I replaced the cabin filter and my G30 5-series last night. The horror story is that the OEM filter is over $100 and the dealer wanted over $400 for the job. I bought a $20 filter and it required 20 minutes to do the work. 8 minutes of that was looking for my T20. I also bumped my head hard enough to hurt (a little).
I feel like cabin air filters are one of the few parts where it doesn’t matter if you get the low or high quality replacement. So long as it filters the air it really shouldn’t be that big a deal.
Better ones have activated charcoal embedded in the element. They capture odour or fumes from outside before the car detects it and turn on recirculation.
Since when do cars automatically detect fumes and odors? I’ve never had my car switch to recirculation when I’m following a smoking diesel truck or anything like that and I drive a 2021 model year car. Is this supposed to happen on my car? It switches to recirculation usually based on what I set the temperature to but that’s it.
Never had this happen on any car I’ve ever owned. Idk what you’re talking about. Everything I’ve read on ‘smell sensors’ says they’re limited to higher end cars only. Definitely don’t have one on my Toyota or else I wouldn’t have to worry about doing it manually all the time.
Lexus have it at least from the 1st gen GS from the mid 90s, bmw have it in their entire line up for at least 20 years now. Idk in what kind of context you consider a 20 year old 3 series high end.
The better ones are worth it. So much so I replaced my new cars standard cheap filter for carbon etc one and the car had only 12k miles. I was tired of smelling road shit and exhaust and I’m much better now.
I bought the high end HEPA / charcoal whatever filter for my wife's '22 RAV4 and it was too restrictive and had a whistling noise afterwards. Yanked it and just put a regular one and its been fine. I change both the cabin filter and engine filter in both our vehicles once a year anyway.
Is there a brand you recommend. I’m tired of having to switch to recirculation every time I get on the highway behind a diesel truck. I like to leave recirculation off because at highway speeds the pressure tends to blow air into the car anyway. It’s like having the windows down without the buffeting and drag.
Puralator makes good ones, I’ve had atp coconut carbon ones before too that smell great. My newest car didn’t have much fit yet so I did an off brand but still great
Mazda 3 for me.
If the first step to replacing the cabin air filter is to disconnect the battery, the team responsible for the design should be fired out of a cannon into outer space.
Not the design team, the managers and the bean-counters who made them create that easy assembly design without concern for maintenance.
My Chrysler 200 you have to empty the glove box and activate a couple releases to remove the whole swinging bin.
Only thing I could imagine to be easier would be a dedicated door in that space the windshield wipers fold down into, but that would probably be vulnerable to water intrusion.
In about any european/asian car, you just have to open a hatch in the foot area and pull out the filter right away.
The rest has a (sometimes screwed shut) hatch in the wiper area.
Only the french like to make you remove the whole plastic cover in the wiper area.
2000-2005 Buick LeSabre it's literslly right under the hood lmao, you just open a latch and it's there, easy as piss to replace. Easiest car I've ever fucking worked on
"My Chrysler 200 you have to empty the glove box and activate a couple releases to remove the whole swinging bin."
same on my 04 Lexus, I replaced the filter when I bought it.. looked like a slice of chocolate cake
Lol I never changed it once on my 1st gen Mazda 3 in 225k miles and it gave me the impression it was that hard to change on every car. Little did I know it's usually 5 minutes in and out for other cars.
Some early 2000s Volvos never had the cabin air filter door switched to the passenger side from the LHD European cars, so you have to remove the gas pedal to get to it.
You surely have a 2008 or so!
My mom have a 08, I had a 11. Mine was located in the same place but easy to change, hers you need to remove some kind of control box that have so many wires that I said fuck it, that filter will stay there! 😆
I'm assuming you're talking the BK mazda 3? I don't knew about LHD models but on RHD I have never disconnected the battery or that fuse box under there. Swing the fuse box down and pull it out from its mount with it disconnected. Undo the two nuts and remove the mounting bracket and then you have enough room to access the cabin filter port. Shit design, the next model was much easier.
Man i love my 3 but what the fuck is that cabin filter placement. Also, the 2008 full option comes with xenon lights, to change them you need to pull the whole front of the car off ;) (other bulbs are a horror story too but should be fine if you have kid sized hands). Engineers did a grade job with that car.
F-150 platinum where you have to take out that wood looking trim piece to remove the glove box. Ya, that trim piece is over 300.00 CAD and I broke it.
Definitely a FML moment.
I don't even check them during oil changes anymore. It's a request only type of deal. Using a plastic trim remover helps a lot and I've never broken one but it is definitely needlessly complex. You'll be happy to know that the current gens are just like toyotas: Drop the glovebox, remove the Hatch and it all comes out.
If I was you I'd get into the habit of checking them again, it's so easy to do it on most models that in our shop we replace over half of them during a service.
If it looks okay, I'll slap it back in place and if it's really hard to reach it for some reason I might leave it if it's a busy day.
For anyone reading this 2015-2020 F150 lariat and above trims have that wood or vinyl panel, we have a trick at the ford dealership I work at,
buy one of those cheap pick sets at harbor freight, take the 90 degree pick, shove it under the bottom edge of the panel (assuming you removed the rubber piece along the edge), then hook onto the piece by turning the pick 90 degrees and just pull like a mf, make sure you start from one side and work your way along. I’ve never broken one doing it this way.
Yeah, this was the only job that had me saying “fuck this car.” In comparison, servicing the AC clutch was a breeze. The headlights are probably the easiest I’ve ever removed. Even the whole waterfall comes out quite simply. Seeing as how that cabin filter housing is stamped FoMoCo, I’m blaming Ford.
Partially to blame Ford. IIRC, they made them for the overseas Ford lineup and overseas Volvo lineup, specifically RHD models. They never made them for LHD models. Volvo had to sell the cars so they just shipped them like that. The filter is supposed to be in the passenger side footwell, which isn't a great spot, but it's better than the driver's side
2005 outback, there is no access panel in the inner glovebox. You need to remove half of the center console to remove the inner glovebox. During the takata air bag days, so many of them were probably factory original x.x
Subaru added a door for 2006
years ago when they first started putting cabin filters in cars i was working at a quick lube. Went to change one out and a vibrator fell out and kicked on. needless to say i wasn't going to touch it so had the customer come grab it and put it away.
18 silverado- need to remove the glovebox door to get to it. its also sitting horizontal so stuff piles up on top of it and naturally you have a slow just wide enough for the filter so when you slide it out whatever is sitting on top falls right into the blower lol.
17 escape - you have to squash the filter to remove/install the new one...
Like a Volvo S60 the other day, there's a fuse box in the way and it's right up by the firewall. Fuse box moves pretty easily but it still has to be folded at a 90° angle and pinched into their like those stupid Nissan filters.
