How to Change a Car’s Air Filter

When I lived by myself back in my single days, one of the things I had to learn to do for myself was car repair and maintenance. It wasn’t glamorous, but it did make me feel really proud of myself. Changing the car’s air filter is something that should be done every year, and it’s super-easy to do.

1. The first thing you do is buy an air filter. If you go to a store like Autozone, you just go to the counter and tell them what kind of car you have, and the guy will give you the filter for your car. It is cheap — the filter for my car costs $10. You also need a screwdriver.

2. Pop the hood and find the air filter. It has a plastic cover with a big tube connected to it. This one is rectangle, but some cars have air filters that look like donuts. See how the cover is fastened down? It might have screws (circled in blue in the picture), or it might have metal clips.

3. Unscrew the screws enough to loosen the cover and lift it up.

4. Take the old air filter out.

5. Place the new air filter where the old one was. Make sure it’s right side up.

6. Fasten the cover back on. See how easy that was? Plus you saved a bunch of money because you took care of it yourself.