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To maximize gas mileage and minimize emissions, your air filter should be changed every six months or 15,000 miles. To optimize savings, change it yourself.

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  Step 1: Park level, turn off engine

  Park your car on a level surface in the shade. Turn off the engine and let it cool down.

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  Step 2: Locate air filter

  Open the hood and locate the air filter. In most cars, it’s enclosed inside a round or rectangular plastic case at the top or front of the engine.

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  Step 3: Flip open clasps

  Flip open the metal clasps on either side of the case. If they’re stuck, use the flathead screwdriver to pry them open. In some older cars, you may need to unscrew the cover.

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  Step 4: Pull out old filter

  Pull the old filter out of the case.

• Tip

  Hold the old filter up to the light—if you can see light through it, it's still in good shape and can be reinserted.

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  Step 5: Slide in clean filter

  Slide in the clean air filter.

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  Step 6: Close clasps

  Close the clasps on the case.

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  Step 7: Close hood

  Close the hood—and breath easy. Now your car can, too.

• Fact

  In the first episode of the TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation, Lieutenant Commander Geordi's VISOR was actually a car air filter.