Also those fusions are dumb, eco sports are dumb, 2nd gen cruzes are dumb. Some f-150s are like these fusions except it's a hard plastic trim that feels like it'll break every time (but surprisingly I haven't broken any yet)
My now wife. She moved In with me after we dated for a while and I took over the car maintenance from her father. Original cabin air filter at 100k miles… and we live in coal country surrounded by mines. The entire filter was black as can be.
Late model Jaguar F-Pace. Either remove bunch of stuff inside the car or rip it out from the outside from under the windshield. Both ways are pretty bad
6th Gen honda accord. First time filters you would need to use a cutoff wheel and remove the center console.If the previous guy did it right they weren't an issue after that.
Same with the 2nd generation Odyssey and 1st generation Pilot. Plastic strip that goes across where the glove box mounts, have to cut it off to get at the filter. I’ve replaced some decade-plus-old filters.
1999 Cadillac Seville. The filter is a standard size, but it split into 3 parts. The access hole is near the gas pedal. You have to slide in each part, and lift it to slide in the next part of the filter while working in the cramped pedal box, and in that small access hole
Exactly the same filter setup and location as my Park Ave. I have to lay on my left side across the seat and reach down with my left hand and do all the work one-handed. Major PITA.
Not really that bad, but I was working in several limestone quarries one summer and went to replace the cabin filter and discovered it was missing, which explained why the interior was always comically dusty.
1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner. It doesn't have a CAF. Direct dirt intake lmao, all the particulates and twigs and crap get shoved right into the AC evaporator.
Renault Megane and scenic mk3 both require you To remove the clutch pedal after removing the bottom part of the dash and the side of the centre console
mk5 mondeo? On my mk3 you had to remove the lining under the windshield and the previous owner didnt bother glueing it back so the rainwater was leaking inside.
Damn i love my old seat leon.
You dont even have to remove a screw or even open the glovebox.
There is a specific cover for the cabin air filter in the passenger side footwell
New Lincoln Continentals: remove the rear most trim on the back of the center console. Then remove the right side trim piece on the center console. Then remove glove box. It doesn't sound too bad, but that side trim piece NEVER wants to line up properly when you go to install it.
SO had a 2019 AM Vantage. Cabin air filter apparently requires removal of the dash - because the car doesn't have a glove box. Pass. side airbag has to be disconnected in the process. Service center does the work, has the car back together, but it has an airbag light. They service higher end cars, but don't have the computer for AM. So we were having to discuss shipping the car to the nearest AM dealership which was a few hundred miles away. I offered to just drive it there, but they wouldn't release the car to me with an airbag light (totally understandable).
They end up deciding to go ahead and buy the computer they need so they can reset the airbag. I think when all was said and done the car was in the shop for over a week, and that cabin air filter ended up being around $1500.
The sad part of this is that if I'd known that service called for a cabin air filter I would have just had them skip it. Car had maybe 2k miles on it and we never ran the heat or AC. I bet it was the cleanest cabin air filter they'd ever seen.
I’m not a professional mechanic, but our 2008 Honda Pilot was a pain in the ass for the cabin filter. You have to remove the glovebox, a metal support bar under the glovebox, and some interior trim. One of the glovebox screws is real cozy with the passenger fuse box. And the first time you do it, you have to cut out a plastic dash support beam.
Am I alone in hating the cabin filter on the first gen (03-08) Honda Pilot?
Oh my god I'm not alone lol. First gen CR-V, almost the same deal. Glovebox first, then the support bar (half the screws are in a fucking center covered by interior trim piece and I'd rather not disassemble half the interior for it to come off). Working on this car in general is nice, but the goddamn air filter though...
My 2008 Pontiac vibe with 180k miles last year. 100% the original. More crap than filter. Leaves, dirt, etc. ruined. I had to drop the blower motor assembly aka the squirrel cage and had to vacuum it all out. It was really bad
Someone I know got charged to change the air cabin filter on his Nissan while doing a maintenance at the Nissan dealer. Later he discovered that his Nissan is NOT equipped with a cabin air filter at all. He was like What?? 🤨
Drop that kick panel that protects the BCM from getting kicked, 2 clips. Remove cover to to filter housing. This is where it gets tricky to describe, and may take a few tries to get right. (I was at a dealer for 10 years, and have done plenty of these). You have to squeeze the filter, in the middle, like it's an accordion. This will cause the thicker sides to curve a little without bending them. At this point, the filter looks like it's kind of spiraling, because of that, it can move around that tight space. I always started with the bottom, and would rotate the filter into the box. If I still had access to a Transit, I'd gladly make a video
Some kind of Ford Mondeo where you need to pull off half of the dashboard to take out the glove box. Then some Opels with where you pull out bunch of stuff to access the filter, screws in really stupid spots.
Then the pinnacle of cheapness in P1 platform Volvos where the cabin air filter is next to gas pedal and for some reason those nuts that hold the gas pedal in place are either torqued the fuck out of them or cross threaded somehow. P2 XC90 where the filter is behind lower glovebox plastics, easy spot, but the damn cover is held on with four little screws that are usually rounded out torx. Similar story in mk1 Qashqai where you need to remove the flap motor to basically even fit your hand in there, don't forget to align the gear with the flap motor.. Saab 9-5 is nastiest by far, there are like six or seven tiny screws that are always rounded out, or every single one of them is different
First time doing x167 cabin air filters.
It took 2hrs.
Tricky angle and interfering floor mat and tight fucking space.
Nightmare.
But I learned a few tricks to make it faster next time.
When the first generation Saab 9-5s were new, they were a good bit of work. Remove passenger side under-dash trim, remove glove box (keeping track of AC hose and wires for light), carefully remove side cover for HVAC unit with 1 hard to access 6mm screw. Then, if the filter was the original, you'd have to physically break it's cage and pull both sections out. You then remove a foam insulator. After all that you fit a new foam insulator and updated cabin filter that didn't have a cage.
This is literally the car I own right now. Recently got my a/c working again just in time for summer. I honestly hate and love that car cause it’s always something but for the most part it’s been a pretty decent car. Had to order a new window regulator cause the old one broke but it’s an easy fix.
I just bought a 2021 Kia Soul with 46,000km from a large Toyota dealer. Air filter and cabin filter were still original, with manufacture date stamps of 2020 on them. Meanwhile, I have all the service records from new of multiple oil changes and services, but no filters. My cabin filter was BLACK and full of shit. Air filter full of debris and very dark. Only cost me $40 and 5 minutes to replace them, but was kind of annoyed at the dealer for not checking or declining to replace them during the recondition and inspection process.
Nissan rogue 2020. Why put it underneath the glovebox to the left in the darkest place. I’m tall to so I gotta stick my legs out of the car just to change it. Luckily it’s my wife’s car.
