Overheard a kid at the parts counter say he never changes fuel filters until a truck dies on him

I was waiting for an oil pan gasket last Tuesday and this young tech, maybe 22, was bragging about how he only swaps fuel filters when there's a breakdown. My old mentor used to say a clogged filter is just a tow bill waiting to happen. I've seen injector pumps get starved from a dirty filter and cost $2,500 to replace on a Cummins ISX. Has anyone else noticed newer techs treating filters like they're optional, or is it just the shop I'm at?

3 comments

3 Comments

caleb2625d agoTop Commenter

Gotta wonder if that same attitude shows up everywhere now, like people just ignoring oil changes or brake pads until something actually breaks. Cheap insurance always seems expensive until you're stuck with a huge repair bill.

kim8196d ago

Gotta disagree a bit @mila_flores8. A filter swap is cheap insurance but I've seen guys swap perfectly good filters every 10k miles and waste money and time. There's a middle ground.

mila_flores88d ago

Used to think filters were just a money grab honestly. Then my buddy’s Duramax grenaded a pump on the highway. Towed it in, $3,200 later he was back on the road. Watched the mechanic cut the old filter open, it was packed solid with crap. Changed my mind real fast. Cheap insurance if you ask me.