We recommend changing your car’s cabin air filter about once a year. Many customers know about their car’s engine air filter, but they aren’t as familiar with the filter for their cabin.
So when we recommend changing the cabin air filter, we’re often asked “What – exactly – is a cabin air filter?”
Good question.
Put simply, a cabin air filter helps purify the air inside your car’s cabin. The cabin air filter helps keep dust, pollen, and road particles from getting into your car’s heating and air conditioning system, which then helps keep that stuff out of your lungs and out of your car’s interior.
Changing your cabin air filter will ensure that your heating and air conditioning system has maximum air flow while keeping the nasty stuff out of your cabin.
The once-a-year guideline is a general one; We really recommend you change the cabin air filter when it gets dirty. And that depends on your driving conditions.
If you often drive on dusty roads or over leaf-covered streets in the fall, you may need your cabin filter changed more often. If you drive in cleaner conditions, you can probably wait longer than a year between changes.
Feel free to call the shop with any questions, and – if it is time for a filter change or other service for your vehicle – to make an appointment for service.
This is very informative. I don’t pay attention on my car’s cabin air filter. It is like any other parts. I need to check it annually or even often.
I really don’t understand anything about cars, but love sites such as this which give very informative information. It is good to know what an air filter looks like.
Thanks for the friendly advice. I’m wondering though, how often would one need to change the cabin air filter? Or does it need changing at all or just cleaning?
Good question! We recommend changing the cabin filter every year / every 15,000 miles or so, depending on your driving conditions. Basically, the cabin filter should be changed whenever it gets dirty and starts impeding air flow inside of your vehicle.
Most cabin air filters need to be changed instead of simply cleaned. Washing or cleaning a cabin air filter doesn’t fully remove many of the allergens and other microscopic particles caught in the filter.