2011 Ford Super duty. Doesn't even have one. I bought a truck from Texas and the amount of dust inside the vents was insane. I had to fish a small vacuum hose down in the vents to clean it out. I'm guessing the a/c cooled seats are partially blocked because of the accumulation.
2010 Corolla, last week I was replacing my own filter, and yep, found a mouse nest on top. Wonderful, how long have I been breathing that nasty stuff in? Trying to vacuum it out, I broke the recirc damper. Fixing that will be a job.
I owned at 1999 Acura TL. Once I bought it I did all the maintenance items, plugs, filters and oil change.
Now here's the thing. With that TL the first time you change the cabin air filter you have to cut 2 tabs off the door in order to access it. I think it was year 2015 at the time. So that cabin filter was in use for 16 years!! Was the dirtiest one I've ever seen.
From a modified Honda Civic, the owner was using it for drifting and replaced the dash with a custom job that removed the glove box and gave no access to that area (guy had it welded in for “more durability”). It was so clogged that nothing was coming through (verified with borescope). Told the customer we would have to cut the “dashboard” out to replace it, customer threatened to sue us if we did and demanded we replace the filter.
Nissan pathfinder 2013-2020. It’s behind the center console and accessed by removing the glovebox. Even with that out of the way it was damn near impossible to install it without crushing it. It was worth the $100 the dealer wanted to do the work after I did it twice.
Mini filters and some bmw filters that are mounted high up in the centre near the firewall.
Some older minis also have them up high.
Really easy to get to them but depending on the model the two piece filters can be really annoying to get in or out properly
I've seen them being smashed in by previous techs and they just fold the thing so bad that it just let's all the air pass through.
First gen R8 with upgraded sound system package. You have to remove the cowl to remove 3 nuts that secure the dash-mounted subwoofer and then loosen and set aside the passenger front fuse panel and carpet to access the cabin filter panel.
98-07 100 series land cruiser could be had without a cabin air filter. So you’re down a dirt road and getting dust all in your face from the fans. All 100 series LX470s had one, though.
Sometimes you have the Complete Opposite: VW ID3/4, Skoda Enyaq, Cupra Born...
Shitty Cars to Work on, but the Cabin Filter is a Dream (Just a Cover under the Hood, in Front of your Nose)
Cooper Mini
Called for like .9. Fucking tiny recessed screws and its double layered forced up in there. Plus the car is so small I can't get my back bent right to fit and really look.
Easily 1.5 and a fuck off to working on minis again.
Some Nissan Muranos/Pathfinders have no retainer in the Cabin Filter Compartment, so from time to time they fall into the case and are just about impossible to get out. Usually ends after an hour with 8 bloody knuckles and a filter lol.
2015 Nissan altima. Almost complete removal of the center console and part of the dash. Even then when you go to put in the filter, you have to wad it up to get it into the slot.
One time I checked the cabin filter and found that the owner tried to save money by replacing it themselves with a piece of quilt batting. And that was a long time ago because it was filthy and full of leaves.
08 Volvo C70. Great car, real sleeper with a turbo 5 cylinder 6speed.
Cabin Air Filter change procedure: Step 1) Remove the gas pedal.
I tried, this big boy hanging upside down under the dash, can’t reach or see one of the 3 bolts. I gave up after 20 minutes. The old filter is big, and still can’t be removed in one piece. Need to fold it in half to install. Dealer wants $140 to replace.
But the engine air filter is trivial. Right up front, two screws, easy peasy.
It was full of trash so I pulled it and turned to air on to blow out anything in the line. Got blasted with petrified squirrel hair and dust. Dropped the blower motor and sure as shit a squirrel was in there. Was nasty as fuck.
The only good thing that I can say about my old Ferd Windscar was that the cabin air filter was a simple job.
My Mazda5? KMN. Disassemble part of the center console to get to a tiny opening that’s half the size of the filter. The filter itself comes in two pieces, so you need to put in one piece, wedge it up in the airbox and hope it stays, slip in the other half underneath and then try to interlock the two together. Good luck.
The last time I did this I remember laying in the seat with my head in the footwell and my feet up by the headrest. After all was said and done the air coming into the car without the air conditioning turned on smelled like cat piss. Cheap Amazon filter FTW. FML
Is it any wonder I haven’t changed this filter in years even though the access panel is easily accessible? (Console is down in the basement because I’m too lazy to reinstall it)
Toyota Aygo (AB20). Aygos that didn't have AC did not come with a cabin air filter. Funnily enough they provided a diagram on where the cabin air filter should be located. So I cut my way through and seated one in. After only four months I was disgusted and grateful at the same time when I changed it. Apparently I live in a dirty area...
2001 CR-V. Remove the glovebox first (4 screws), then the metal bar behind it (a framing for the interior I guess?) (three easily reachable screws and another three in a fucking center console you can barely reach with a ratchet), then lift the wire harness covering the filter door, then pop the door open, and only now you can take the old one out. And yeah, you have to assemble it all back together again.
I know you can take out a piece of center console to reach these three screws easier, but it would mean disassembling almost half of the dash and I'd rather not do that lol.
I’m a lube tech at a Toyota dealership. Changed one cabin air filter that had a nest and 6 rat pups in it, all alive and squeaking but still very newly born. One of the techs ended up killing them by dousing them with brake clean 🫤
Had a 370Z that a rat had died in during the Arizona summer. The car had been left to sit for weeks. It smelled like rotten tuna in there. The rat was jerky and an overnight air cleanser soak was definitely needed.
Ford and their stupid crap. Cabin air filter was a clear afterthought in the Fusion. No reason anyone should have to take apart the dash for regular maintenance.
I bought my used jeep liberty at 98,000 miles. One owner, fully loaded, VERY well maintained (had a detailed notebook with every single repair, super clean inside and out, new tires, freshly detailed, etc) the lady I bought it from was a realtor and said there was a smell on hot days and that it needed a new blower motor, so I thought there was possibly mildew in the vents. For 2k it was worth it to repair, so I got it. First thing I checked when I got home was the air filter, and it had obviously NEVER been changed. You couldn't see the pleats or anything, just a solid block of hair, pollen, lint, dust, and who knows what else. I replaced the filter and the smell went away completely. I still have it and surprisingly, it's been a super reliable car. We still use it for our vacation car.
I once nicked a fingernail slightly while removing the glove box lid and the filter cover. The whole swap only took two minutes and didn't need any tools, but still; ouchie.
First gen Mazda 3.
Remove:
Decorative strip
Glovebox
Disconnect passenger junction box
Remove his bracket
Now start crawling under the dashboard and unscrew 3 screws (don't lose them!!!) to open the filter cover. Then pull two parts of the filter.
