How Important is the Cabin Air-filter?

[04Rmsboy]

Do you have to change it as they suggest? We have had our 4runner for a year (purchase brand new) and never replaced the cabin air-filter until todays service - 30K service -

i didn't know if it should be changed or just something they throw at you to get your $$

thanks

 

[Whoknows]

Depends...

I think it probably depends on where you live and drive. I've had my 4R 1 year and just changed (at 12K miles). It was filthy! A handful of leaves and other debris, the filter media was a dark black in some places. So, I was suprised. Now, the dealer changing it is a complete rip-off. If you can use a screwdriver and have 5 min to spare, you can simply pop in a new filter. It's just like replacing your home A/C filter. Personally, I just used a Bosch Micron and think it is superior (from a thread on this forum -- search--). It cost about 23 dollars.

BTW, what does the stealer charge?

 

[lojeff]

It catches alot of crap from the outside. Do a quick search and your see some ugly pics of old filters. As for the stealership, buy it from partznet and put it in yourself. I would say it is a 10 minute DIY project.

 

[04Rmsboy]

i think the stealer wanted 39 or 49 just to change the cabin air filter

 

[Whoknows]

cabin air

That's not as bad as I thought. If memory serves, someone else had a stealer charge $70! Maybe that is one you stick with.

 

[Larry]

The reason it's so expensive to change is because it takes two minutes and a phillips screw drive to remove and replace one screw. There is a catch, though. You have to open the glove box..... As others have done, you can make one, buy the element material from Home Depot. Take the existing one out and make take a trip to the store. If that's all too much, just go to the dealer. One dealer, around here wants about $30 for the element and one hour labor. I can't imagine what it would cost if they had to take out two screws.

 

[greasefingers]

Seeing is believing. Do the job yourself and that will answer your question. Another take on this is: look at the upstream side of the filter, now all of that debris would have ended up in the cabin if the filter was removed.

The last time I did it, I change it every 15 k, I used a home furnace filter. But this week I bought one at rockauto for $ 14.82 for a Beck/Arnley cabin air filter (pn# 042-2014). Sometimes I blow the filter out with compressed air. Once, I washed it in the kitchen sink with soap & water.

On a different note: I have seen Fram engine air filters as low as $ 10 at Wal-Mart.

 

[mtnc]

I cleaned my cabin air filter today after 17k miles. Look at all the stuff in it. (I bought my T4R used with 15K)

 

[greasefingers]

Now that

 

[spyne]

I cleaned my cabin air filter today after 17k miles. Look at all the stuff in it. (I bought my T4R used with 15K)

Yep. Change mine every April (that's the month I bought the 4R) which winds up being about once every 12K. Mine looks pretty much the same as this one every time I pull the old one out. It's amazing how much crud the filter catches. Makes me wonder where all this stuff would have wound up if there wasn't a filter. Maybe that's why I've had so many heater/AC motors go bad in my other cars/trucks over the years.

 

[greasefingers]

I actually thought it to be a dumb thing, since no other vehicle that I have owned has one; but now I realize that some portion of that stuff I actually ingest in my other vehicles!

 

[ssmathis]

I just changed mine at 15k and mine looked exactly like the one above.

Scott

 

[Spider5]

That looks familiar, same as my Lexus.

 

[RickyCRX]

Where in the world do you guys drive/park your vehicles for your inside CABIN filters to look like that?? After 15k miles of ownership, mine is a little 'grey' or darker than it was when I first got it, but even my engine air filter is not even really dirty after 15k miles...

I've also done some driving through dirt parking lots and such and that didn't seem to affect anything.

Ricky

 

[mtnc]

I just bought the truck in December, so all that gunk came from the previous owner. I agree though, that is a lot of trash in a short time.

 

[Whoknows]

where we drive

Mine looked exactly like mtnc's, though I think I had a few more leaves. Yeah, I was shocked. I haven't been off-road that often (not nearly as much as I want to), and I have a garage. I think most of mine comes from the trees I park under at the office. They're oak and the y drop pollen heavily in Spring as well as drop leaves in the Fall. I think it may also have to do with living in Tx where we use our A/C's on almost full fan from mid-May through October.

 

[spyne]

Where in the world do you guys drive/park your vehicles for your inside CABIN filters to look like that?? After 15k miles of ownership, mine is a little 'grey' or darker than it was when I first got it, but even my engine air filter is not even really dirty after 15k miles...

I've also done some driving through dirt parking lots and such and that didn't seem to affect anything.

Ricky

I'm in Northern VA, about 20 miles from DC. Trust me, this is pretty common for folks in the NE region. You can look at the link for a 1991 Mustang vert I'm trying to sell and see the kinds of trees that are common in the area.

All of these trees drop an amazing amount of crap, especially in the spring and fall. If you park your car outdoors anywhere in the NE you're going to get this kind of debris in your filter.

Here's the link. www.thepynes.net

 

[greasefingers]

I believe everyone

 

[toybox]

Where in the world do you guys drive/park your vehicles for your inside CABIN filters to look like that?? Ricky

I don't know why but mine gets that dirty also after about 12k.

 

[mtnc]

According to CARFAX, my 4Runner was originally registered in Maryland. I guess that could account for all the junk on the filter. Like spyne said, lots of trees up there that drop a lot of stuff.