Modern cars are packed full of all kinds of filters. You can likely name most of them. There’s one for your oil, one for fuel, the air intake filter, and so on. However, there’s one that is often overlooked when people regular vehicle maintenance – the cabin filter. The cabin air filter is usually located somewhere within the passenger compartment of the car. Some cars have it in the glove box or thereabout, while some cars have it tucked in a hard-to-reach spot. The question is, what does this component do, and when should you change it? 

What is a Cabin Filter? 

The cabin air filter is similar to the one found in your intake system. However, it serves a slightly different purpose. Where your intake filter prevents any debris from getting into your engine, the one in the cabin is there to prevent debris and other nasty stuff from reaching the passenger compartment of your car. 

If you were to talk to 10 people, 8 of them probably wouldn’t even know about this part. If anything, that tells us that there are 8 out 10 cars out there who are most likely driving around with dirty air filters. 

Why Should You Change Your Cabin Air Filter? 

The issue with cabin air filters is that they don’t affect how you use your car, at least not directly. If it gets dirty or clogged up over time, it won’t trigger a check engine light, nor will it cause your engine to idle rough. In other words, it’s so out of sight and out of mind that most drivers simply never bother to check it. 

Even worse, when you go in for regular maintenance, the chances are that your mechanic won’t even check the filter. That being said, why is it important to change your air filter? What happens if you just leave it in there for years? 

The cabin air filter is your HVAC’s main filtration device. Any air that gets sucked in from the outside needs to pass through the filter before it reaches you or your passengers. Just like any other filter in your car, this one can also become saturated over time. When that happens, your HVAC will become directly affected, causing it to work at reduced efficiency. 

What Happens if You Don’t Change the Cabin Filter?

Leaving that old, clogged up filter in your car forever will lead to a number of issues. Depending on how long you leave it in there, you might even notice that something is off. The first symptom of a clogged cabin air filter is the reduced HVAC efficiency. Your car’s air conditioning system won’t pump in fresh air into the vehicle, leading to reduced circulation. 

If it’s wintertime, you might notice that you’re not getting enough heat even though the vehicle is already warmed up. 

More severe effects of a clogged air filter can cause actual health issues. Aside from keeping the debris from reaching you or your passengers, a cabin air filter also keeps out all kinds of allergens. Once it fails, you might start experiencing allergies while driving. 

Furthermore, leaving an old, used up filter in your car can lead to mold. As the filter gets old and the HVAC starts having trouble dealing with it, mold might start to form on its surface. Having mold forced into the passenger cabin is never a good thing and can lead to actual health issues. 

When to Change the Cabin Filter?

Here’s the shocker for most people – cabin air filters should be changed once a year. That’s the recommended maintenance period for most cars. If nothing else, changing the air filter when you go in for an oil change is a sure fire way of preventing any issues in the future. 

If you’re on the DIY side of the community, you might want to do this job yourself. The only potential issue here is that not all vehicles are created equal when it comes to cabin air filter placement. Changing this filter on some vehicles is literally a matter of reaching into your glove box, popping a pair of clips, and swapping the old filter with the new. On other vehicles, it’s not so easy. 

As a matter of fact, changing the filter can be unreasonably difficult, depending on your vehicle’s make and model. It’s not an impossible job, but it most definitely won’t be something you’ll do in the morning before heading to work. 

Which Filter to Get? 

Cabin air filters, like most other car parts, are made by different manufacturers. If you look at the filter that matches your car, you will run into a price gradient going from super cheap all the way to OEM or Genuine parts, which tend to cost more. Many decide to go for the affordable options because this component is not something many vehicle owners even consider. What they don’t know is that not all cabin filtration products are created equal. 

Types of Cabin Air Filters 

There’s more than one way to design an air filter. In fact, you’ll find 3 main types out there. Every kind of offers a set of unique benefits. We have activated carbon models, particle filters, and models that use charcoal. 

• Activated Carbon Filters – Modern air filtration principles often rely on some kind of active substance that directly extracts harmful stuff from the air. You’ll find this method used in all kinds of industries. Activated carbon filters use activated carbon to remove the impurities and other unwanted particles from the air being sucked into the HVAC system. One advantage this type of filtration devices offer over other options is the ability to prevent harmful gasses from reaching the cabin and particles. 
• Charcoal Cabin Filters – Much like activated carbon, the charcoal ones utilize charcoal to weed out all kinds of harmful particles. Charcoal has been used in the air filtration industry since forever and is one of the tried and tested options. 
• Particle Filters – Last but not least, we have the standard particle type. These are aimed at preventing tiny particles from reaching you and are great for blocking pollen as well as other allergens. A particle filter is also great at blocking dust and the rest of the super small debris your HVAC might pull in from outside. 

Find the Right Option for Your Car 

Choosing the right filter comes down to personal preference. If you’re not sure what types are available for your car, simply head over to our online store and input your car’s information. Once you’ve done that, our system will list out all of the parts that match your car. 

All you have to do then is search for cabin air filters, and you should get a full range of available options. In case you have any questions, feel free to contact us via email or by phone. Our customer service reps are standing by to answer all of your questions.