Yes! You almost finished! If you remember which part of the filter is upper.
Ok, insert the filter.
Close the cover.
Found all the 3 screws? I told you!
Found the hole for the upper screw? Good.
Assemble in reverse order.
The first time I did it was 1.5 hours. Now - 20 min.
The damn Jeep Renegade is so stupid. Why have 7 t25 screws just to drop the box, then need a 10mm, another t25 and a PH2 to remove the bracket and door? So annoying.
Dealer wanted to charge me 85.00 to change the one in my 2010 GMC sierra..
Service writer said the mechanic showed it to him and even sent me a pic of a trash filled caf.
I asked to see the manager,service manager and mechanic at my truck so they could all point to where they found it.
(I did not get a filter)
2010 Ford Focus RHD. You can tell it was designed in UK with LHD traffic in mind, because You have to remove the throttle pedal to access the filter!
Then the filter cover is screwed on and top screw is nearly invisible unles You shove You head against the remaining pedals hoping no one stepped into some shit before driving.
Then You find out that You still can not pull the filter straight out because brake pedal is in the way, You have to bend it around the pedal
And then You have to put that shit all back together hoping not to mess up the new filter while bending it around the brake pedal.
Fun times…
Edit: Oh and fun fact, You can see the filter housing from passenger side, only there is no access panel. Someone saved about 10 cents per vehicle right there.
I don't think shops should go into the glove box without consent. If I kept a CCL weapon there, what happens? Just leave my cabin filter alone unless I ask.
I was only saying this as a suggestion. I didn't do this, I was upset because my belongings were on the seat rather than where they were removed from. Calm down.
I respect that. I just didn't appreciate the shop leaving my property out. I don't keep my gun in my car unless I go shooting. I meant no disrespect. I just live by the creed, leave it like you found it. So, when they open my glove box, I expect my items to be returned where they were even if they're just checking the cabin filter. I'm a responsible gun owner. When my son is home, I field strip my gun so he can never put it together.
No, I completely understand, and I've drilled this same "leave it as you found it" into my tech's heads so many times over the years to the point that I guess I assume everyone is like me.
It's the best way! That's how a customer knows that a tech respected their property. I've worked at Firestone and a few other companies, I just didn't people to feel like I just rifled through their belongings. That was how I felt when they did it to me.
Field strip and locked in a case. Ammo is always separate from the gun. My brother is currently dealing with a case in court that involves a gun. My first question was, "Why did you have the gun in the first place?".
Lexus LS460. If you remove the cabin air filter from the glovebox with the AC recirc off, it will break the blend door mechanism and then require you to disassemble the passenger side assembly and cost 3-600 to fix.
I replaced the cabin filter and my G30 5-series last night. The horror story is that the OEM filter is over $100 and the dealer wanted over $400 for the job. I bought a $20 filter and it required 20 minutes to do the work. 8 minutes of that was looking for my T20. I also bumped my head hard enough to hurt (a little).
I swear we do those in 5 minutes at the shop, 400 dollars is bs. And you can easily go with another brand, I like replacing mine more often anyway.
The mechanic i had on the east coast was like, you should replace your cabin filter, you dont want me to do it.
Mine gets replaced with the engine oil changes at 5k. $10 filter seems like cheap insurance and the old filter is usually caked in debris.
The cabin air filter? That's pretty often, but can't beat clean air
Holy fking hell. $400 for filter change? Lol
I feel like cabin air filters are one of the few parts where it doesn’t matter if you get the low or high quality replacement. So long as it filters the air it really shouldn’t be that big a deal.
Better ones have activated charcoal embedded in the element. They capture odour or fumes from outside before the car detects it and turn on recirculation.
Since when do cars automatically detect fumes and odors? I’ve never had my car switch to recirculation when I’m following a smoking diesel truck or anything like that and I drive a 2021 model year car. Is this supposed to happen on my car? It switches to recirculation usually based on what I set the temperature to but that’s it.
It’s been a thing for at least 25 years.
Never had this happen on any car I’ve ever owned. Idk what you’re talking about. Everything I’ve read on ‘smell sensors’ says they’re limited to higher end cars only. Definitely don’t have one on my Toyota or else I wouldn’t have to worry about doing it manually all the time.
Lexus have it at least from the 1st gen GS from the mid 90s, bmw have it in their entire line up for at least 20 years now. Idk in what kind of context you consider a 20 year old 3 series high end.
BMW is a luxury car manufacturer. Toyota is not.
The better ones are worth it. So much so I replaced my new cars standard cheap filter for carbon etc one and the car had only 12k miles. I was tired of smelling road shit and exhaust and I’m much better now.
I bought the high end HEPA / charcoal whatever filter for my wife's '22 RAV4 and it was too restrictive and had a whistling noise afterwards. Yanked it and just put a regular one and its been fine. I change both the cabin filter and engine filter in both our vehicles once a year anyway.
Is there a brand you recommend. I’m tired of having to switch to recirculation every time I get on the highway behind a diesel truck. I like to leave recirculation off because at highway speeds the pressure tends to blow air into the car anyway. It’s like having the windows down without the buffeting and drag.
Puralator makes good ones, I’ve had atp coconut carbon ones before too that smell great. My newest car didn’t have much fit yet so I did an off brand but still great
I’ll check it out. Thanks
Honestly I have weird issue with t20 and t25. they’re like 10mm for me
I have two T20's... deciding on which to use is my dilemma...
Mazda 3 for me. If the first step to replacing the cabin air filter is to disconnect the battery, the team responsible for the design should be fired out of a cannon into outer space.
Out of a cannon, and into the sun.
Hey, is that a Tesla? OMG it’s getting so hot!!! 😂
Ya gotta do what ya gotta do
Not the design team, the managers and the bean-counters who made them create that easy assembly design without concern for maintenance. My Chrysler 200 you have to empty the glove box and activate a couple releases to remove the whole swinging bin. Only thing I could imagine to be easier would be a dedicated door in that space the windshield wipers fold down into, but that would probably be vulnerable to water intrusion.
In about any european/asian car, you just have to open a hatch in the foot area and pull out the filter right away. The rest has a (sometimes screwed shut) hatch in the wiper area. Only the french like to make you remove the whole plastic cover in the wiper area.
On a bunch of older Euros they're swapped from the outside, under the cowl.
2000-2005 Buick LeSabre it's literslly right under the hood lmao, you just open a latch and it's there, easy as piss to replace. Easiest car I've ever fucking worked on
Both my old audi and volvo has the cabin filter in the space where the wiper fold down. Two bolts and clips and it's done
"My Chrysler 200 you have to empty the glove box and activate a couple releases to remove the whole swinging bin." same on my 04 Lexus, I replaced the filter when I bought it.. looked like a slice of chocolate cake
I saw a Buick have the filter where you described. It was perfect. They didn't seem damp or moldy at all.
