A typical automotive engine doesn't die a natural death. Stories of engines lasting long after the odometer has ticked past 100,000 miles are a tribute to automotive engineering and a proper maintenance program on the part of its owner. With a little planning, such stories can certainly become much more commonplace.

The biggest killer of today's finely crafted engine is child's play: Dirt. Dirt that enters through various means into the engine and contaminants generated by the metal-to-metal contact of the engine.

Engine oil, drawn from the oil pan and forced under pressure through the moving parts of an automotive engine is designed to clean, cool, lubricate and seal the metal surfaces of the engine. But the success of today's modern lubricating oil (the ability to sweep dirt from the engine through suspension) is only as good as the filter that removes the dirt from the engine oil.

That engine-sustaining role is performed by one of the most important parts on a car's engine: its Purolator oil filter.