Cabin Filters are important!

[Drew99GT]

I had no idea how important changing these things is. The HVAC in my mom's Impala hasn't been performing very well recently, and the air conditioning hasn't even been superb. I thought, what the heck, I'll check the cabin filter. Her car gets parked under a pine tree often. Good lord; it was completely clogged. After changing it, it's like night and day difference. Much more airflow, the A/C seems colder, and where as we'd have to keep the fan setting quite high, now it can stay very low. I'll definitely be changing those cabin filters more often.

 

[LeakySeals]

Not replacing the filter on a house HVAC system would cause a freeze up. I can imagine a similar scenario for vehicles.

 

[demarpaint]

Yea, it's amazing the junk that gets caught in them.

 

[TallPaul]

As far as I can tell none of my vehicles even has a cabin filter. Are these only on high end luxury cars?

____________________________________________
2005 Mountaineer
2001 Chevy S-10
2001 Ranger pickup
1992 Ford Aerostar
2000 Chevy van chassi motorhome

 

[CourierDriver]

I got a 2005 buick lesabre, there's a place under the hood for a filter, but it was never installed by the factory. mercy.

 

[johnachak]

Originally Posted By: TallPaul
As far as I can tell none of my vehicles even has a cabin filter. Are these only on high end luxury cars?

____________________________________________
2005 Mountaineer
2001 Chevy S-10
2001 Ranger pickup
1992 Ford Aerostar
2000 Chevy van chassi motorhome


Nope, my Ford minivan had one, my friends Honda Accord and my daughters Chevy Cobalt have them

 

[chiks]

Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
I got a 2005 buick lesabre, there's a place under the hood for a filter, but it was never installed by the factory. mercy.


under the hood ?

That is the engine air filter.

and you do not have one in it?

Mercy.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Yea, it's amazing the junk that gets caught in them.


+1

There was tons of dust, leaves and other [censored] in mine when I removed it.

 

[440Magnum]

I have to wonder.... since cars are being built with cabin filters now, are the manufacturers getting chintzy with the old methods of preventing leaves, dirt, and large contaminants from getting in? I've pulled apart many a 60s and 70s HVAC system, many at 200k+ miles, and I've rarely found more than a couple of leaves on the upstream side of the evaporator or heater core. Lots of DIRT- I'm not saying we shouldn't have air filters, but it does seem like they used to build the cowl so that the big stuff was hard to get into the HVAC system.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
I have to wonder.... since cars are being built with cabin filters now, are the manufacturers getting chintzy with the old methods of preventing leaves, dirt, and large contaminants from getting in? I've pulled apart many a 60s and 70s HVAC system, many at 200k+ miles, and I've rarely found more than a couple of leaves on the upstream side of the evaporator or heater core. Lots of DIRT- I'm not saying we shouldn't have air filters, but it does seem like they used to build the cowl so that the big stuff was hard to get into the HVAC system.



Part of the problem on my mom's car is, an idiot replaced the windsheld and warped/bent the plastic cowl separating the windshield from the engine compartment/HVAC intake. Pine needles or anything else that falls on the windshield can slide right through and into the HVAC inlet.

 

[ARB1977]

My Tacoma doesn't have one.

 

[46Harry]

It's very important to replace the cabin air filter regularly. I recently replaced the filter on my 2010 Impala and it was filled with dirt which had to restrict the air flow.

 

[gathermewool]

After 40kmi, mine was clean. I wonder whether it's a difference in design or location that matters most.

I changed it out for a carbon-impregnated one just because.

 

[bigmike]

For Honda, I think it's just a sales tactic to make $70 off unsuspecting customers at the dealership.

There isn't one in my truck. They had them the year before (2005) but deleted it for the 2006. Makes me wonder why?

 

[cutter]

Your lungs are not under their warranty so it hasn't been included.

 

[CourierDriver]

Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
I got a 2005 buick lesabre, there's a place under the hood for a filter, but it was never installed by the factory. mercy.


Ok,,found the filter at Napa, 16 bucks,,after 7 years of no filter, cant belive the hvac is working or not clogged totally, mercy sakes

 

[sxg6]

Originally Posted By: chiks
Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
I got a 2005 buick lesabre, there's a place under the hood for a filter, but it was never installed by the factory. mercy.


under the hood ?

That is the engine air filter.

and you do not have one in it?

Mercy.


Some cabin air filters are only accessible through the engine bay, and not from inside the vehicle.

 

[Kestas]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
I've pulled apart many a 60s and 70s HVAC system, many at 200k+ miles, and I've rarely found more than a couple of leaves on the upstream side of the evaporator or heater core.

I remember those old cars on the first day of summer. The first time I put the a/c on I'd get a face full of leaves coming from the vents!

 

[zerosoma]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
I've pulled apart many a 60s and 70s HVAC system, many at 200k+ miles, and I've rarely found more than a couple of leaves on the upstream side of the evaporator or heater core.

I remember those old cars on the first day of summer. The first time I put the a/c on I'd get a face full of leaves coming from the vents!


I remember that as a kid in my dad's cars.

Figure this one out - there's a place for a cabin air filter in my Hyundai - but they didn't install one at the factory and nobody bothered to check for it in the whole 69,000 miles it racked up before I bought it.

I put the cabin air filter in there after cleaning the inside of the shaft and A/C seems to be running nicer.

I replaced the cabin on my Prius too yesterday... and when I pulled it out, an innumerable amount of leaves, seeds, cotton, fur, hair, dirt, and debris was on there. I had to carry it carefully out of the vehicle so it didn't spill over onto the floor or seat.

JUST GROSS!!

Furthered my importance of maintenance like this on my vehicles. Now I don't get stuffed up when I run the A/C. Go figure.

 

[webfors]

First change of the cabin filter on both our cars was around 30k miles. Ever since seeing how filthy, dirty and clogged they were I changed them yearly now.

Both our corolla and forester have them behind the glove box.