Worst car to change cabin filter on?

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The 2001 VW New Beetle TDI my wife used to have. I broke the lower rib on my left side leaning across the dash trying to get the access cover off. Not kidding. Broken rib. I was leaning against the protruding AC vent to the left of the gauge cluster.

EDIT: I never did get the dang thing changed!
 
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Originally Posted By: frank2009
2008 Mazda 3. It seems like they built the car around the filter. Dear Mazda, I am not a contortionist!

+1!!!!!!!!!!!!! I changed the on in my wifes 08 Mazda 3 at about 15k miles on it. The car has 165k miles on it now and that filter will still be in service when it goes to the junk yard as far as I'm concerned.
 
I've heard this about the pre-2010 Mazda 3's. Fortunately for me, they rectified that. Pretty easy to change on my 2012, though, the thing still looked almost new at 30,000 miles. The car is parked in a parking garage at work and a garage at home, so, zero leaves, bugs, and debris.
 
Got another one..

02 Hyundai Santa Fe.
Filter is located to right side of glove box. it exits from below, requireing the kick panel be removed as well as the passenger side shielding.
Then a long screwdriver to remove the housing and then it slides down & out.
 
Toyota / Lexus made it easy to change the filter BUT they ended up having to issue a TSB because techs were breaking the re-circulation door when they were performing the work. The re-circulation mode had to be off when doing the change.
 
Our 2012 Nissan Rogue is a real pain, I have to remove the left side panel of the console to access the tabs. The fliter housing itself ie behind a metal brace and is blocked by the pedals. It feels like I ruin the filter the way it has to be bent to even get into the filter box area, its impossible to change without having cuts all over my knuckles!
 
I think the automotive engineers should be forced to do maintenance the vehicle prototype that they are working on. Only then they will see how difficult to do the maintenance and only then they will think about it and change their designs on the next project(s).
 
Volvo S40, absolutely terrible.

You have to remove the gas pedal, which has 3 LOCKING nuts. Then you have to remove most of the trim underneath the steering wheel, undo the carpet, remove three 7mm screws on the cover itself.

Lousy job. But it does book out at 0.8 hours if you're a flat-rate tech.
 
Subaru has you pull the glove box. This means half the dash gets yanked too...

Like a door in back of the glove box would be hard ?
(at least on 4th gen Legacys)

It does make me wonder if they are intentionally making you take apart the dash. Some states have laws about 'hidden compartments'
 
Stories like these will have me checking the ease of replacing the CAF the next time I am ready to buy a car. I've been lucky, Kia seems to design these (in the modern era) to be easily swapped.

Well in the Sportage (2011) and Sorento (2013) anyway.
 
My father changed his on a 2009 Pontiac Torrent and he told me it was an absolute PITA.

This, by the way, is coming from a retired Mack truck mechanic!

On my Honda Fit, and my Cobalt I owned before, were extremely easy.

Basically, how fast can you clean out your glove box fast.
 
Originally Posted By: tommygunn
Easy: the cars that don't have a cabin filter!

The 92-01 ES300/Camry you have to go by the gas pedal and there are two pieces! After sliding the first piece in, you have to push it up so that you can install the second one underneath it!

The 00-04 Focus is difficult because the filter bos is partially covered by the wndshield, so it does take a couple minuted to slide in, and you might tear the filter in the process (and no, I didn't use a Purolator!)

Then, the upper cowl piece you have to remove breaks easily and is difficult to reinstall because the hood's prop rod gets in the way, and then you have to perfectly line it up in about 5 places, then there's this weird screw speed clip thing after you slide the cowl piece under the other side's trim! And the 05-07 Focus has a mesh screen welded on that you have to cut off somehow.
+1 ......on the Focus install. My 03' Ford Focus cabin filter was a bear to install.

ocus
 
Originally Posted By: quickv6
My 1998 Cadillac STS. Up and to the right of the gas pedal. Terrible.



+1

Same for the Buick PAU

And being a larger person makes it all the worse.
 
Originally Posted By: Recalculating
Originally Posted By: quickv6
My 1998 Cadillac STS. Up and to the right of the gas pedal. Terrible.



+1

Same for the Buick PAU

And being a larger person makes it all the worse.

Which (the location, not my personal size) is why I left the cabin filter changes on the Park Avenue to my regular mechanic.

I did tackle the cabin filter on the Regal. If I hadn't done it in late May, with 60% humidity, it would have gone better -- and better still if I hadn't lost one of the glove box bolts. Still, I got everything back into place, the A/C worked fine, and there were no rattles even before I installed a replacement bolt, so I guess I did okay. Next year, will I do it again? I dunno.
 
If you have a 04 to 08 Malibu[classic] you will find no mention anywhere about a cabin air filter but you can install one in under a minute. Remove glove box contents, lower the door and press in on the driver's side to release the open stop. With the door all the way open, reach in behind the glove box and undo the two clips holding the filter door closed. You will find no filter in there from the factory, slide in a fram CF10361, re-secure the latches and glove box and you are done.
 
Not fond of the Volvo xc90 suv. Too many screws, but not terrible. The vertical ones in the pilot, like '05-08 or something. Those aren't fun. Gotta take the saw out for that one.
 
Wow, it wasn't until page #4 of this post that someone mentioned the Saab 9-5! Either other cars are really bad, or not too many BITOG posters work on Saabs.

The need to shatter and remove the plastic rack for a single use activated carbon granule bag in the 9-5 air box disappeared with the 2001 model year. But then some nitwit decided to mount the 5-speed automatic transmission controller smack dab in the only direct access path to remove/insert the cabin filter effective with the 2006 model year!

Conversely, the 2003 through 2011 Saab 9-3 has a very easy to access filter. No tools required and you do it standing upright.
 
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Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
If you have a 04 to 08 Malibu[classic] you will find no mention anywhere about a cabin air filter but you can install one in under a minute. Remove glove box contents, lower the door and press in on the driver's side to release the open stop. With the door all the way open, reach in behind the glove box and undo the two clips holding the filter door closed. You will find no filter in there from the factory, slide in a fram CF10361, re-secure the latches and glove box and you are done.


Classic GM! Spend a million dollars on design, tooling, and fixtures to equip a car model with a replaceable cabin air filter, then cheap out and refuse to spend the 69 cents to include the filter.
 
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