Last time you changed the cabin air filter in your vehicle?

[Idaho45guy]

Believe it or not, before a few months ago, I had never changed out the cabin air filter on a vehicle I owned. I was meticulous about the engine air filter, and oil filter, and tire rotations, but never even thought about the cabin air filter.

Then, when I had my 2 year old 4Runner serviced at the dealer, they mentioned that my cabin air filter was in pretty bad shape due to all of the off-road travel I do. I said I would change it.

So, ordered a filter and was astonished at how dirty the filter had become in less than two years...

283254

Then, I was driving my "new" free car and turned on the AC. Hardly any air came out of the vents, and the smell of mice was detectable. I then realized that I should probably replace the cabin filter, so ordered one. It came in today and I went out to change it and was horrified at what I found.

The original filter from 2007, completely clogged and with a dead mouse in the housing.

I had been driving around a car for a month with a dead mouse on the filter that supplied the air I was breathing...

283255

283256

So, just wondering how many other folks were like me and never paid attention to the cabin filter before.

It's amazing how much better the car smells now and the air blows strong and fresh. I had some hospital-grade disinfectant cleaner spray and wiped down everything I could in the system.

[cwtebay]

That's a seldom changed item!! My work trucks are on a 2 year rotation schedule. They get their in cab filter changed at 1 year. I ordered one a while back from the local Napa, he claimed he's never even heard of changing one!!
Makes a huge difference if you work/ drive in dirty environments.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[Hossfly]

We’ve got a Nissan Mariano about 2 years old. One day I went to town and noticed the fan vibrating, the faster I ran the fan the more it vibrated. Took to dealer as it was just about out of warranty. They said if they take it apart and there is a mouse in the fan they would have to charge me some serious money.

Took it back home and watched some u tubes on changing the filter, yep mouse had a death ride in the fan. Cleaned real good and returned to service. Lucky he was just starting to get ripe.

It was not an easy job, and you have to do it while standing on your head left handed, from the passenger floor board.

[Nueces]

The cabin air filter for my Jeep TJ consists of whichever nose hairs I don't manage to pluck. I've learned to shut down cabin air flow in dusty conditions. This is a big reason I don't do 'trail rides.'

I did replace that filter when I bought my 2007 Frontier, and also stocked spares. 2002 Tundra does not have one.

[cwtebay]

Also, a little word to the wise - pull that in cab filter and hit the intake and the filter with a shop vac followed by febreeze prior to trading!! It's amazing how the nose "sees" clean!

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[scattershot]

I didn't know there was such a thing until,I read a reference to it somewhere. I changed it on my wife’s 2013 Honda a year or so ago.

[Norcal707]

Thanks for prodding me with your story, OP - have had a new one sitting on my "project" table for a year - will change it out this weekend.

[rbuck351]

None of my cars have such a thing.

[tomme boy]

Every spring i change mine on the car. Most people don't know they have them. Stay away from AutoZone filters. You might as well run it without them. Almost as bad as anything fram makes

[TyGuy]

My Del Sol is too old to have a cabin/pollen filter. Our other two vehicles get them every 30k.

Mice seem to love to make nests on top of the cabin filter. I had one years ago that came in with a death odor. Mr Mouse chewed through the filter and fell into the blower fan. The driver must have cranked the blower to 11 because the centrifugal force pulled the mouse’s insides out and flung them onto the walls of the blower box. Poor little guy had a couple maggots in him by the time they brought it in. Not a fun day.

[high standard 40]

I wish my truck had one. It does not.

[Hodagtrapper]

Seems that once a year we get the smell of death from one of our vehicles. The air filters are pricey and can be a pain to change but well worth the effort.

Chris

[MrWolf]

Thanks for the reminder. Been a few years.

[pete501]

Never need to change mine. All my vehicles have washable K&N filters. Same as with the engine air filters.

[Wayne Smith]

I did not know such a thing existed until it came up on the repair rotation on my '08 Honda Fit. New to me but needed.

[bdicki]

A couple of times a year.

[Three44s]

Mice hate concentrated mint oil. Some dealerships treat the air plenum with that to help drive them off.

Three44s

[Froogal]

I wondered why the A/C was not working in my 5 year old (at the time) 2001 Silverado. Doing a Google search revealed that the truck MIGHT be equipped with a cabin air filter, but also might NOT. NOTHING in the owners manual about a cabin air filter. I found where it might be, removed an access panel, and there it was. Absolutely filthy and plugged solid. I do not drive off road, so there was no reason for it to be filthy. I removed that filthy thing and trashed it. I DID NOT replace it. The heat and A/C both functioned 100% better. In fact, BETTER than when the truck was brand new. That truck is now 20 years old. Never did replace that filter, and I do not miss it.

[Bmi48219]

Took to dealer as it was just about out of warranty. They said if they take it apart and there is a mouse in the fan they would have to charge me some serious money..

