6 yr Old Cabin Air Filter

[The Critic]

My work buddy and I were in his car and the conversation went like this:

Critic: Dude, you smell that wet stuff from your A/C?
Co-worker: Sort of.
Critic: Have you ever changed the cabin air filter?
Co-worker: No, what's that? EZLube and Jiffy Lube never mentioned it.
Critic: Yeah, let's do that. Your Santa Fe is a 2006 with 27,000+ miles. It's definitely way overdue; the cabin filter should have been replaced back at 15k.
Co-worker: Alright, let's do it.

So...I order an ATP charcoal-activated cabin air filter. The charcoal should also help with interior odors.

This is what the original looked like after 5+ years and 27,000+ miles of LA driving:

The new OE filter is white, since it is not charcoal-activated. So all of the grey color you see is from the dirt.

Needless to say, a new cabin filter removed most of the damp odor from the HVAC system.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Not too bad, just vacuum and put it back in !!!

I don't know why/how the cabin air filter is almost always dirtier than engine air filter.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Not too bad, just vacuum and put it back in !!!

I am waiting for Papa Bear to come in and give me instructions on how to clean it with Woolite.

 

[oilboy123]

They look nasty even after a year.................

 

[Barkleymut]

I didn't know my wifes Chrysler even had a cabin air filter.... when I finally found it it had leaves/pollen/blackstuff/crud/ and was really wet. This was in 2009-only 9 years since the manufacture date. It took 1/2 a roll of paper towels to clean the intake area around it. I really should have taken a pic

 

[The Critic]

As they say, mold grows in dark and moist places. This explains why cars with overdue cabin air filters have moldy smells from the vents when the A/C is on.

 

[addyguy]

I've got to check the cabin air filter on my Tribute.

I only found out I HAD one when I went on Escape-City, and found detailed instructions on how to replace it.

Now, to find the time......

 

[Nick R]

I need to install one in my focus. I don't want all that [censored] coming through my vents. I'll have to make that my project for my next weekend off when I'm not out of town.

 

[addyguy]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
I need to install one in my focus. I don't want all that [censored] coming through my vents. I'll have to make that my project for my next weekend off when I'm not out of town.


Do you have one in it now?

Wouldn't it come with one from the factory?

 

[kkreit01]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
I've got to check the cabin air filter on my Tribute.

I only found out I HAD one when I went on Escape-City, and found detailed instructions on how to replace it.

Now, to find the time......


The late models didn't actually come with one, but had a location for one. Nothing was mentioned in the owner's manual about it. Mine were 07 & 08 models. Yours may have come with one already installed?

 

[poiuy223]

Is the general consensus that cabin filters should be replaced every 15k mi/1 year? Whichever comes first? Or just look at it and replace if needed?

 

[Rix]

1 year and 15 seems to be about right in most cases.
MOST. NOT all.

The one picture is actually really clean, considering.
I've seen FAR worse, in FAR less time.
Especially people that live with some trees and whatnot around them.

The rat's nests are the best ones (yuck)

 

[benjamming]

poiuy,

I replace mine every 30k miles. Car was bought in 2002-Jul & has 155k miles on it so that is ~17k/year or roughly every 2 years if you want it on a timescale. That seems to be about right for where I live & drive in northern Alabama which, incidentally, is not on any gravel roads!

 

[poiuy223]

Uh oh. I better take a look at mine then. Dirty SoCal smog can be brutal.

Which reminds me. My '02 CL-S that I had for about 8 years, 120k mi, never had the cabin filter changed. No wonder my mom said it smelled moldy. Good thing I'm learning here...

 

[97f150]

Neither of my trucks have one.

 

[k24a4]

just got my $10 back from purolator for the cabin filters. note they also have rebates available on air filters and oil filters. good deal.

http://www.purolatorautofilters.net/promotions/Pages/specialoffer.aspx