Cabin Air Filters

Do you change your cabin air filter

  • Don't know if my car has one

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I change it as required

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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T

touhy

New member
I just found out there is one in my car. I didn't even know such a thing existed. It's not listed in my owners manual. How many of you have had the same experience?
 
My VW has one too, and I bought it to replace, but am waiting till all those stupid cotton ball things stop flying though the air in a week or so to replace it. With my allergies, I'd imagine they help.
 
The Accord and 4Runner have them, but the Corolla doesn't. I just had the one in my 4Runner changed and the air smells so much better. It seems to have gotten rid of that musty ac smell.
 
My 01 Civic has one as well. I was just reading that it should be replaced every 15k if you live in the city.



My car has almost 60k on it right now so I just now ordered a replacement filter element (its 2 pieces actually). It costs around $40 total.



On my car the filter is located behind the glove box. I can't wait to see what kinds of nice things it has collected over 60 thousand miles.
 
The filters are usually located in one of three areas. Some are in the engine compartment up against the firewall. Usually there is a small door secured with a couple of screws. This is common on Fords. Many are accessed through a small panel in the glove box. The other common location is under the dash through a panel into the air-conditioner ductwork.

Most of these are pretty easy to change, often 5 minutes or less, but a few are a real PITA
 
I have one in my F150 Supercrew. It is located just below the glovebox inside the cab. Remove three screws to a plastic vanity cover and it slides out. Suprised at how dirty it was when I changed it after a year.
 
I wish I had one!



Check your owner's manual - if it has one, there should be a replacement schedule specified.
 
Find if you have one- if you do, remove it and measure it.

Go to Home Depot, find a furnace filter closest to the same wisth, and at least 2x the length on either side.

Trace the in-cabin filter over the furnace filter with a marker.

Cut furnace filter, use it's own cardboard edge to creat a new perimeter edge, using good tape to hold the joint together.

Enjoy your new in cabin filter that cost about 1/8th of what a new in cabin filter would have cost.

In-cabin filter for '01 Sentra:

http://www.courtesyparts.com/Mercha...n=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=B7200-00002

3M filter:

http://www.allergybegone.com/3mdiscenfurf.html

On top of being allergy reducing, they stop stuff like mould, pollen and tons of stuff a factory filter could'nt.

Take that, Nissan!(or, whomever)

:xyxthumbs
 
When making your own filters, remember that some of them will come in contact with mositure when it rains. I know the one in my GTI does, after one particularly heavy rain about a month ago, I noitced that water had gotten in the fresh air inlet for the car, and had dripped through the ductowork to my floormat. I'm sure water would destroy the filter material of some house filters.
 
Touche.

However, even if that did happen, it's so easy and cheap to replace!

My main point is the cost/benefit of using something so economical, and possibly better filtering.

My car does not have the water drip-through problem, so I was not aware of that potential.
 
I bought a 3M home furnace filter for $30CDN (Nissan in cabin filter is $55CDN), cut it in 4, taped the open edges back together, and the new one fits better than the stock filter did; no play around the edges.

Plus, it has a charcoal filter for allergens, pollen & spores, as well as odours.

WAYYYYYYYYYYY better than stock for 1/5 the price.

Check it.:xyxthumbs
 
As for VW, do they normally replace this filter as part of their

routine maintenance at the dealer, in case I didn't want to do it myself?
 
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