Air filter and fan housing two years ago after we parked in long term lot at Orlando airport for a week. Picked up car & drove home, then I washed car. Next morning (Saturday) I was leaving to go to range. Car started but felt like it was running on 3 cylinders. Took it in to dealer Monday morning. A mouse had chewed through plastic cowl vent & nested in cabin fan, chewed up the wire harness too. One week & $2,500.00 later it was repaired. Mouse damage isn’t covered under warranty. I paid the comprehensive deductible and auto policy covered the rest. I’ve heard of it happening but never imagined it would happen to us. I think he must have taken up residence while car was at airport parked under a southern oak. Lots of broken acorn shells in / on cowl panel. Weird that the car ran fine the 110 miles from airport to our home. Dealer said mice eat wire insulation because it’s made with a soy product.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I change it in my 05 Toyota every spring (April), before the tree pollen season starts.
the filter for the Toyota is easy to access and cheap, less than $10.

My previous vehicle was a 98 Buick Park Ave. The only air filter was a GM part...it's a 3 pc filter and was just under $40...and you had to stand on your head in the driver's side foot bay to replace it...and the slot to remove the filter was the same size as the filter, so if it was crudded up badly due to neglect, it was almost impossible to remove intact, meaning a wire coat hanger was needed to fish out the pieces ...it's a pain.

[kerplode]

I don't actually remember the last time I changed the cabin air filter in my Tacoma, so it's probably been quite a few years. I should get it done sometime soon.

[megasupermagnum]

The only car I owned that had one for sure was a 2002 Mercury Cougar. It didn't seem to blow air that hard, so I checked the filter. Sure enough, it was full of dirt. I took it out, threw it away, and that was that. That car is horrible by the way, do not ever buy one.

I do now have a 2012 Ford Focus, and it is likely that has a filter. Maybe one day I'll pull that one out too.

Unless you have allergy problems, there is no reason for an air filter in your car. 90% of the summer I drive with the windows down anyway.

[marlin39a]

I just changed mine for the first time in my 2019 Tundra, at 22,00 miles. Bought a Fram at Walmart. It was just as good as the factory, probably the same. I had to check with YouTube for instructions.

[higgins]

Hossfly was right about the difficulty of changing the cabin filter on a Nissan Murano. It's one of the most hateful "simple" jobs I've ever done.

I never paid any attention to either until my wife complained of a smell in the Highlander when the AC was running. I found that a mouse had nested on the filter (fortunately very easy to change in the Highlander) and probably got killed by the fan. Ripe mice do have a distinct smell.

[MstrEddy]

First time I learned about them was when I was looking for air filters for my wife's 2009 Saturn Vue, it listed a cabin air filter as well. Hmm? OK, so I found it, found the info on where it is; have to take out the glove compartment to get to it. Man, it was filthy, around 60K miles on it. Replaced it. I've changed it a couple more times now. And my 2016 Nissan Frontier has one as well, it's been changed too.
Funny story, a couple of months ago, we were getting a funky smell when we'd get in her car and start up the air. OK, time to change the filter. Get to it, not really dirty. No smell. Hmm... OK, we had some water get in and pool around the spare tire in the cargo area in the past. Let me check that. Hmm... it's dry. Not there. OK, let me look and sniff some more -- Ah ha! Under the back seats, in the trough where the seats attach/hook/lock (they tilt/fold forward) was a wet-filmy mess -- dark brown in color and, wait, is that curdling? Oh, no... It was a half bottle of chocolate milk spilled by the kids a couple of weeks before.
Of course, the famous "not-me" from both, let's blame the neighbor's kids... And of course, they don't tell us anything when they had spilled the milk. It took some cleaning, scrubbing, and finally got the smell out. We were also due for a rug cleaning in the house, so the following week we rented the machine from Home Depot, and after we took care of the house, we took care of the cars. Much Better!

[Alstep]

Thanks for the reminder. Been long overdue here.

[samari46]

Thanks for the tip. I didn't even know I had one in my '07 GMC Sierra. Now to check the manual. Frank

[jonp]

Change them every spring after pollen season on all vehicles we own. Buy them and oil/air filters, windshield wipers etc bulk at Rock Auto. Much cheaper than the auto stores

[jimlj]

In my 63 years of sucking air on this earth, I have changed one cabin air filter. I never knew that a car had one. I have also only had one vehicle that I've ever paid someone to change the oil in. The tech told me the cabin air filter was dirty and needed changed and quoted a price too high for me to pay him to do it. After removing the glove compartment and standing on my head, using one hand in a contorted manner to get to the thing, I removed a mostly clean filter and installed a new one. There is no way anyone looked at the filter to see if it was dirty, and after the pain in the hinder it was to get to, there was no way he would have left a dirty one in place.

[CastingFool]

I changed the one in our Traverse yesterday. A couple of hours after I read the original post. Lol

[Gofaaast]

I remove and blowout or replace ours annually. The Suburban we currently have doesn’t have one.