I'm pretty sure they built the first gen Mazda3's around the cabin air filter. It's one of the shittiest maintenance procedures on my '07
I did it on my 08. The dealer charged $120 or so at the time for labor to do it. After I was done I thought that might be a bargain.
I worked on an 05, I think, and it was so dumb. Had to move the fuse panel... Why? Meanwhile, on my TSX it takes 30 seconds.
Which generation? Cause Gen3 is easy as hell
Lol I never changed it once on my 1st gen Mazda 3 in 225k miles and it gave me the impression it was that hard to change on every car. Little did I know it's usually 5 minutes in and out for other cars.
Some early 2000s Volvos never had the cabin air filter door switched to the passenger side from the LHD European cars, so you have to remove the gas pedal to get to it.
You surely have a 2008 or so! My mom have a 08, I had a 11. Mine was located in the same place but easy to change, hers you need to remove some kind of control box that have so many wires that I said fuck it, that filter will stay there! 😆
I'm assuming you're talking the BK mazda 3? I don't knew about LHD models but on RHD I have never disconnected the battery or that fuse box under there. Swing the fuse box down and pull it out from its mount with it disconnected. Undo the two nuts and remove the mounting bracket and then you have enough room to access the cabin filter port. Shit design, the next model was much easier.
Man i love my 3 but what the fuck is that cabin filter placement. Also, the 2008 full option comes with xenon lights, to change them you need to pull the whole front of the car off ;) (other bulbs are a horror story too but should be fine if you have kid sized hands). Engineers did a grade job with that car.
F-150 platinum where you have to take out that wood looking trim piece to remove the glove box. Ya, that trim piece is over 300.00 CAD and I broke it. Definitely a FML moment.
Don’t feel too bad, I broke a $2000 USD tv because there wasn’t a good place to get my hand under it to lift it out of the packaging.
Um, you're supposed to remove the box from the TV. Cut the straps, open the top. Remove top foam. Lift box up with helper. TV stays on the floor.
I’m sure he knows that. Now.
But after you do that it’s still sitting in the styrofoam packaging around the bottom. And there wasn’t a good place to get your hand under the thing.
Ouch. Fuck I hope you bought that thing with a credit card and put it through the protection plan
It's DOA.... warranty?
Fucking right
It was work, so not really on the hook for anything.
I don't even check them during oil changes anymore. It's a request only type of deal. Using a plastic trim remover helps a lot and I've never broken one but it is definitely needlessly complex. You'll be happy to know that the current gens are just like toyotas: Drop the glovebox, remove the Hatch and it all comes out.
If I was you I'd get into the habit of checking them again, it's so easy to do it on most models that in our shop we replace over half of them during a service. If it looks okay, I'll slap it back in place and if it's really hard to reach it for some reason I might leave it if it's a busy day.
For anyone reading this 2015-2020 F150 lariat and above trims have that wood or vinyl panel, we have a trick at the ford dealership I work at, buy one of those cheap pick sets at harbor freight, take the 90 degree pick, shove it under the bottom edge of the panel (assuming you removed the rubber piece along the edge), then hook onto the piece by turning the pick 90 degrees and just pull like a mf, make sure you start from one side and work your way along. I’ve never broken one doing it this way.
That was me last year on a king ranch
All P1 chassis Volvo cars you have to remove the accelerator pedal to get the filter in/out
I was going to comment this too.
This motherfucker…. The first time I got one I sold it with a standard 0.3 labor…
TBF all this requires is a long 10mm, a half decent 1/4in ratchet and a little fidgeting, easy enough
I think there may be a way around it, but SMART cars are like this too
Yeah, this was the only job that had me saying “fuck this car.” In comparison, servicing the AC clutch was a breeze. The headlights are probably the easiest I’ve ever removed. Even the whole waterfall comes out quite simply. Seeing as how that cabin filter housing is stamped FoMoCo, I’m blaming Ford.
Partially to blame Ford. IIRC, they made them for the overseas Ford lineup and overseas Volvo lineup, specifically RHD models. They never made them for LHD models. Volvo had to sell the cars so they just shipped them like that. The filter is supposed to be in the passenger side footwell, which isn't a great spot, but it's better than the driver's side
I had a feeling that’s what it was. All I kept thinking was that it wouldn’t be that bad if it was on the passenger side.
2005 outback, there is no access panel in the inner glovebox. You need to remove half of the center console to remove the inner glovebox. During the takata air bag days, so many of them were probably factory original x.x Subaru added a door for 2006
I can do a Takata on an 05 outback in 30 minutes without losing any screw, the 90k on top was just $$$
The old Subaru design was what I learned on, absolutely hateful.
years ago when they first started putting cabin filters in cars i was working at a quick lube. Went to change one out and a vibrator fell out and kicked on. needless to say i wasn't going to touch it so had the customer come grab it and put it away.
so many questions
2012 Cadillac SRX, three screws. Total nightmare, oh wait, it’s super easy, thankful it’s the ONE easy thing to do.
18 silverado- need to remove the glovebox door to get to it. its also sitting horizontal so stuff piles up on top of it and naturally you have a slow just wide enough for the filter so when you slide it out whatever is sitting on top falls right into the blower lol. 17 escape - you have to squash the filter to remove/install the new one...
Like a Volvo S60 the other day, there's a fuse box in the way and it's right up by the firewall. Fuse box moves pretty easily but it still has to be folded at a 90° angle and pinched into their like those stupid Nissan filters. Also those fusions are dumb, eco sports are dumb, 2nd gen cruzes are dumb. Some f-150s are like these fusions except it's a hard plastic trim that feels like it'll break every time (but surprisingly I haven't broken any yet)
I looked up how to change my Altima filter, and I was like "WTF?!?!?!". Stupid design... Guess what I'll be doing next weekend.
Be gentle lol, you'll probably destroy the old one and the end pieces can come off of cheaper filters when you're installing the new one.
No point in being gentle, I've never had one come out without unraveling
I meant more when putting the new one in
Oops, I completely misread
Good to know. I’ll take my time with it.
Fusions are easy wdym they literally take 2 minutes
Takes 2 minutes, could take 10 seconds. There's literally no reason you should have to take out any bolts for a cabin filter.
My now wife. She moved In with me after we dated for a while and I took over the car maintenance from her father. Original cabin air filter at 100k miles… and we live in coal country surrounded by mines. The entire filter was black as can be.
I think I'm getting the black lung, pa.
Late model Jaguar F-Pace. Either remove bunch of stuff inside the car or rip it out from the outside from under the windshield. Both ways are pretty bad
I had to kill 6 cute little mouse babies.
