Fortunately, the wildfire smoke has cleared out, and we all feel like we can breathe again. We’ve had a lot of people asking us if the smoke had any detrimental impacts on their car. The only components typically affected by smoke would be the air filters. The engine air filter catches particulate before air is drawn into the engine. If you had to do some driving in the smoky conditions, this filter could have gotten quite dirty, which could cause reduced performance.
Additionally, most modern cars are equipped with cabin air filters, which filter the air you breathe coming through the AC system. Its an awesome feature to have when the air quality is poor. We definitely recommend having the cabin air filter changed, if you have not had it replaced recently. In addition to smoke, tree debris and mold can accumulate in the filter, which would make conditions in the car worse than having no filter at all.
If you know you haven’t had those filters changed, or aren’t sure of the last replacement, give us a call. We can check your records and let you know what we’d recommend.
Paul Lanzer
September 22, 2020My engine yellow light came on. I have a 2004 town and country and we have here in New Jersey bad air from the wild fires from Canada and it just went on today. Can you help me please?