How often do you change your cabin filter?

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The newer Toyota models have 3 year/30,000 cabin filter replacement intervals, that seems a little long to me. The same interval also applies to the engine air filter too.
Any thoughts on this would be helpful. Thanks.
 
I try to go 3 years.

If you still get good air flow and the air doesn't smell moldy it is fine.

I think for my car OEM costs 45$ so I am not in a rush.

Engine air filters I do it when they look a bit dirty. 20,000km is about right in the city.
 
Whenever they get dirty. First time on the Acura was at 89k miles and the previous owner hadn't bothered to replace the oe filters. They were nasty!
 
I let mine go for 2 years.. subaru specs a 7.5 month interval... yes 7.5month


2011 forester has this funky door built into the end of the filter and costs about 35$ even aftermarket is 25$

The 2013 outback my dad has takes a generic 3$ one though... both cost 35$ at the dealer.
 
My cars don't have them, but my sister and B-I-L do and so do a couple of my friends. They generally seem pretty roagy after about a year. I doubt they'd make it 3.
 
My SC300 got it's first change at 175K miles. I didn't even know it had one. Needless to say, it was not pretty. On the plus side, my AC blows air now.
 
I replace mine once a year in the spring on my truck.
VERY easy to do on the 02 Silverado and I can always
pick up a pair on the cheap on a good sale. I like the
fresh clean air I get so spending $12-14 per year is nothing.
thumbsup2.gif

Amazing that they look kinda nasty even after a year!
Son's 99 Altima gets a new pair every 2 years.

JP
 
Took a road trip from California to Iowa (3565 miles round trip) with 1400 miles driven in Iowa. 20+ mins of gravel following a car. Lots and lots of wind.

Once back in California my wife and I noticed that our car (~7,000 miles on odo) smelled like hay and cows every time we started it up. So, I looked up getting cabin filter change. Dealer wants $84. Got a Fram FreshBreeze at Wal-Mart for under $15. Installed it myself in under 30 seconds by watching a Youtube video.

Original cabin filter had so much gravel dust it spilled all over my white t-shirt when I shook it. It had tons of [censored] in it tho mostly dirt/dust/gravel - noticeably dirty.

So, depends on where you drive - how you drive. I put the new FRAM in last night and we both enjoyed "clean" smelling air this morning.
smile.gif


I imagine the filter will last 5x as long in California as long as I don't hit too many dust storms.
 
depends on where you live and the type of filter. In my past cars I changed them every 6 months. In my car the filter is much larger and thicker so I think I can get a year out of it. I live in a very dusty, polluted area unfortunately. Most filters are cheap and easy to change, so I would change them more often.

But that's just me.

Jeff
 
Mine is changed every year just when the really hot weather sets in. This year when I pulled out the old one it was U shaped not flat like it should be. It was the second time I was disappointed by a Fram Fresh Breeze. The Fresh Breeze is impregnated with baking soda, and they clog quick in my experience. This one must have been real clogged, as the fan bent its cheap cardboard frame all out of proprotion. Also my A/C started working a lot better. More air flow and colder out of the vent even at lower fan speeds.
 
I change my cabin filter about every 6 months and my engine filter about every year. I get all my air filters thru rockauto for < $10 each (Pronto brand) so it's not a financial drain for better blowing heat/AC.

I just don't understand how bugs and leafs get into my cabin filter, I mean a lot of bugs and leafs. So I change them more often.
 
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When I had my Saturn ION, I needed to replace it once a year, and I would cover about 12,000 miles.

With my Mitsubishi Lancer, I did my first change at 15,000 miles, and the old filter looked like I could let it go 15,000 miles more.
 
My driving conditions vary a lot, so I inspect both the cabin and engine air filters often, like every 10k miles, which could take me a year or a few months to rack up.

If the filter looks dirty to me after I tap / blow out any loose dirt, I replace it.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I use 1-2 sheets of Bounce as pre-filter, replace Bounce once a year and cabin filter every 5-6 years.


The bounce is a good idea for a pre filter, to catch any large particles, but doesn't the smell wear out fast?

Originally Posted By: Artem
My driving conditions vary a lot, so I inspect both the cabin and engine air filters often, like every 10k miles, which could take me a year or a few months to rack up.

If the filter looks dirty to me after I tap / blow out any loose dirt, I replace it.


I don't like to pull my air filter unless i am going to replace it. I just stick to a set interval and replace it, which is typically conservative. Then again i have never really had much of a dirt/dust problem in my region. I plan on keeping my Pureone air filter in for 30k and calling it time to change, which will easily take 3 years for that mileage.
 
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