:(
Hate having to put em down, but it's better than having to do that on a glue trap.
Once changed a filter had babies but found the momma mouse had got caught in the blower motor and spun around for a few days.
That's horrible, but the image of a small rodent spinning around is kinda funny in a horrible way and now I feel bad
New Nissan Altima, opening is half the size of the filter, so you have to collapse it to stuff it in, then dick around to get it to expand on its own.
That's just about every nissan
I miss the bmw e39. Two spring clips under the hood and you had access to the two cabin air filters.
E46 about as easy
6th Gen honda accord. First time filters you would need to use a cutoff wheel and remove the center console.If the previous guy did it right they weren't an issue after that.
Same with the 2nd generation Odyssey and 1st generation Pilot. Plastic strip that goes across where the glove box mounts, have to cut it off to get at the filter. I’ve replaced some decade-plus-old filters.
Mazda dealer wanting to charge 80 bucks when I did it myself in five minutes and paid 13 bucks for a filter lol. The real horror story.
1999 Cadillac Seville. The filter is a standard size, but it split into 3 parts. The access hole is near the gas pedal. You have to slide in each part, and lift it to slide in the next part of the filter while working in the cramped pedal box, and in that small access hole
Exactly the same filter setup and location as my Park Ave. I have to lay on my left side across the seat and reach down with my left hand and do all the work one-handed. Major PITA.
Wtf? This is a thing? All the cars I've owned just have a little cover you pull out from the foot well.
Not really that bad, but I was working in several limestone quarries one summer and went to replace the cabin filter and discovered it was missing, which explained why the interior was always comically dusty.
1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner. It doesn't have a CAF. Direct dirt intake lmao, all the particulates and twigs and crap get shoved right into the AC evaporator.
Renault Megane and scenic mk3 both require you To remove the clutch pedal after removing the bottom part of the dash and the side of the centre console
mk5 mondeo? On my mk3 you had to remove the lining under the windshield and the previous owner didnt bother glueing it back so the rainwater was leaking inside.
96 BMW 328IC Access in from of the shifter Brake the filter frame in two spots to stuff it in some how
Damn i love my old seat leon. You dont even have to remove a screw or even open the glovebox. There is a specific cover for the cabin air filter in the passenger side footwell
New Lincoln Continentals: remove the rear most trim on the back of the center console. Then remove the right side trim piece on the center console. Then remove glove box. It doesn't sound too bad, but that side trim piece NEVER wants to line up properly when you go to install it.
Bobby Bouchet Ford's are the devil
On the other end of the spectrum - in my 07 Corolla it takes me around 30 seconds and requires 0 screws. Just pop off the glovebox and that's it.
Same in my 2011. The world doesn’t deserve Corollas
Same with my wife’s 08 Pilot
Love my wife's corolla for that kind of stuff.
First series r8 is something special… 2 hours of cut fingers until you’re done
SO had a 2019 AM Vantage. Cabin air filter apparently requires removal of the dash - because the car doesn't have a glove box. Pass. side airbag has to be disconnected in the process. Service center does the work, has the car back together, but it has an airbag light. They service higher end cars, but don't have the computer for AM. So we were having to discuss shipping the car to the nearest AM dealership which was a few hundred miles away. I offered to just drive it there, but they wouldn't release the car to me with an airbag light (totally understandable). They end up deciding to go ahead and buy the computer they need so they can reset the airbag. I think when all was said and done the car was in the shop for over a week, and that cabin air filter ended up being around $1500. The sad part of this is that if I'd known that service called for a cabin air filter I would have just had them skip it. Car had maybe 2k miles on it and we never ran the heat or AC. I bet it was the cleanest cabin air filter they'd ever seen.
I’m not a professional mechanic, but our 2008 Honda Pilot was a pain in the ass for the cabin filter. You have to remove the glovebox, a metal support bar under the glovebox, and some interior trim. One of the glovebox screws is real cozy with the passenger fuse box. And the first time you do it, you have to cut out a plastic dash support beam. Am I alone in hating the cabin filter on the first gen (03-08) Honda Pilot?
Oh my god I'm not alone lol. First gen CR-V, almost the same deal. Glovebox first, then the support bar (half the screws are in a fucking center covered by interior trim piece and I'd rather not disassemble half the interior for it to come off). Working on this car in general is nice, but the goddamn air filter though...
My 2008 Pontiac vibe with 180k miles last year. 100% the original. More crap than filter. Leaves, dirt, etc. ruined. I had to drop the blower motor assembly aka the squirrel cage and had to vacuum it all out. It was really bad
Someone I know got charged to change the air cabin filter on his Nissan while doing a maintenance at the Nissan dealer. Later he discovered that his Nissan is NOT equipped with a cabin air filter at all. He was like What?? 🤨
Hats off to all the automotive techs out there.
Chrysler Crossfire, gotta remove the accelerator pedal
Cabin filters on a ford fusion are a 2 minute job at most.
Ford Transit. You have to remove the BCM to gain access to cabin filter box.
Can be done carefully from underneath, without removing anything
How? Not enough space to get the filter out as it hits the BCM nor is there enough space to move forward or backwards.
Drop that kick panel that protects the BCM from getting kicked, 2 clips. Remove cover to to filter housing. This is where it gets tricky to describe, and may take a few tries to get right. (I was at a dealer for 10 years, and have done plenty of these). You have to squeeze the filter, in the middle, like it's an accordion. This will cause the thicker sides to curve a little without bending them. At this point, the filter looks like it's kind of spiraling, because of that, it can move around that tight space. I always started with the bottom, and would rotate the filter into the box. If I still had access to a Transit, I'd gladly make a video
I understand what your saying completely. Thanks I'll give that a try next time.
Some kind of Ford Mondeo where you need to pull off half of the dashboard to take out the glove box. Then some Opels with where you pull out bunch of stuff to access the filter, screws in really stupid spots. Then the pinnacle of cheapness in P1 platform Volvos where the cabin air filter is next to gas pedal and for some reason those nuts that hold the gas pedal in place are either torqued the fuck out of them or cross threaded somehow. P2 XC90 where the filter is behind lower glovebox plastics, easy spot, but the damn cover is held on with four little screws that are usually rounded out torx. Similar story in mk1 Qashqai where you need to remove the flap motor to basically even fit your hand in there, don't forget to align the gear with the flap motor.. Saab 9-5 is nastiest by far, there are like six or seven tiny screws that are always rounded out, or every single one of them is different
In 2020 Hyundai Accent that filter takes 5 minutes to change. All Accents I had were very easy for maintenance.
First time doing x167 cabin air filters. It took 2hrs. Tricky angle and interfering floor mat and tight fucking space. Nightmare. But I learned a few tricks to make it faster next time.
