Overheard a guy at the parts counter say he never changes his fuel filters

I was standing in line at the Cummins shop in Nashville last Tuesday, and this older fella in front of me tells the counter guy he's gone 80,000 miles without swapping his fuel filters. Said he just lets them ride until the truck starts acting up. I almost choked on my coffee. I've been in this trade for about 12 years now, and I've seen what happens when you push those things too far. Injectors get starved, water gets through, and suddenly you're looking at a $3,000 repair bill instead of a $60 filter change. The counter guy just nodded and sold him a set anyway, which I thought was smart. Made me wonder, is this a common thing with owner-operators trying to stretch every dollar, or just a stubborn old-timer thing? Has anyone else run into customers who outright refuse to do filter changes on a schedule?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth_king13d ago

Wait, 90,000 miles? That's just asking for a breakdown, isn't it. I mean, I get trying to save money but at some point you're just playing chicken with your injectors. @alex524 I bet that guy's fuel system was looking rough by the time you got it. I've seen filters split open after 40k miles with water sitting in the bottom of the housing, and that's with decent fuel. There's no way anyone is getting out of that clean.

alex52413d ago

Man, I see it all the time. Had a guy bring in a truck last month with 90k on the same filters.

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