OEM cabin air filter thread with links and pics. Premium OEM vs. regular OEM.

[Camdak]

I replaced mine at 15K, it was dirty, the only time my window is down, is grabbing food at the drive thru or making a bank deposit.

I don’t understand how people can drive with their window up all the time but to each his/her own. Not 4 me to complain!

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[dochawk]

they have to take out the entire dash.

what is it with ford and mounting so as to need to pull the console? I ended up with a Mustang with the heater core bypassed, and it's 9 hours of book time to pull the console to do a 10 minute job! [so it ain't going to happen on my dime; this is a convertible in Las Vega, and not what I'd drive when I need a heater!]

 

[Mike1597]

And since I'm an old fart, which means most of my vehicles never had an in cabin filter, I've ended up removing and not replacing them..I clean my vehicles weekly including the interior, and have never noticed the difference..thoughts?

Due to having allergies I appreciate having a cabin air filter. It also is beneficial in keeping out soot from wildfires and leaf burning smoke. It keeps small debris such as pieces of leaves from getting in the fan blower cage.

I would be reluctant to remove the air filter as it provides a path for bugs/rodents to get in the vehicle.

 

[inline_five]

Any idea if these cabin filters protect the blower motor? If not mine will be thrown out and not replaced since I drive with the windows down in my truck sometimes.

The first and primary thing they do is protect your evaporator core.

I had a Volvo without one (later years added it) and about 10 years after ownership the core starting leaking, and the entire dash comes out to fix it. Down to the firewall. All sorts of crud buildup in there, and it smelled horrible.

A simple $10 cabin filter (replaced every year or two) would've prevented that.

Same thing goes for your homes HVAC filters - the filters are there to protect the blower cage and more importantly the coil from crud buildup. You don't need a good one - even the lower micron ones will do their job. In fact, just like this premium filter, too high of filtration will reduce air flow.

@bbhaag thanks for this, it's going into my maintenance log as an option.

 

[Deleted member 5597]

I don’t understand how people can drive with their window up all the time but to each his/her own. Not 4 me to complain!

I drive with my window up in Florida nearly all year long,.. , except in late fall or winter when temps are a little lower. The heat and humidity is unbearable to drive with the windows down the rest of the year.

 

[Tim d]

The first and primary thing they do is protect your evaporator core.

I had a Volvo without one (later years added it) and about 10 years after ownership the core starting leaking, and the entire dash comes out to fix it. Down to the firewall. All sorts of crud buildup in there, and it smelled horrible.

A simple $10 cabin filter (replaced every year or two) would've prevented that.

Same thing goes for your homes HVAC filters - the filters are there to protect the blower cage and more importantly the coil from crud buildup. You don't need a good one - even the lower micron ones will do their job. In fact, just like this premium filter, too high of filtration will reduce air flow.

@bbhaag thanks for this, it's going into my maintenance log as an option.

They should call it that then,instead of a " cabin" filter.i couldn't care less if the air was filtered Into my vehicle.

 

[Nw_adventure]

Agreed ive been driving almost 50 years without a " cabin" filter. I think it's a money grab.

Maybe but with the amount of wild fire smoke and bad air inversions folks out west have to deal with more and more, we like the filtered air options especially for those with asthma.

 

[Tim d]

Maybe but with the amount of wild fire smoke and bad air inversions folks out west have to deal with more and more, we like the filtered air options especially for those with asthma.

Valid points.i like to drive with my windows down alot though.

 

[bbhaag]

I wonder how much more this filter restricts the air flow than the OEM filter.

A word of caution, when I replaced my cabin filter, somehow, I managed to break off the left lock tab when removing the filter cover.

I had the same thought as well. The weight difference alone shows there is a lot more filtering material to push air through. Unfortunately I lack the proper instruments to measure the before and after cfm at the vents.

There doesn't appear to be any difference to me. The cabin warmed up just fine on a cold day and the air flow out of the vents seemed normal but again this is just a suggestive opinion since I don't have anything to really measure with.

 

[inline_five]

I had the same thought as well. The weight difference alone shows there is a lot more filtering material to push air through. Unfortunately I lack the proper instruments to measure the before and after cfm at the vents.

There doesn't appear to be any difference to me. The cabin warmed up just fine on a cold day and the air flow out of the vents seemed normal but again this is just a suggestive opinion since I don't have anything to really measure with.

Just did this "upgrade" and broke a plastic clip holding it on. So I've secured with zip ties and used some harness tape on the top seam to seal it in completely.

I drive a lot on the highway and we have a ton of pollen/allergen here so was wanting something a bit better than stock.

For $16 from Rock Auto, this is a solid deal.

 

[The Real Maverick]

Do the dark ones have carbon / charcoal in them?

Probably this is what makes them heavier.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

Any idea if these cabin filters protect the blower motor? If not mine will be thrown out and not replaced since I drive with the windows down in my truck sometimes.

Even if you don't run the a/c, the truck will, if it deems it helpful to lower cabin humidity. Or if you use Defog/defrost mode. The filter protects the blower and most importantly, the air conditioning evap coil from getting clogged. Same as your home HVAC filter(s).

 

[mcluvin]

I used to never change these, but I do now. They get so nasty. Dealerships love to offer this service for $90. Damn near pure profit.

 

[matmondro]

Will be looking into this micron filter the next time I change mine. This is what the original one looked like at 25k miles when I replaced it in October. It definitely does something!

 

[bbhaag]

Just did this "upgrade" and broke a plastic clip holding it on. So I've secured with zip ties and used some harness tape on the top seam to seal it in completely.

I drive a lot on the highway and we have a ton of pollen/allergen here so was wanting something a bit better than stock.

For $16 from Rock Auto, this is a solid deal.

Glad you found my post useful and decided to try the premium filter out. You mentioned in an earlier post you would put in your notes and it appears that you did. For $16 why not give it a try right? Hell, I spend more than that on a pack of smokes and a six pack of beer and neither of those last me 12 months or 18K miles.

Sorry to hear you broke one of the lid clips. This is a VERY common problem so don't feel to bad about it. If you are looking for a more permanent fix beyond the zip tie and tape here is a link to a Mach-E forum were a member found a different solution. They even included some pics so check it out.

Cabin Air Filter Broken Tab Club

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