All right now, no laughing. Probably the easiest part to swap out in a car is the air filter. A quick pop of the hood and the loosening of a couple of clamps or a wing nut and you simply reach in and pull out the old air filter.
Next, open the box up containing your new air filter, pop it into place, secure everything and you are done. Five, maybe ten minutes to accomplish the easiest job going.
Green Is Better!
So, why doesn’t everyone change their own air filter? More importantly, why don’t more people opt for environmentally friendly air filters, commonly known as “green” air filters? You can install it yourself and do much more than keep the air clean in the process.
Anyway, what is a “green” air filter? A green air filter is an environmentally friendly air filter. No, they aren’t usually green as the color green is what signifies that the product works in harmony with nature. Now go hug a tree.
Seriously, there are several advantages to owning a green or reusable air filter:
- Once is Enough. With a reusable air filter, you never have to buy another filter again for your car. Periodically, all you would have to do is take the air filter out, clean it, and then reinstall it. Reusable air filters, such as an AFE air filter, are made of a washable cotton gauze material. As you probably know, cotton is one of the most durable materials on God’s green earth.
- Save the Landfills. In many states, disposing of trash is a big problem. You can do your part by not adding to the problem. Just think about it: over the lifespan of a car you could easily add 8, 10, 15 or more air filters and boxes to the city dump. With a reusable air filter, less is actually more.
- Engine Runs Better. A deep pleat in a reusable air filter means better filtration: your car’s engine “breathes” better with a higher quality, natural product. As you may know, an efficient engine uses less fuel too.
Green Air Filters Cost Less Over The Long Run
Sure, a reusable air filter will cost you more, approximately 2-4 times the price of a throw away air filter. However, you will recoup that money over time and do your part in showing environmental responsibility. Who can put a price on all of that? Go with green and make a difference today!
Copyright 2008-2012 - For additional information regarding Matthew C. Keegan, The Article Writer, please visit his automotive blog for cutting edge car information.
Tags: AFE air filter, air filter, car parts, Chevy parts, Ford parts, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Pontiac, Toyota
Auto Parts | MattK, 23 Apr 09 | 
Comments (3)
Inasmuch there are some people who would like to see General Motors survive as currently arranged, the likelihood that the company will be restructured through bankruptcy court has never been greater. Indeed, the Obama administration is telling GM to prepare for that scenario, given that it is probably the only way that the automaker will finally be able to resolve its festering problems.
Tens of Millions Lost Daily
As recently as January, GM was losing approximately one billion dollars about every three weeks, an amount that translated to more than 80 million dollars a day. Losing tens of millions for any company is a challenge, but when you lose that amount every day that you’re open for business, then there is something terribly wrong with the way that you work.
Last year, in January, I was the guest of GM at the Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) an event where the automaker wined and dined media types from all over the world. In addition to being one of the sponsors for the show, GM hosted an annual gala leading up to the NAIAS, inviting Mary J. Blige, Maroon5 and other stars to headline the event. GM was supporting this event even as they were hemorrhaging cash — not exactly the best way to preserve fast dwindling funds.
Though I was grateful for the Detroit invite, in retrospect I can see how much this event cost the automaker, hastening its demise which became apparent as 2008 closed out. Even as recently in August I was invited to Ohio (but unable to attend) by GM to view the roll out of the Chevy Cruze, another costly publicity event within the same calendar year.
Good GM & Bad GM
The plan for GM if it does go through bankruptcy is to split the company into two parts, what the federal government calls the “Good GM” and the “Bad GM.” The first entity will comprise the automaker’s healthy assets which includes its Chevrolet brand, its Chinese assets and perhaps Cadillac. The “Bad GM” will be made up of its many bad assets including brands such as Saturn, Saab and Hummer. It’ll also include bondholder debt and at least a portion of the company’s health care and other union obligations.
The Obama administration is under the impression that it will be able to resolve GM’s bankruptcy quickly via its proposed arrangement dividing the company. The thinking with this is that the federal government would inject five to seven billion dollars into the automaker, helping GM emerge from bankruptcy in as a little as two weeks. The bad asset part or “Bad GM” would take longer to unwind, but the good assets might be able to thrive going forward in short order.
It was on March 30th when President Obama announced that GM had sixty days to restructure while telling Chrysler LLC officials that they had thirty days to form an alliance with Fiat S.p.A. or face liquidation. With the former company, the feds see a glimmer of hope, but with Chrysler all bets are off if an agreement with Fiat cannot be reached.
Related Reading: GM Makes A Case For Bankruptcy
Tags: bad GM, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chevy, Detroit, General Motors, GM, GM Daewoo, GMC, good GM, Holden, Hummer, NAIAS, Oldsmobile, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall
Commentary | Matt Keegan, 15 Apr 09 | Comments (2)
General Motors announced today that the Pontiac G8 ST also known as the "El Camino" to car-truck diehards, will not go into production after all. The automaker canceled the project leaving the G8 to soldier on alone.
When GM released the Pontiac G8 last spring, I was thrilled to see that the automaker had finally given the brand a car worthy of the Pontiac name. The G8 is a bold, strong, rear wheel driven five passenger sedan based on the Australian Holden Commodore platform, just the sort of car needed to redefine the Pontiac name.
Along with the G8, GM had said that a car-truck version of the vehicle was going to be developed, an “El Camino” type truck that stirred the hearts of people who desired to see such a vehicle brought to market. When GM announced a contest to name the truck, the El Camino name received a strong response, but the automaker decided to go with the ST which is a rather dull abbreviation for sport truck.
Alas, the G8 ST will not go into production after all according to sources within and without General Motors. The company placed the project “under review” last month as part of the automakers review of its entire portfolio. Though GM hasn’t said whether Pontiac itself is dead, the automaker has no plans to bring the Pontiac G8 ST to market.
As far as this ST fan goes, I’m very disappointed, though not entirely surprised by the announcement.
Originally slated to launch late this fall, the ST would have been a nice complement to the sedan. But, with GM sales tanking and the world in the grip of a worsening recession, the ST project has been canceled.
This may actually work to GM’s favor as the ST would have been a low volume vehicle in the first place. With gas prices remaining unstable, the ST’s survival would be threatened when gas prices climb as they are expected to do later this spring.
R.I.P. Pontiac G8 ST…we hardly knew ya!
