Worst car to change cabin filter on?

[Quattro Pete]

As of today, the wife's C300 tops my list, hands down. It's not just that it's behind the glove box, but also the number of screws and clips in unfortunate locations and wiggling of various panels that one has to perform while sporting olympics level body gymnastics. I can tell I will be very sore tomorrow. Just awful. If it ever needs replacing again, I'll gladly pay the dealer $110 to change it.

By comparison, changing cabin filters (2 of them) on my 530i is an absolute walk in the park. It takes no time and no effort at all.

 

[mechanicx]

GM W-cars Impala, Grand Prix etc from around -'00-'05 are pretty bad. You have to take a plastic panel off of the cowl under the hood. It's not so hard to do but it's easy for some to screw up the plastic cowling and have water leaks inside the cabin.

 

[FoxS]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
As of today, the wife's C300 tops my list, hands down. It's not just that it's behind the glove box, but also the number of screws and clips in unfortunate locations and wiggling of various panels that one has to perform while sporting olympics level body gymnastics. I can tell I will be very sore tomorrow. Just awful. If it ever needs replacing again, I'll gladly pay the dealer $110 to change it.

By comparison, changing cabin filters (2 of them) on my 530i is an absolute walk in the park. It takes no time and no effort at all.


Aren't those two on the C rated for 50k miles?

The under hood one is a snap and done every 2 years I believe.

I've got to do the two charcoal ones on the CLK. Putting the top down and doing it in natural light might make it easier.

 

[JimPghPA]

Just a thought:

How hard would it have been if you had first pulled the seats out of it?

Sometimes you have to remove the seat-belt bolts to pull seats, but most seats are easy to pull, and put back in. A split front seat may only require you to pull the passengers side. If the car is real small and or you are real large, you might also want to pull the back seat, depending on how hard they would be to pull and put back in. But usually if you just pull the front seat you can turn a back breaking job into a relaxing job of laying on a flat floor.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Remove the glove box to change cabin filter in my E430 is not so bad, I can change it in about 10-15 minutes, the Honda S2000 is a little easier/faster because it is under the hood. The worst is the LS400, I have to remove the passenger lower panel then remove the filter cover to get access to the filter.

The cabin filter change interval for my cars: 3-4 years for E430, 5-7 years for LS400 and 4-5 years for S2000.

 

[tc1446]

Ever done an Altima? OMG, I spent an hour and gave it up. Glove box, panels below and side etc. Sheesh. Orig can stay in and new filter can just lay on the shelf!

 

[toneydoc]

The new VW Beetle is not easy to change either. I gave up the first time I tried and got it the second time after an hour or so.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

2008 Honda Pilot. You have to undo screws that you cannot see, and the first time you change it you actually have to CUT apart and throw away a lower support on the dashboard.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: FoxS
Aren't those two on the C rated for 50k miles?

There is no specific interval for the cabin air filter on the C, at least none that I could find. The car now has 52K miles and I don't remember when this filter was last replaced, so I decided to do it. All in all, the old filter wasn't particularly dirty, even though the dealer claimed so.

Quote:

The under hood one is a snap and done every 2 years I believe.

Yeah, the engine air filters are pretty easy to get to. For 2008 model year, the interval for these was 52K miles or 4 years. Starting with 2009 model year, they changed it to every 40K miles or 4 years.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Just a thought:

How hard would it have been if you had first pulled the seats out of it?

Not sure. One thing you'd need to worry about would be error codes as you disconnect the seat wiring since the passenger occupancy sensor in the seat is linked to the airbag system. So, to avoid that, you'd need to disconnect the battery first. And when you disconnect the battery on a modern german car, sometimes strange things tend to happen, so I'd rather not.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: tc1446
Ever done an Altima? OMG, I spent an hour and gave it up. Glove box, panels below and side etc. Sheesh. Orig can stay in and new filter can just lay on the shelf!


My '01 Lexus, '04 Altima are a snap to change. My daughters '06 Mazda3 is a real job that I haven't tackled yet. Don't really want to either.

 

[JPP]

Originally Posted By: tc1446
Ever done an Altima? OMG, I spent an hour and gave it up. Glove box, panels below and side etc. Sheesh. Orig can stay in and new filter can just lay on the shelf!


**** Yea.... I did my Son's 1999 Altima and it did NOT come from factory with the optional cabin air filter. So I did the cut the slot out deal so I could install the filters. Pain in the buns!!
But, at least it will be easier next time.

JP

 

[Fission]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
My daughters '06 Mazda3 is a real job that I haven't tackled yet. Don't really want to either.

If it's anything like the '10 Mazda5 that I just did, good friggin' luck. Glove box, side panel, 4 screws. The top corner screw requires a stubby screwdriver or a Phillips bit on a small ratchet (I recommend something magnetic).

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: Fission
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
My daughters '06 Mazda3 is a real job that I haven't tackled yet. Don't really want to either.

If it's anything like the '10 Mazda5 that I just did, good friggin' luck. Glove box, side panel, 4 screws. The top corner screw requires a stubby screwdriver or a Phillips bit on a small ratchet (I recommend something magnetic).


I know, right? Did Mazda really have to make replacing the CAF's that difficult when other MFG's made it so easy?
If I am going that far in trying to put in new cabin air filters(2), I am also going to replace the burnt out HVAC Bulbs while I'm at it!

 

[Spector]

Agree my ex 2000 Buick with the cowling in the engine bay was a bummer, difficult to get new filter in as well.

Son's altima not bad once the glove compartment is removed.

 

[meangreen01]

You've just got to get the right Mazda.

The cabin filter in my 1st gen 6 is simple: drop the glove box and the access panel is staring you in the face. No screws even. Trickiest part of the job is re-hooking the little string that limits the downward travel when you open the glove box.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: meangreen01
You've just got to get the right Mazda.

The cabin filter in my 1st gen 6 is simple: drop the glove box and the access panel is staring you in the face. No screws even. Trickiest part of the job is re-hooking the little string that limits the downward travel when you open the glove box.

This is the way my other cars are but, the M3 is a real job that I'll tackle when I have some real time as mentioned earlier.

 

[EricF]

my sister in law's 06 mitsucrappi endeavor..
OK, according to Mitchell on Demand, this vehicle has 3 options.
1) The vehicle has a CAF, and it's easy as removing glove box door and removing panel.
2) The vehicle does not have a CAF.
3) The vehicle did NOT have a CAF from the factory, BUT has one put in from dealership as an option. This is as easy as removing glovebox door, unscrewing a panel that looks like it needs to be there, seeing another panel behind it, which is supposed to be cut out, then the CAF insert should be there.
Her car, had a CAF, was NOT listed on the options sheet.
After walking her as much as I could over the phone, she took it to a shop, the guy there just tore off a panel and yeah, there's the CAF! 8 years of dirt/debris and it smelled!
So this car, DID come with a CAF from the factory, but no way to replace it as it looked like it wasn't an option from the factory, nor the dealership. BUT, they were nice enough to hide one in there.

Oh another.. a shop told my friend he would have to charge 1 1/2hrs to swap a CAF on her 01 Sable. She reluctantly told him NO. This is the one under the hood. I did it in 3 minutes. She wanted to call up and threaten him with legal action (she's an attorney).

 

[wag123]

Several of the newer Nissan models are HANDS DOWN the worst! You have to remove the throttle/brake pedal assembly to get it out. In real time, it takes a mechanic over an hour to change the filter (IF you know what you are doing). Now tell me, how moronic is that?

 

[artificialist]

I can tell you a 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer will never be on this list.

All I had to do was squeeze 2 tabs on the glove box, and then the air filter was in plain sight.