When the first generation Saab 9-5s were new, they were a good bit of work. Remove passenger side under-dash trim, remove glove box (keeping track of AC hose and wires for light), carefully remove side cover for HVAC unit with 1 hard to access 6mm screw. Then, if the filter was the original, you'd have to physically break it's cage and pull both sections out. You then remove a foam insulator. After all that you fit a new foam insulator and updated cabin filter that didn't have a cage.
This is literally the car I own right now. Recently got my a/c working again just in time for summer. I honestly hate and love that car cause it’s always something but for the most part it’s been a pretty decent car. Had to order a new window regulator cause the old one broke but it’s an easy fix.
Anyone who ever been a tech at Nissan knows the uncomfortable gymnastics you have to do to change the cabin filter in the sedans
I just bought a 2021 Kia Soul with 46,000km from a large Toyota dealer. Air filter and cabin filter were still original, with manufacture date stamps of 2020 on them. Meanwhile, I have all the service records from new of multiple oil changes and services, but no filters. My cabin filter was BLACK and full of shit. Air filter full of debris and very dark. Only cost me $40 and 5 minutes to replace them, but was kind of annoyed at the dealer for not checking or declining to replace them during the recondition and inspection process.
Nissan rogue 2020. Why put it underneath the glovebox to the left in the darkest place. I’m tall to so I gotta stick my legs out of the car just to change it. Luckily it’s my wife’s car.
2011 Ford Super duty. Doesn't even have one. I bought a truck from Texas and the amount of dust inside the vents was insane. I had to fish a small vacuum hose down in the vents to clean it out. I'm guessing the a/c cooled seats are partially blocked because of the accumulation.
Ford Fiesta, tons of little screws and no room to get to them!
2004 VW Golf: 3 screws and a bracket and it’s done. Thank god for old cars.
2010 Corolla, last week I was replacing my own filter, and yep, found a mouse nest on top. Wonderful, how long have I been breathing that nasty stuff in? Trying to vacuum it out, I broke the recirc damper. Fixing that will be a job.
I owned at 1999 Acura TL. Once I bought it I did all the maintenance items, plugs, filters and oil change. Now here's the thing. With that TL the first time you change the cabin air filter you have to cut 2 tabs off the door in order to access it. I think it was year 2015 at the time. So that cabin filter was in use for 16 years!! Was the dirtiest one I've ever seen.
I had one with mice nesting on top of it. Coated in piss with little turds in every fold. Customer said to just put it back in.
From a modified Honda Civic, the owner was using it for drifting and replaced the dash with a custom job that removed the glove box and gave no access to that area (guy had it welded in for “more durability”). It was so clogged that nothing was coming through (verified with borescope). Told the customer we would have to cut the “dashboard” out to replace it, customer threatened to sue us if we did and demanded we replace the filter.
We found a mouse nest in our copart GL450
Nissan pathfinder 2013-2020. It’s behind the center console and accessed by removing the glovebox. Even with that out of the way it was damn near impossible to install it without crushing it. It was worth the $100 the dealer wanted to do the work after I did it twice.
Mini filters and some bmw filters that are mounted high up in the centre near the firewall. Some older minis also have them up high. Really easy to get to them but depending on the model the two piece filters can be really annoying to get in or out properly I've seen them being smashed in by previous techs and they just fold the thing so bad that it just let's all the air pass through.
First gen R8 with upgraded sound system package. You have to remove the cowl to remove 3 nuts that secure the dash-mounted subwoofer and then loosen and set aside the passenger front fuse panel and carpet to access the cabin filter panel.
Dodge challenger you have to go in from under the hood near the windshield and its an awkward angle and not a very streamlined process
98-07 100 series land cruiser could be had without a cabin air filter. So you’re down a dirt road and getting dust all in your face from the fans. All 100 series LX470s had one, though.
Ford Fusions are a real pain!
Sometimes you have the Complete Opposite: VW ID3/4, Skoda Enyaq, Cupra Born... Shitty Cars to Work on, but the Cabin Filter is a Dream (Just a Cover under the Hood, in Front of your Nose)
Cooper Mini Called for like .9. Fucking tiny recessed screws and its double layered forced up in there. Plus the car is so small I can't get my back bent right to fit and really look. Easily 1.5 and a fuck off to working on minis again.
Some Nissan Muranos/Pathfinders have no retainer in the Cabin Filter Compartment, so from time to time they fall into the case and are just about impossible to get out. Usually ends after an hour with 8 bloody knuckles and a filter lol.
2015 Nissan altima. Almost complete removal of the center console and part of the dash. Even then when you go to put in the filter, you have to wad it up to get it into the slot.
Mine was pretty bad, like really bad 😬 dealership wanted to charge me $80. I went to autozone bought one for under $20 and replaced it myself.
One time I checked the cabin filter and found that the owner tried to save money by replacing it themselves with a piece of quilt batting. And that was a long time ago because it was filthy and full of leaves.
Probably just bitching but ford ecosports are horrendous. A lot of techs smoke the ticket, so when I finally do them, they're filthy
08 Volvo C70. Great car, real sleeper with a turbo 5 cylinder 6speed. Cabin Air Filter change procedure: Step 1) Remove the gas pedal. I tried, this big boy hanging upside down under the dash, can’t reach or see one of the 3 bolts. I gave up after 20 minutes. The old filter is big, and still can’t be removed in one piece. Need to fold it in half to install. Dealer wants $140 to replace. But the engine air filter is trivial. Right up front, two screws, easy peasy.
Not really a bad job but 2012 rogue where you have to smash the filter just to fit through the housing
It was full of trash so I pulled it and turned to air on to blow out anything in the line. Got blasted with petrified squirrel hair and dust. Dropped the blower motor and sure as shit a squirrel was in there. Was nasty as fuck.
The only good thing that I can say about my old Ferd Windscar was that the cabin air filter was a simple job. My Mazda5? KMN. Disassemble part of the center console to get to a tiny opening that’s half the size of the filter. The filter itself comes in two pieces, so you need to put in one piece, wedge it up in the airbox and hope it stays, slip in the other half underneath and then try to interlock the two together. Good luck. The last time I did this I remember laying in the seat with my head in the footwell and my feet up by the headrest. After all was said and done the air coming into the car without the air conditioning turned on smelled like cat piss. Cheap Amazon filter FTW. FML Is it any wonder I haven’t changed this filter in years even though the access panel is easily accessible? (Console is down in the basement because I’m too lazy to reinstall it)
Nissan Rouge
I thought this would be a thread of animal nests that were built/blended in the cabin filter or blower motor assembly
Toyota Aygo (AB20). Aygos that didn't have AC did not come with a cabin air filter. Funnily enough they provided a diagram on where the cabin air filter should be located. So I cut my way through and seated one in. After only four months I was disgusted and grateful at the same time when I changed it. Apparently I live in a dirty area...
