Have You changed your interior filter in your vehicle ??

[Redwood32R2]

Cabin Filters

I have worked in auto parts since 1973. Be advised not all vehicles come with a cabin filter even today. Some have the mount for one but they are not shipped with a filter installed. Check your owners manual. I have seen some impressively filthy ones at the repair shops we deliver to.

 

[Onomea]

My Toyota dealer in Japan changed mine out at about five years.

 

[Gaffer]

Took the wife's Camry into the dealer for servicing and when they tried to change the cabin filter they found a live mouse which they did not catch. They told me to put dryer sheets in the glove compartment to discourage such interlopers. Seems to work. I was afraid that the little bugger would die in there and cause a big stink but not a problem.

 

[LVSteve]

You mean the AC air filter? Every two years.

I can tell you don't live in the desert. I'm planning on changing mine after watching the F1 rerun. Last changed in January.

 

[NYlakesider]

Took the wife's Camry into the dealer for servicing and when they tried to change the cabin filter they found a live mouse which they did not catch. They told me to put dryer sheets in the glove compartment to discourage such interlopers. Seems to work. I was afraid that the little bugger would die in there and cause a big stink but not a problem.

A couple yeas ago during the winter we had mice invade our two vechicles which were sitting in the driveway. Which is strange as both vechicles are daily drivers. We ended up putting in the vechicles those sticky glue traps, just set them on the floor. Cought 3 in her SUV and 2 in my pick up and no more problems.

 

[Murphy's Law]

And here I thought I knew all there was about vehicles until now.

 

[SC_Mike]

Every year right after pollen season.

 

[PALADIN85020]

On my car, a Buick LaCrosse, the cabin air filter is situated behind the glove compartment in the dash. To access it, the glove compartment must be detached (no easy job), and that means labor costs when the dealer does it. I had mine done about a year ago nonetheless, because I do want to breath relatively clean air. Because I have a pre-owned car, I have no idea if it ever had been changed.

It seems car designers and manufacturers never think about maintenance ease or cost...

John

 

[muddocktor]

I looked at a YouTube on changing the one in my Colorado this morning. It's behind the glove box, but they made it easy to get the glove box out. All you have to do is disengage the dampener string and push out 2 plastic pins under the dash and the glove box drops out and have direct access to the filter box.

 

[JJEH]

Yes, I always check. For some makes/models K&N makes cabin filters so they cost more but you can wash and re-use them.

 

[JohnRippert]

It is on the maintenance list for my 2012 KIA Sportage SX Turbo. I can remember them doing it at least once before but it only has 23,000 miles ATM and likely does not need it yet again.

 

[Doug M.]

The Subaru dealers I have used are very attentive to it, and considering that I live in a VERY dusty area, yearly is actually a pretty long period.

 

[chief38]

I do change them from time to time when I remember. About every couple of years seems about right.

 

[jbtrucker]

Cabin filter on my Ford Fusion is located inside the dash behind the glove box that need to be removed for access. Will change it out when weather cools off. I bought a used 2004 Monte Carlo SS few years ago with only 28k . Black leather interior was perfect shape I checked the air filter which was solid black and cabin filter was full of dirt , pine needles and bugs. I replaced both filters and had new inline fuel filter installed along with oil change.

 

[LVSteve]

6 months of Vegas dirt

If you notice a big difference in airflow between the regular and Max (recirc) settings it's a giveaway that your filter is bad. Don't know where it is or how to change it?.....there's probably a how-to video on Youtube.

That's what I started to notice last week. Changed the filters this AM. They had been in there 6 months. The layout of the HVAC inlets mean that any dust or dirt sitting up in the cowl area gets sucked down into the filters.

The filter for the motor had very little dirt in it. The flow is upwards and the intake is tucked inside the fender, so there is less crud to start with.

 

[Sistema1927]

Both of my Toyotas (Tacoma and Camry) have the cabin air cleaner behind the glove box. I do them myself twice a year, even though I get the rest of my service at a local garage. They charge about $30 to do it, I buy them for about $8 a pop.

 

[Gundalow]

Have been driving various cars and pickup trucks since the early 60s. The air quality in the pre-filter vehicles was in my mind no different from the air quality in the air filtered vehicles. The only difference is the dealer has an add on charge when you go in for service.

Some of you may operate in urban areas, (i'm In the country), so these things may help you. They are a nuisance for me in that I park my Tacoma outside and the air filter gets clogged with pine needles and mouse nests. I have to check them periodically (through the glove compartment). I buy cheap replacements via the internet, rather than pay for the dealer to replace it at inflated prices.

Again, I have not noticed any improvement in air quality from when I started driving an International Harvester Scout in the early 60s to driving my 2018 Honda Odyssey. Thus for my lifestyle, and I suspect for most country folks, these items are a total marketing scam, completely useless and costly.

 

[Bill Bates]

I replace the cabin filter on my Toyota FJ twice a year; once sometime mid Summer( its due) and again towards the end of
November after hunting season. The filter gets pretty dirty after spending a lot of time out on dirt roads scouting and hunting.

 

[wundudnee]

Took the wife's Camry into the dealer for servicing and when they tried to change the cabin filter they found a live mouse which they did not catch. They told me to put dryer sheets in the glove compartment to discourage such interlopers. Seems to work. I was afraid that the little bugger would die in there and cause a big stink but not a problem.

We had your nightmare. A mouse got in my wife's Camry and died. It took about six months to get the odor out. Later she had the devils rip up a roll of paper towels in her trunk. She had her own mouse trap line, it finally worked.

 

[Stevens]

A couple yeas ago during the winter we had mice invade our two vechicles which were sitting in the driveway. Which is strange as both vechicles are daily drivers. We ended up putting in the vechicles those sticky glue traps, just set them on the floor. Cought 3 in her SUV and 2 in my pick up and no more problems.

Get a Snake! I was having trouble with mice or rats chewing the insulation off wires on my fishing boat.(why do they do that?) Not long after the problem stopped we were fishing about 5 miles offshore when a rat snake about 4' long crawled out of an opening and slithered across the cockpit deck. My wife who was sitting there almost had a fit! I don't know who was more scared her or the snake who dove for cover down in the hull. That was my wife's last trip in that boat for a while. I never saw the snake or any rat damage in that boat again.
Rat snakes get pretty big but are harmless to humans. That's one in my avatar, that was taken in the same shed I stored that boat in, different snake I'm sure, this one has a taste for birds!
Steve W