[gwpercle]

Show me where the "Cabin Filter " is on my 1968 Chevelle Malibu 2 door Sports Coupe ...
... and I'll change it .
Every time I took my Dad for a ride in my Chevelle , set up for speed and having no a/c ... My Dad would tell me " I see you've got 2-40 air ... roll down two windows and drive 40 miles an hour ! "

Dad was a Lineman at Gulf States Utility Company ... but I think he might have wanted to be a stand up comedian ...
It was like living with Henny Youngman ! ... Take my Dad .... Please !
Gary

[RedlegEd]

Hi all,
I just got a new to me 2018 GMC Canyon, and I promptly changed the cabin air filter as well as the engine air filter. I'll probably go ahead and pay the extra to buy K&N washable filters. The cabin filter is a pain to get to, but at least I know it's clean. BTW, all you guys who pull them out and don't replace them...that filter is designed to keep all the dust, mold, pollen and other crap from outside air out of your AC evaporator coils. So you get to decide which is worse, replacing/cleaning a plugged filter, or replacing/cleaning plugged evaporator coils (just imagine not replacing your house HVAC filters?!?) If your vehicle has a cabin filter, you really should replace it when needed. My dos centavos.
Ed

[Finster101]

As a factory tech I do not like K&N filters. They are seldom maintained by the owner and when they are, they are usually way over oiled which can cause a ton of drivability problems on it's own. There are multiple TSBs related to them.

[RedlegEd]

As a factory tech I do not like K&N filters. They are seldom maintained by the owner and when they are, they are usually way over oiled which can cause a ton of drivability problems on it's own. There are multiple TSBs related to them.
Hi,
Thanks for the input. What do you recommend? I do my PMs and follow instructions, so regular and proper maintenance isn’t a problem, but if you’re in the business, I’d appreciate your guidance & advice.
Ed

[Idaho45guy]

The K&N cabin air filters are not oiled filters, I imagine. That would be ridiculously stupid.

I have used their oiled air filters for decades with no issues. But you do need an IQ above room temp when servicing them to avoid issues, which is apparently becoming increasingly rare these days.

[Idaho45guy]

Oh, and I mentioned to my dad tonight that I had replaced the cabin air filter due to the HVAC system barely putting out air and he said that's part of the reason he gave it to me; the AC couldn't keep him cool enough anymore. He was upset that it was a 1-minute job and a $12 air filter to fix it.

[Froogal]

If the cabin air filter in your vehicle is extremely difficult to access and change, consider the fact that the engineers did not design that vehicle to even have a cabin air filter. No, it was an afterthought and they stuffed it in wherever they could make it fit with no regard as to how restrictive it might be.

[fecmech]

Seems that once a year we get the smell of death from one of our vehicles. The air filters are pricey and can be a pain to change but well worth the effort.



I have to change the one in my wife's Rav in the spring. She does not drive it much and mice get into it over the winter in the garage. I usually notice the smell of mouse urine at some point. Rock Auto is the best deal on filters for me. A two pack with shipping comes in about half what my local parts store charges.

[bkbville]

Geez... around here if you go to any quick oil change place they're always "recommending" you change your cabin air-filter - it's a standard up-lift on the oil change.

Actually - now that I think about it, my dealer pitched on replacing it ... I'm sure I can do it myself for a bout 1/5th of the cost they will charge... (hope it's in the manual)

[rockrat]

I replace the one in my Wife's Highlander about every 3 months. Don't think my '04 Tundra has one. Need to check as if it does, it hasn't been replaced since I bought the truck new 16 years ago.
You talk about the smell of dead mice. In chem. lab one day, a few of us had a "recipe" for the chemical that makes the smell. Boy, was that STOUT!!! Instructor was not happy with us. Chem lab stunk!!. Stuck it in a bottle and took it home. Sat on a shelf for 15 years. Was moving, so took it outside and opened it. Like to knocked me over as it had aged!!! In the trash it went!! Hours before I could smell something other than dead mouse!!!

[Dunross]

We park under trees at home (evergreen oaks are the worst) so detritus tends to accumulate. I've had my daughter's changed twice, just had my wife's changed, and last weekend decided I ought to change the one in my truck. Volume of air coming through the vents improved greatly when I had the others changed.

[Gator 45/70]

My elcheapo F-150 is lacking a in cabin filter, Kinda like the old days when one had to roll down the windows to blow a horse-fly out the cab....lol

[Idaho45guy]

I replace the one in my Wife's Highlander about every 3 months. Don't think my '04 Tundra has one. Need to check as if it does, it hasn't been replaced since I bought the truck new 16 years ago.

Nope. Doesn't have one.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I bought an air filter and began the job of replacing the old one. I watched a video showing how to do the job, of course even the man who made the video had problems.
My car is a 2012 Nissan Versa. After removing all the screws you can access easily, you find that you must remove the door of glove box to get to the two that Satan placed there to temp you into using the most foul of words. I put all the items back in the glove box and said, manana. I think I will take it to the garage. I wonder if they will give me my money back on the filter?

[MrWolf]

Got mine yesterday and replaced it. Ended up finding an Rx from three years ago that somehow jammed behind the glovebox. Docs office darn near accused me of being a criminal when I told them CVS would not accept it because they forgot to sign it. Of course I could not find it when I drove the hour and a half (both are 45 m8ns from me in opposite direction). Claimed no way an unsigned script got out with their procedures, etc and were sure I was trying to scam them on my narcotic. I had recently moved out here so suspect from get go. Gonna raise some hell when I see them next week so you reminder was timely in a couple of ways. Thanks.