MOTORING experts have warned Brits with dusty cars to get them checked or face a hefty repair bill.

Overnight rain brought a strange sight yesterday (Thursday) morning, as vehicles across the nation were left covered in Saharan sand and dust.

This is whipped up by winds in the North African desert and then shifted to the UK higher in the atmosphere if the conditions are just right.

But while warnings about how rushing to clean off the dust could damage paintwork were widespread across social media, another potential hazard has largely been ignored.

Graham Conway, from Select Car Leasing, explained: “This fine dust can not only leave your car or van looking dirty on the outside, it can also do some real damage to important features inside the vehicle.

“The cabin air filter works to clean the air that comes into the interior of your car via the air conditioning or regular heating and cooling vents. It picks up all sorts of nasties before they have a chance to make their way to your respiratory system, including dust, bacteria and fungal spores.

“It should do a decent job of preventing any Saharan sand from infiltrating and affecting you while you’re driving."

He added: “But with all these extra dust particles in the atmosphere at the moment, it could easily become clogged and damage the air conditioning system.

“It’s a cheap part to buy, costing around £10, and easy to replace. But it’s one that needs to be checked fairly regularly, especially when we have these types of weather phenomena.”

The other part Mr Conway is highlighting is the engine air filter, which also doesn’t like lots of fine dust.

He said: “If this is dirty or clogged, it will reduce the amount of air getting into the engine and lead to an increase in unburnt fuel. This situation creates more soot residue, which can build up on spark plugs affecting their performance. The result of this is your car jerking and the engine misfiring.

“Over time, dirt can also enter the engine and damage expensive parts such as piston rings, valves and the cylinder wall. So getting the engine air filter checked would certainly be a good idea in order to avoid an expensive repair bill down the line.”