Mechanics say replacing your car\u2019s dirty cabin air filter can improve the air quality in your car. When it comes to keeping up with general vehicle maintenance, replacing the cabin air filter probably isn\u2019t at the top of your list. Heck, it may not even be on your list.<\/p>\n
Cabin air filters often live in the shadows of their more popular cousins \u2014 the engine air filter and oil filter \u2014 and some drivers don\u2019t even know they exist. But highly rated auto technicians say they play an important role in filtering pollutants from entering the vehicle\u2019s cabin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cabin air filter is kind of out of sight, out of mind,\u201d says Tom Potter, owner of highly rated Japanese Auto Masters in Virginia Beach, Va. \u201cIf you tell someone they need their cabin air filter changed, some say, \u2018What is that?\u2019 They think you\u2019re talking about the engine air filter. I\u2019ve seen people go 90,000 miles without changing it because they didn\u2019t know they needed to.\u201d
\nYour car\u2019s engine air filter should be replaced when it gets dusty or dirty enough. But don\u2019t let a mechanic convince you to replace it too frequently.<\/p>\n
The primary purpose of cabin air filters, located on most vehicles since 2000, is keeping the air inside your vehicle\u2019s cabin clean.
\nIt\u2019s typically located behind the glove compartment or under the hood or dashboard on most modern vehicles. Its job is to filter all of the air that comes through the car\u2019s HVAC system to prevent pollutants, such as dust, pollen, smog and mold spores from entering. The filters can also catch rodent droppings, leaves, and other unwanted debris.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey help with allergy problems,\u201d says Potter, who has a monthly contest at his shop to pick the dirtiest cabin filter (the winner gets a free oil change.) \u201cIt helps prevent pollen from getting in the car if you live in an area with a lot of trees.\u201d
\nBesides improving air quality, replacing the cabin air filter may prevent an expensive repair. \u201cWhen the air is dirty, the A\/C will work harder and the motor can burn up,\u201d says Troy Roberts, owner of highly rated CarePair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mechanics say replacing your car\u2019s dirty cabin air filter can improve the air quality in your car. When it comes to keeping up with general vehicle maintenance, replacing the cabin air filter probably isn\u2019t at the top of your list. Heck, it may not even be on your list. Cabin air filters often live in the shadows of their more popular cousins \u2014 the engine air filter and oil filter \u2014 and some drivers don\u2019t even know they exist. But highly rated auto technicians say they play an important role in filtering pollutants from entering the vehicle\u2019s cabin. \u201cThe cabin air filter is kind of out of sight, out of mind,\u201d says Tom Potter, owner of highly rated Japanese Auto Masters in Virginia Beach, Va. \u201cIf you tell someone they need their cabin air filter changed, some say, \u2018What is that?\u2019 They think you\u2019re talking about the engine air filter. I\u2019ve seen people go 90,000 miles without changing it because they didn\u2019t know they needed to.\u201d Your car\u2019s engine air filter should be replaced when it gets dusty or dirty enough. But don\u2019t let a mechanic convince you to replace it too frequently. The primary purpose of cabin air filters, located on most vehicles since 2000, is keeping the air inside your vehicle\u2019s cabin clean. It\u2019s typically located behind the glove compartment or under the hood or dashboard on most modern vehicles. Its job is to filter all of the air that comes through the car\u2019s HVAC system to prevent pollutants, such as dust, pollen, smog and mold spores from entering. The filters can also catch rodent droppings, leaves, and other unwanted debris. \u201cThey help with allergy problems,\u201d says Potter, who has a monthly contest at his shop to pick the dirtiest cabin filter (the winner gets a free oil change.) \u201cIt helps prevent pollen from getting in the car if you live in an area with a lot of trees.\u201d Besides improving air quality, replacing the cabin air filter may prevent an expensive repair. \u201cWhen the air is dirty, the A\/C will work harder and the motor can burn up,\u201d says Troy Roberts, owner of highly rated CarePair.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7,8],"class_list":["post-159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-conditioning","tag-air-conditioning","tag-car-repair"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hg6.irish-dragon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hg6.irish-dragon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hg6.irish-dragon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hg6.irish-dragon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hg6.irish-dragon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hg6.irish-dragon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hg6.irish-dragon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hg6.irish-dragon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hg6.irish-dragon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hg6.irish-dragon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}