Most people hesitate to change the cabin air filter thinking it is not an important maintenance item. Here are a few reasons and pictures to help raise awareness on why cabin filters are important not only for the vehicle occupants but also for the longevity of the vehicle’s blower motor.
- Cabin filters are designed to last between 15,000-30,000 miles and should be replaced frequently. These numbers can vary depending on internal and external factors. (ie: Smoking inside car or wild fires)
- The recent California wild fires have distributed unhealthy ash everywhere and your cabin air filters may get clogged.
- When cabin filters are neglected, they can strain the blower motor and reduce air flow.
- This straining can cause your blower motor to go bad which could cost up to $1000 in repairs.
- Dirty filters can cause foul odors, and allow even chemicals, pollutants, etc to enter the cabin.
- Rodents love to work their way into the cabin filters and create nests in there. This is something we frequently encounter. You do not want to breath in through a rodent’s nest.
- Cabin filters are typically replaced on every B-service, so skipping the B-service and “just” doing an oil change can lead to this ( see photos below to see what happens when you skip your cabin air filter replacement! )
Are you breathing through a roden’t nest? Or worst, a dead rodent?
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