cost more than the normal ones, but the advantage is that they can be cleaned and used again.
However, most vehicles do not come with this type of filter and you would have to get it fitted specially.
Most vehicles instead use disposable oil filters, which are meant to be changed once in a while.
You cannot clean and reuse a disposable oil filter as it is not built to last that long, and thus, it should be changed and replaced with a new one after at least every other oil change.
