New cabin filter is the *source* of odor!

[Carmudgeon]

Ordered a Mann cabin filter from Rockauto.

Installed it yesterday and now find that it is the source of an odor. Smells a bit like the inside of an old auto parts store, a mixture of chemicals, adhesives and hydrocarbons.

I'm going to give it a couple weeks and see if it dissipates after it given some time to "air out," but I've never had this happen before with other new filters.

Although it was a closeout, it arrived, and looks in perfect condition, except for the slight smell.

It's covered for 30 days, but I still don't want the hassle of yanking it out, returning it, and replacing it again. Plus, the way this particular filter is installed, it probably won't come out intact.

Anybody else ever experience this?

 

[kr_bitog]

So far the one i am happy with is wix and fram with baking soda. The fram sometimes has a bit odor when it is damp but it will deodor fast. The bosch with carbon is a pain for odor once it is damp.

 

[CourierDriver]

WE had cabin air in the 50s,60s,70s...roll down the windows and a bunch of us are still here...how can that be?

 

[mrsilv04]

So, how much did you save on this smelly, but otherwise "perfect" cabin air filter?

Who knows what that filter has been exposed to... VOC's maybe? Oh well, it is only your lungs.

 

[andyd]

Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
WE had cabin air in the 50s,60s,70s...roll down the windows and a bunch of us are still here...how can that be?
Vent windows. Non- ozone depleting AC. Better still, was the roll out windshield on my 47 GMC pick up. No need for defrost or heat.

 

[otis24]

I still miss the cowl vent on my 1st Series '55 Chevrolet pickup (same as a 54). It was one of my favorite features on any vehicle I've owned, ever!

 

[CourierDriver]

Originally Posted By: andyd
Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
WE had cabin air in the 50s,60s,70s...roll down the windows and a bunch of us are still here...how can that be?
Vent windows. Non- ozone depleting AC. Better still, was the roll out windshield on my 47 GMC pick up. No need for defrost or heat.

amen on that...

 

[mjoekingz28]

Why did "they" quit with the window vents that funneled air into the cabin? It was free air.


I hate to see our misuse of technology. Instead of building our country smart, we are crippling ourselves by not using "free intelligence" such as

Houses that flow air to keep cool (in Southern states)
Houses that trap the sun's ray (up North)
City centers where you can "get by" by walking or riding a bicycle
Farming/food that is nearby, instead of me getting fruit from California- I can get it from a neighboring state.

Maybe these ideas and applications do exist here, but it seems we have a country wholly dependent on the automobile/tractor and trailer, electricity and HVAC. Maybe if our engineers would build house that dissipated heat we wouldnt have heat strokes during a power outage.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
So, how much did you save on this smelly, but otherwise "perfect" cabin air filter?

Who knows what that filter has been exposed to... VOC's maybe? Oh well, it is only your lungs.




I used to "not" consider such things. I once got a blower fan/squirrel cage out of the junkyard to replace the worn one in my car. I dont remember exactly, but maybe it was less $$ or I thought factory parts worked better than aftermarket.

Car sure did stink awhile until I sprayed products into the fan while it was on.

Then I got skinny and VERY perceptible to toxins. I could smell or feel the toxicity of paint (I had questioned why not to use outdoor paint on the interior of my house), used oil made my hands burn, cuticles tingle....etcetera etcetera.......then I figured the warnings from the state of Californey and the EPA werent a bunch of hooplah and they wanted us healthy whether we could tell a hazard or not.. You know these folks, "i breathed asbestos eight hours a day and fertilized my garden with DDT and I AM STILL HERE......well yeah, but not everything that doesnt kill us will make us stronger.

 

[razel]

If you don't want to take it out to flush the scent then I suggest finding the cabin air intake, usually bottom of the windshield and liberally spray any free and clear/allergen type air fresheners while the blower is at full blast. I do mean liberally. I often use up half. You don't even need the free and clear/allergy free. I only suggest it since I don't want my car smelling like flowers for 3-4 days.

By the way, if your air filter contains carbon, the carbon may not be very effective after this. Next time just buy one that doesn't have carbon. That carbon won't last very long anyways.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Why did "they" quit with the window vents that funneled air into the cabin? It was free air.


I hate to see our misuse of technology. Instead of building our country smart, we are crippling ourselves by not using "free intelligence" such as

Houses that flow air to keep cool (in Southern states)
Houses that trap the sun's ray (up North)
City centers where you can "get by" by walking or riding a bicycle
Farming/food that is nearby, instead of me getting fruit from California- I can get it from a neighboring state.

Maybe these ideas and applications do exist here, but it seems we have a country wholly dependent on the automobile/tractor and trailer, electricity and HVAC. Maybe if our engineers would build house that dissipated heat we wouldnt have heat strokes during a power outage.


This is surprisingly practical at many times, but there are also too many times that it is so hot that it doesn't matter how much air is coming in. There are also the nasty biting insects that can move freely through screens, the rain, and the humidity that will bring mold to any porous surface and warping and destruction to soon follow.

 

[Benito]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Why did "they" quit with the window vents that funneled air into the cabin? It was free air.


I hate to see our misuse of technology. Instead of building our country smart, we are crippling ourselves by not using "free intelligence" such as

Houses that flow air to keep cool (in Southern states)
Houses that trap the sun's ray (up North)
City centers where you can "get by" by walking or riding a bicycle
Farming/food that is nearby, instead of me getting fruit from California- I can get it from a neighboring state.

Maybe these ideas and applications do exist here, but it seems we have a country wholly dependent on the automobile/tractor and trailer, electricity and HVAC. Maybe if our engineers would build house that dissipated heat we wouldnt have heat strokes during a power outage.


All those things are the way they are because it is more profitable that way. That's the way the profit motive and the market works.

If produce from California + the cost of transporting it is cheaper than the produce from the next state + the cost of transporting it, someone will send the stuff from California (unless consumers are willing to pay more for local produce).

If the cost of building a house with sub optimal HVAC / natural cooling / heating is less than the cost of building a house with excellent HVAC / natural cooling / heating, and consumer preferences are restricted by price and knowledge, then the sub optimal wins out and according to the market is actually optimal.

If you want these things to be different then how the market works, then you need more regulation / taxes / subsidies or more consumer education.

If you think about it, we have these things to some extent already. Eg building codes are regulations that over-ride what the free market would otherwise provide. Eg minimum ratings for HVAC equipment.

But doing some of the (sensible) things you suggest that would save everyone money in the longer run, would require more regulation which is anathema to many.