All vehicles may be a little different, but on average, you should change a cabin air filter at least every 12,000-15,000 miles or whenever you begin to notice signs of a clogged or dirty product.
Cabin air filters are an important part of a vehicle that purifies the air coming through your vehicle’s vents, removing allergens and other pollutants that can be harmful to your health.
A cabin filter is also extremely important for helping your vehicle run efficiently and keep the engine functioning properly. These are a few reasons it is important to change your air filter on schedule.
What is a Cabin Air Filter?
Whether sitting in your living room or driving down the road, you always want to have access to clean and fresh air.
Unlike sitting in your living room, the number of pollutants, contaminants, allergens, and chemicals is much higher when driving in a clogged roadway with tons of engines running and debris kicking up from the pavements or dirt roads.
These are not things we should be breathing into our bodies consistently, and thanks to our vehicle’s HVAC systems and air filters, the air coming through our vents is much healthier.
A car air filter is often located behind the glovebox underneath the dashboard on the passenger side of the vehicle, capturing air pollutants as they move through the HVAC system, keeping them stuck inside the fibrous materials until the filter is replaced.
How Often Should You Change a Cabin Air Filter?
Many people may not even think about how important changing the cabin air filter on their cars is. But it is just as important as changing your oil or any other maintenance you would normally do frequently to keep it running properly.
The time frame for changing your cabin air filter may be a little different depending on the make and model of your vehicle, the brand of filter you use, and the amount of time you spend on the open road. However, you should change these filters every 12,000 to 15,000 miles on averages.
For a better estimate of when your vehicle should have its cabin air filter changed out, you should check your owner’s manual; here, they will provide you with the location of the filter, what filters to use, and how often you should change it.
If you spend a lot of time traveling or have a long commute back and forth to work, you will have to change your filter more often than someone who drives less mileage.
What Happens if You Don’t Change Your Cabin Air Filter?
Although we mainly associate cabin air filters with driver and passenger safety, keeping them clean is also extremely important to engine performance.
If air cannot make its way through your vehicles cabin air filter, it will not be able to make its way up through the combustion chamber. The engine will begin having issues starting up in these situations, eventually not starting up at all.
Signs it is Time to Change Your Cabin Air Filter
A few tell-tale signs can tell you when to change your cabin air filter. Some of these signs are more noticeable than others; however, they are all worth checking out.
Ignition Troubles
If your air filter is too full of dust or dirty, you will have a hard time getting the engine to turn over. The engine needs plenty of air to start up, and a clogged cabin filter will stop this from happening.
Low Gas Mileage
As your engine begins to struggle to suck air up through the chamber, it will have to work harder, and you will eventually start to notice your gas mileage is getting lower than average.
Musty or Moldy Smell
When your air filter is clogged, it is no longer going to have the ability to do its job, and not only is the dirty outside air going to come through the vents but so is the caked-up mildew and mold that has begun to form in the filter material.
Simply Checking
If it has been more than 12000 miles since your last cabin air filter change, or you are noticing some changes in the performance of your engine or the quality in the air, take a quick peek at the old filter itself, if it is black and has dust and gunk on it, you need a new one.
Foggy Windows
When the inside air of the vehicle isn’t filtered correctly, fog will start to appear on the inside of the car windows. This is a great way to identify an old cabin air filter.
Summing Things Up
Cabin air filter replacement is an important part of servicing your vehicle. Always consult the owner’s manual for the best instructions on which new cabin air filters to buy, how often you should change them, and where they can be located for easy access to maintain good air quality.
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