Replacing Your Car’s Cabin Filter (You Can Do It!)

Your car’s cabin filter (sometimes called “pollen filter’) needs to be replaced on a regular basis. In seasons of heavy air conditioning or heater use, this is especially pertinent.  You may not notice an overt difference in your heating/cooling system performance, but as the filter fills with contaminants, a gradual drop in fan blower force can occur. If your cooling system is not doing its job in summer or if your windows are remaining foggy in winter, this can be the issue.

The good news is that this is an inexpensive maintenance task that you can more than likely perform yourself. The filters themselves only retail for around $20 to $30. Dealerships can charge upwards of $70 to $90 for this procedure. One that can take mere minutes in many vehicles.

The first of of business is to determine if your vehicle has a cabin filter. Most vehicles manufactured in the last 10 years are equipped with one, but your manual will verify this. What some manuals will not tell you is where the filter is located and how to change it (this was the case for our vehicle). Some are located under the hood and others are located behind the glove compartment. Thanks to YouTube, you probably can find the location and video direction on how to change it. Below is the (43 second!) video procedure for changing the filter in our Honda Ridgeline. In just minutes, one can save $50 or $60.

We can offer the excellent WIX or Mann cabin air filters shipped to your door. See our application look-up guide for more details on the filter that fits your car.

Here is our filter after 3 years in service. Note that the inner pleat areas are completely plugged with debris. We should be changing this filter on an annual basis.