Changing your car's oil filter is right up there with changing your engine oil, and while each manufacturer will vary the scheduled oil and filter changes, it's generally agreed that the oil filter needs to be change when you change your oil.
Many of today's engines incorporate the technology that allows the oil coming from the reservoir to the engine to pass directly through the oil filter first. The oil filter is of course the first line of defense to the crankshaft, cam, and engine bearings.
The oil filter picks up such contaminants as dirt, carbon, and metal particles. A dirty oil filter will be compromised in its ability to obstruct these particles, and that can only spell disaster for your engine if the problem isn't addressed.
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Some modern filters are designed, with a bypass valve, to allow the contaminated oil to pass through if the filter is clogged to the point of full capacity. The reasoning; is that it's better for oil to get to the engine, even if contaminated, than being obstructed by a clogged filter. This is but one more good reason to change the filter before it gets to this point.
Keep good records of your car's mileage and its oil change maintenance schedules. Never change the oil without having a new filter installed.
Most oil filters cost less than ten dollars, and this is far less than it would cost to change an engine due to poor maintenance. If you're the kind of person that like do the work yourself, so much the better!
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