Buying a car or truck is a big investment. Whether you’re purchasing a pre-owned sedan or a brand new truck off the lot, it’s important to regularly maintain the health of your engine to ensure a long-lasting, reliable ride. One of the easiest things to check off your car maintenance checklist is staying up-to-date with filter replacements and fluid flushes, both of which maximize the performance and life of your vehicle.
At Kennedy Transmission, we are experts in replacing your vehicle’s filters and fluids to ensure your ride runs smoothly. Whether it’s your car’s air filter, cabin filter, engine oil, or transmission fluid, our certified technicians can help you maintain a reliable vehicle on a regular basis and educate you on the wide range of filters and fluids your car may have.
Vehicle Filters
There are several different types of filters in your vehicle, all of which are designed to keep it in top-performing condition. They should be regularly checked and replaced to make sure your car is running safely and efficiently. Here’s a look at the different types of filters we service, and how they help your vehicle:
- Fuel Filter: This filter picks up any dirt or debris in your gas tanks and prevents it from getting into the engine. Over time, your fuel filter can get a lot of dirt build-up, reducing the flow of fuel to your engine. A clogged fuel filter will impact your vehicle’s performance and fuel economy.
- Air filters: Your vehicle’s air filter prevents contaminants like dust and dirt from getting into your engine. A dirty air filter leads to poor fuel economy. At Kennedy, our team will check your air filter with every oil change and let you know when it needs to be replaced.
- Cabin filter: These filters ensure the air you breathe inside your car is of good quality. Your cabin filter traps outdoor particles, harmful gases, and odors and keeps them from entering your vehicle through your ventilation system. It’s important to regularly replace these filters to keep your air conditioning system working properly, and to help those that suffer from asthma or allergies.
- Oil filter: Your car’s oil filter keeps any oil contaminants from getting into the engine and disrupting its operation. Having clean motor oil is crucial to the health of your vehicle as a build-up of debris on your oil filter can damage the surface of your engine.
- PCV Filter and Valve: The Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) filter and valve work together to reduce air pollution and give you better fuel efficiency. This valve ensures your engine is getting the right amount of airflow, while the filter removes harmful oil vapor.
Pro Tip: Knowing when to replace a filter is dependent on several different factors, including your vehicle type, your manufacturer’s recommendations, and the type of filter. When your vehicle is being serviced at Kennedy Transmission, we can inspect each filter and give you our expert recommendations.
Vehicle Fluids
There are also several different types of fluids in your vehicle. It is important to get these inspected and changed regularly to keep your vehicle running efficiently. Here’s a breakdown of the different types of fluid we check each time you have your vehicle serviced:
- Transmission Fluid: This fluid keeps the inside of your transmission cool, clean, and lubricated. It also maintains pressure inside the transmission to keep it functioning properly. It’s important to keep a close eye on this fluid to make sure your transmission doesn’t overheat.
- Differential Fluid: This fluid works with the transmission to rotate your wheels. It delivers power from the engine to the axle.
- Engine Oil: This reduces heat in your engine and keeps it lubricated. Getting regular oil and oil filter changes is important to keeping your engine clean.
- Engine Coolant: More commonly known as anti-freeze, this removes heat from the engine to keep your vehicle from overheating.
Common Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Car’s Filters or Fluids
Knowing when to change your fluids depends on your gas mileage, driving habits, road conditions, fluid type, and the make of your vehicle. A few warning signs that your filters or fluids need to be changed include:
- Having trouble accelerating
- Poor gas mileage
- Unfamiliar odors inside your vehicle
Replace Your Filters and Fluids at Kennedy Transmission
Filters and fluids in your car or truck play an important role in the overall longevity of your vehicle. Thankfully, our trained technicians are experts in all types of car filters and fluids, and we take pride in giving you honest recommendations on when they should be replaced. Stop by a Kennedy Transmission shop near you to replace your filters or fluids today!
