How often to change the fuel filter — by car and engine type

The fuel filter in your car is an essential part of the fuel injection system, and it needs to be inspected and changed on time. However, many car owners are wondering the following – how often to change the fuel filter?

You should change the fuel filter between 15,000 and 100,000 miles since it’s not the same for petrol and diesel cars. Even different car brands include a different replacement timeline in the owner’s manual. You don’t want to leave the matter unattended, and risk dirt and debris passing through with your fuel. So, our team decided to guide you through the fuel filter replacement on different car types.

Why is a fuel filter so important?

Your car’s fuel filter is one of the most important parts for proper engine functionality, even if it doesn’t sound like it at first. As its name suggests, it filters fuel from any dirt residue or debris before it reaches the injectors.

The injectors spray the fuel into the combustion chamber at a precise angle, and there the fuel is mixed with air and lit by the spark plug. However, if your fuel filter fails, none of this can happen regularly. Certain contaminants will remain in the fuel lines and even reach the combustion chambers.

Because of it, the combustion itself will be disturbed, since a clean and precise mixture of air and fuel is needed for the explosion. That’s where the fuel filters and air filters come in – these two parts keep the mixture clean of any contaminants.

Still, when it comes to changing fuel filters, a lot of it comes down to the fuel type as well. Diesel cars require more frequent fuel filter changes than petrol cars, as we’ll discuss shortly. A damaged or clogged filter will also lead to clogged and dirty injectors, so you might have to clean them.

However, you might even face some problems after cleaning the fuel injectors, so it’s best to keep your fuel filter in operative condition. This way you’ll avoid having to deal with expensive repairs in the fuel delivery system, or even worse – engine stalls.

Fuel filter replacement on diesel cars

If your car runs on diesel, chances are you’ll have to deal with fuel filter changes more often. Overall, it takes changing the fuel filter every 10,000 to 20,000 miles. Of course, some modern diesel engines might endure longer without a fuel filter change, but it’s best not to risk it.

Diesel is dirtier than petrol as a fuel, and it greatly reflects on the fuel filter. It’s more likely you’ll end up with a clogged filter if you are driving a diesel car, than a vehicle with a gasoline engine. However, you should also be careful with diesel cars, since some of them have two fuel filters.

The first fuel filter is mounted between the gas tank and the fuel pump. This filter is crucial since a fuel pump can cause significant issues on diesel engines if contaminated fuel reaches it. The worst-case scenario includes power loss, poor acceleration performance, and even difficulties starting the engine.

So, make sure to change this filter first, and then proceed to the second one found in the engine area. This second filter serves to additionally clean the fuel before it reaches the combustion chambers. Also, diesel cars don’t have spark plugs, they operate with glow plugs. These are used to heat the chambers and trigger combustion caused by high compression.

If dirty fuel reaches the chambers, the engine won’t be able to function properly in the compression phase, due to residue found in the fuel. You might experience a quick power loss right after you start your car and step on the throttle if the fuel filter is dirty.

Replacing the fuel filter on petrol engines

If your car runs on gasoline, you can change the fuel filter between 40,000 and 100,000 miles. So, petrol engines will operate longer without contamination of fuel than diesel ones, which require more frequent changes.

Still, it’s a general rule to replace the fuel filter for both types of engines around every 2 years, regardless of your mileage. These parts are meant to be changed, but you can inspect the filter occasionally if you are driving a gasoline car, and it will probably last a lot longer.

How often should you change the fuel filter on a BMW?

If you are driving a BMW model, you should replace the fuel filter every 2 to 3 years. However, that also depends on the mileage and the engine type. BMW models with a well-known 2.5-liter diesel engine need their fuel filter replaced every 15,000 to 20,000 miles.

On the other hand, models with a modern 2.0-liter turbocharged B47 engine require fuel filter changes every 30,000 miles on average. As for petrol engines, BMW advises the drivers to change the fuel filter every 50,000 miles on average.

How often should you change the fuel filter on a Mercedes?

You should change the fuel filter on diesel Mercedes Benz cars every 30,000 miles. On the other hand, petrol engines found in the modern C 200 with 201 horsepower require changing the fuel filter every 60,000 miles to 100,000 miles.

If you own a Mercedes car, you shouldn’t postpone the fuel filter replacement for more than 3 years since the previous replacement.

How often should you change the fuel filter on a Honda?

If you are driving a Honda, you should replace fuel filters between 40,000 miles and 80,000 miles, depending on the model and engine type. You should replace the filter at 30,000 miles for Honda Accord with a 2.2-liter diesel engine.

Cars with petrol engines like the 2.4-liter Vtec require changing the filter every 50,000 to 60,000 miles. Of course, it all depends on the fuel quality and the individual car, so inspect the filter on time.

How often should you change the fuel filter on a Toyota?

Changing fuel filters on Toyota should be done within 30,000 to 40,000 miles on average. For instance, the fuel filter change for Toyota’s 2.0-liter D4D diesel engine should be scheduled every 15,000 miles. On the other hand, you can change the fuel filter for 3.5-liter petrol engines in Toyota Camry models on every 30,000 miles.

How often should you change the fuel filter on a Chevrolet?

You should change the fuel filter on Chevrolet models within 50,000 miles. The best example is Chevrolet Suburban Sport Utility LS with a powerful 5.3-liter V8 engine. This petrol machine requires changing fuel filters every 50,000 miles.

However, you can also pick a 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel which requires fuel filter replacements every 20,000 miles to 30,000 miles.

How often should you change the fuel filter on a Ford?

If you are driving a Ford vehicle, fuel filter replacements are due every 15,000 miles to 60,000 miles. For drivers of a Ford F250 with a diesel engine, you’ll need to replace the filter every 15,000 to 25,000 miles. This also includes drivers of Ford models with a powerful 6.7-liter Powerstroke diesel engine.

On the other hand, petrol engines like the 2.3-liter EcoBoost found in a 4-cylinder Mustang are due for fuel filter replacement every 30,000 to 50,000 miles.

Our take

Ultimately, there’s a complex answer to the inquiry of “how often to change fuel filter”. It all depends on your vehicle type and whether it’s powered by a diesel or petrol engine. You can find the exact answer for your particular vehicle model in the owner’s manual.

Generally, diesel cars should have fuel filters replaced within 15,000 to 25,000 miles. On the other hand, petrol cars might even endure up to 100,000 miles, but you should, either way, inspect the fuel filter every two years.