If you are anything like me, you may not have even known that your car has a special air filter just for the cabin air. I learned this when I was researching how to cut down on exposure to pollen and dust. (Both LJ and I have nasty seasonal allergies.) One article I read said that changing this cabin filter every 15,000 miles can greatly reduce the amount of dust and pollen in your car. At that point, my car had about 40K miles on it and I had never changed the filter.
I looked in my car’s manual and sure enough, it talked about putting in a new filter every 15K miles. Unfortunately, it did not tell you where the filter was located or how to change it, it just directed you to bring the car into the dealership. So I did, and $40 later, I had a new filter. Now, I was happy to have less dust and a fresher smelling car, but I was not loving the cost and inconvenience of bringing the car into the dealership!
Luckily, it turns out that changing your own cabin air filter is a breeze (pardon the pun!). Let me walk you through how simple it can be.
1) First, head to a store that carries automotive supplies. I went to my local Walmart which had a HUGE selection of all kinds of FRAM filters. (You can see more about my experience shopping for my FRAM filter here.)
2) Next, locate the cabin air filters. FRAM makes their FreshBreeze air filters* in a green box so they are easy to locate.
3) Use the handy dandy guide located in the filter section to find the year and model of your car. This will tell you which filter you need.
4) Purchase the filter, bring it home, and follow the easy peasy directions inside the box.
Now you have a nice, fresh, new air filter in your car and for only a fraction of what the dealership charges you! (And to sweeten the deal even more, there is a rebate available here!)
*A little about the FRAM FreshBreeze filter…FRAM FreshBreeze air filters can filter 98% of road dust and pollen that flows through your ventilation system, air conditioner, and heater. These filters contain both Arm & Hammer baking soda and activated carbon which are embedded in the filter to ensure that the air you are breathing smells as fresh as possible.
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and FRAM #cbias #SocialFabric
Saidah@AProverbsWife.com says
I hope after changing your filter you notice a difference in air quality.
Holly says
Its really bad but we didn’t even know we had a cabin filter in our last car until we got the oil changed professionally once.
Shell Feis says
I always have them change my air filter when I get an oil change- BUT I don’t get an oil change every three months like I’m supposed to since I barely drive so I really should be changing my air filter more!
Justin White says
The primary purpose of the car air filter is to filter the air that is coming into the fuel intake system which is used in process of combustion. So, it implies that for effective combustion process air must be clean. But the fact is that it over the time it is getting contaminated with dust and debris by which the performance gets deteriorated. A clogged air filter does not allow enough air to enter to the air intake system. So, whenever such type of situation arises, then it should be replaced with a new one as soon as possible otherwise it may affect the overall performance of the engine. On a final note I can say that if some one wants to change it by his own then he should follow the tips that are mentioned in the blog else he should take his car to an authorized service center to do the same task. Thank you.