Cabin Filters (NSFB) not safe for BITOG

[NitroM3]

I live in California and will all the surrounding fires I need to constantly clean my cabin filter. The ash in the air is like a semi wet clay and sticks the Cabin filter. I use K&N Cabin filters. I have a back-up K&N filter and when the wife and I go on weekend trip I also carry a inexpensive spare cabin filter. In my Mazda it literally takes 30 seconds to change the filter out.

I also do a completely HVAC cleaning every 6mos or sooner if we start smelling that traditional "musk" smell from using the AC everyday.

 

[sk_pete]

those nasties weren´t replaced in years...

 

[NitroM3]

The procedure take about an hour maybe longer if you want to let the cleaning soak in a little longer?

 

[Deamos]

It's interesting to me that Mazda has rated their cabin for 2 years or 15-25k miles... depending on which schedule you're using for maintenance.

Figure I'll check it at 15k and then decide what to do. At least in the Sorento by 10-15k miles the cabin filter was filthy. I'm curious to see how the CAF Mazda loads up. I'll give its first check after the pollen explosion in another 4-6 weeks.

As a follow-up. I checked it a few weeks ago, a little past 11k miles. The filter was very loaded up and ready to be changed (non-scientific, but no light was passing through the filter) I was actually a little surprised with how dirty it was. Then again, we get a lot of allergens in the air here, I live not far from I-44 and we've been getting a lot of particulate contamination from fires elsewhere in the country. Plan to check the engine filter at ~15k to see how it's doing. That may get an early swap as well.

Also, the first CAF I've changed which has a plastic frame as part of the filter, I guess that explains why they're all $12 to $25.

 

[sk_pete]

i pop the hood and remove cabin filters, then put fan-high, i spray diluted ipa, or mild 1:20 apc .
i gets sucked in, and odors will stop. i do it only during hot weather to dry things fast.
haven´t disassembled ventilation system yet. (2017 car)

 

[berniedd]

OK, I'll play - this is from this afternoon, out of a '98 Honda CR-V with 345K km on it. Given the difficulty involved in accessing the cabin filter, I doubt it had been changed in a long time, if ever. The owner had complained of poor heat, and the HVAC cabin fan was roaring away on high but generating little airflow out of the vents.

That '98 crv owner is lucky enough his vehicle has a replaceable CAF. My '98 did not have one. There is no hole / provision for a filter in the ducting after the fan!

 

[slacktide_bitog]

That '98 crv owner is lucky enough his vehicle has a replaceable CAF. My '98 did not have one. There is no hole / provision for a filter in the ducting after the fan!

A few late 90s Japanese cars that had an optional cabin filter will still have a spot for it, but you have to cut the hole yourself with a knife (it's usually tight, so don't cut yourself!)

Too bad your CRV isn't like that

Possibly you could go to the junkyard and get the whole airbox from another first-gen CRV that includes the filter door.

It sucks to do all that work then find you have no provision for it!



Some Integras seem to have the cabin filter provision, but the door is blocked by a metal bar

 

[nomas]

Ok , so if you NEVER set your air to " Fresh " or " Outside " or whatever your vehicle calls it , then you will never get leaves and acorns and Pine needles , etc. in your filter right ? You WILL pick up whatever crud is floating around in the floor mats I guess . Am I right or wrong ?

 

[berniedd]

Ok , so if you NEVER set your air to " Fresh " or " Outside " or whatever your vehicle calls it , then you will never get leaves and acorns and Pine needles , etc. in your filter right ? You WILL pick up whatever crud is floating around in the floor mats I guess . Am I right or wrong ?

Yes, I always set it to recirculation. I jury rigged a 3M house aircon Filtrete air filter cut to appropriate size and taped in place over the air inlet in front of the glove compartment. But it still gets dirty from dust and other particulates. Have to change it every 9 months.

 

[vavavroom]

On the other hand this organic filter will very effectively remove fallout from a nearby nuclear detonation.

 

[Silver]

My '02 commuter had a filter not much better than those. It blew air fine and I didn't notice any increase when I changed it. So I wonder too how such a clogged up filter seemingly doesn't matter. Maybe it's just not sealed well. I do get a strong odor from my leaking power steering fluid when sitting still.

 

[Ursatdx]

This gem came out of a vehicle with 210k miles on the clock.
I'd venture to say it's never been replaced.
Someday I'll dig through the layers of one of these treasures to see
what might be in there. Kinda like an archeologist digs through dirt
to uncover the history behind an item.
Nah.

 

[mightymousetech]

There must be a bypass, something like a rubber flap, that can let airflow go around the filter.

Nope.

 

[mightymousetech]

Yes, I always set it to recirculation. I jury rigged a 3M house aircon Filtrete air filter cut to appropriate size and taped in place over the air inlet in front of the glove compartment. But it still gets dirty from dust and other particulates. Have to change it every 9 months.

Should never set to recirc for longer than 5 mins or so. Could only imagine how bad the air quality in the vehicle is doing that.

 

[partspro]

Breath Easy, so many do not even know they have this filter, @Advance Autoparts, in 7 years i think i sold less than 10

 

[sk_pete]

from those nasty filters, Egyptian archeologist might dig some interesting artifact.

 

[michaelluscher]

2020 Elantra, 4300 miles on it

 

[PolarisX]

View attachment 69763

2020 Elantra, 4300 miles on it

On the same note I just did the CAF on our 2019 Veloster with only 7000 on it and the filter was really gross for that mileage. Going to be checking it every few months since its 30 seconds to get at it, but I'm suspect the design lets in more debris than other cars we have had in the past.

 

[earlyre]

I also do a completely HVAC cleaning every 6mos or sooner if we start smelling that traditional "musk" smell from using the AC everyday.

So when the Car Smells of Elon it's time to clean the Ducts/etc. roger that.

sorry...too much of a smarty-pants... couldn't help myself...

staying slightly more on topic with this thread, the Cabin Filter on my Cmax, and Dad's Escape (same filter, location, etc) are such a pain to access. on knees, balled up down in the passenger foot well, messing with some fiddly little screws and tabs.
to do it the "right way" you have to take the whole glove box out.
that being said, i just change both annually in the spring. beginning of april or so. this year, i found a decent deal on Bosch HEPA filters from Rock auto. with our family's respitory issues( the alleriges run Strong in our bloodline), and everything else going on, why not get a better filter.
last year was a 2 pk of Amazon basics Filters. ($16 when they first launched them.)

 

[Shel_B]

This thread has motivated me to take a look at my CAF. It's only been in the car about a year and has less than 6,000 miles on it, but from what I've seen here, a look is probably a good idea. I'll see what Rock Auto, Walmart, and Amazon have to offer for the Camry.