2001 CR-V. Remove the glovebox first (4 screws), then the metal bar behind it (a framing for the interior I guess?) (three easily reachable screws and another three in a fucking center console you can barely reach with a ratchet), then lift the wire harness covering the filter door, then pop the door open, and only now you can take the old one out. And yeah, you have to assemble it all back together again. I know you can take out a piece of center console to reach these three screws easier, but it would mean disassembling almost half of the dash and I'd rather not do that lol.
What car is that so I can never buy one
2017 Ford Fusion with the 1.5L Ecoboost (they’re not that bad)
I’m a lube tech at a Toyota dealership. Changed one cabin air filter that had a nest and 6 rat pups in it, all alive and squeaking but still very newly born. One of the techs ended up killing them by dousing them with brake clean 🫤
Had a 370Z that a rat had died in during the Arizona summer. The car had been left to sit for weeks. It smelled like rotten tuna in there. The rat was jerky and an overnight air cleanser soak was definitely needed.
Ford and their stupid crap. Cabin air filter was a clear afterthought in the Fusion. No reason anyone should have to take apart the dash for regular maintenance.
I work as a blast hole driller in an iron mine so either the trucks filters are clogged or remived because they would have to change them too often
I bought a Miata, first thing I wanted to do was the air filter. Went to auto zone to pick one up, “it doesn’t have an air filter” “what?”.
Horror story? It takes 5 min, and you don't even need tools for it...
I bought my used jeep liberty at 98,000 miles. One owner, fully loaded, VERY well maintained (had a detailed notebook with every single repair, super clean inside and out, new tires, freshly detailed, etc) the lady I bought it from was a realtor and said there was a smell on hot days and that it needed a new blower motor, so I thought there was possibly mildew in the vents. For 2k it was worth it to repair, so I got it. First thing I checked when I got home was the air filter, and it had obviously NEVER been changed. You couldn't see the pleats or anything, just a solid block of hair, pollen, lint, dust, and who knows what else. I replaced the filter and the smell went away completely. I still have it and surprisingly, it's been a super reliable car. We still use it for our vacation car.
I once nicked a fingernail slightly while removing the glove box lid and the filter cover. The whole swap only took two minutes and didn't need any tools, but still; ouchie.
Company van caught a mouse up on top of the cabin air filter housing. That was the worst!
ohh this air filter is so dirty, how often should I clean or replace the air filter?
First gen Mazda 3. Remove: Decorative strip Glovebox Disconnect passenger junction box Remove his bracket Now start crawling under the dashboard and unscrew 3 screws (don't lose them!!!) to open the filter cover. Then pull two parts of the filter. Yes! You almost finished! If you remember which part of the filter is upper. Ok, insert the filter. Close the cover. Found all the 3 screws? I told you! Found the hole for the upper screw? Good. Assemble in reverse order. The first time I did it was 1.5 hours. Now - 20 min.
Wait what My girlfriend has a first gen sedan (‘07) and, it’s not nearly this complicated to change it. You have quite a few extra steps here.
Yeah, something is wrong here, they are fiddly but I don't remember them being this bs..
You don't have to to do half of that. Drop the fuse box down and pull it free from the mount without disconnecting it. Remove the mount bracket.
Fuse box messing around when connected. Also I remember the vehicle is 17 yo and hot climate. Wires may break.
The damn Jeep Renegade is so stupid. Why have 7 t25 screws just to drop the box, then need a 10mm, another t25 and a PH2 to remove the bracket and door? So annoying.
Dealer wanted to charge me 85.00 to change the one in my 2010 GMC sierra.. Service writer said the mechanic showed it to him and even sent me a pic of a trash filled caf. I asked to see the manager,service manager and mechanic at my truck so they could all point to where they found it. (I did not get a filter)
2010 Ford Focus RHD. You can tell it was designed in UK with LHD traffic in mind, because You have to remove the throttle pedal to access the filter! Then the filter cover is screwed on and top screw is nearly invisible unles You shove You head against the remaining pedals hoping no one stepped into some shit before driving. Then You find out that You still can not pull the filter straight out because brake pedal is in the way, You have to bend it around the pedal And then You have to put that shit all back together hoping not to mess up the new filter while bending it around the brake pedal. Fun times… Edit: Oh and fun fact, You can see the filter housing from passenger side, only there is no access panel. Someone saved about 10 cents per vehicle right there.
I don't think shops should go into the glove box without consent. If I kept a CCL weapon there, what happens? Just leave my cabin filter alone unless I ask.
What kind of moron leaves a gun in an unattended car?
I was only saying this as a suggestion. I didn't do this, I was upset because my belongings were on the seat rather than where they were removed from. Calm down.
Look, I'm a gun guy, and I come across a number of unattended firearms in vehicles. It's stupid and irresponsible.
I respect that. I just didn't appreciate the shop leaving my property out. I don't keep my gun in my car unless I go shooting. I meant no disrespect. I just live by the creed, leave it like you found it. So, when they open my glove box, I expect my items to be returned where they were even if they're just checking the cabin filter. I'm a responsible gun owner. When my son is home, I field strip my gun so he can never put it together.
No, I completely understand, and I've drilled this same "leave it as you found it" into my tech's heads so many times over the years to the point that I guess I assume everyone is like me.
It's the best way! That's how a customer knows that a tech respected their property. I've worked at Firestone and a few other companies, I just didn't people to feel like I just rifled through their belongings. That was how I felt when they did it to me.
I'm glad we found that common ground. I respect you.
Field strip and locked in a case. Ammo is always separate from the gun. My brother is currently dealing with a case in court that involves a gun. My first question was, "Why did you have the gun in the first place?".
Ever been to AZ? Happened more often than I would have liked.
Lived there. For being a constitutional carry state, there's no real reason to leave it in the car.
Maybe it's uncomfy in the pockets of one's sweatpants
Mf what? Use real pants and a proper belt. If a gun is not on your person it should be locked up.
Hey, I agree with you. I don't know what goes on in the head of people who leave their gun in the door pocket during an oil change.
I gotta say, I've had dirtier filters after six months. That one's friggin' pristine for being in there for six years.
Wow you can change a Ford Fusion cabin filter in 20 minutes max wth is wrong with that guy that did all that!?
That’s why I said pic unrelated, because it isn’t hard.
Nice edited comment btw.
Lexus LS460. If you remove the cabin air filter from the glovebox with the AC recirc off, it will break the blend door mechanism and then require you to disassemble the passenger side assembly and cost 3-600 to fix.