The cabin air filter, a feature found on most late-model vehicles, cleans the air that comes into the interior through the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. It catches dust, pollen and other airborne material that can make riding in a car unpleasant, particularly if you have allergies or other respiratory problems.
Article authored by Rick Popely.
What’s a Cabin Air Filter and When Should You Replace It?
Recommendations on when a cabin air filter should be replaced vary by manufacturer — some say every 12,000 or 15,000 miles, others longer — and how often can depend on how much you drive and where. Check the maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual. If you drive in heavy traffic in an urban area that has poor air quality, you could need to replace the cabin air filter annually or even more often. However, that also could be true in a desert climate where there is a lot of dust to filter out.
Some signs that you need a new cabin air filter are reduced air flow through your climate control system, such as when you crank up the fan too high and get more noise than results. Another is persistent bad odors. Even if you don’t have these warnings, however, you should have the air filter checked at least once a year, and you may be able to do that yourself.
Read the rest of this article in its original source here.
Before it can enter the engine, the engine air filter traps any dust and debris by acting as a shield, blocking its path. Over time, however, these filters can accumulate a lot of dirt and get clogged up, needing to be replaced so they can continue to perform adequately. A dirty air filter makes it harder for the engine to breathe and this can affect the vehicle’s overall performance.
Article written by Rocco Lovetere.
How to Replace Your Air Filter
Part 1 of 2: Gather the required materials
The required materials will ultimately be based on what make of vehicle you are working on but the following are common for most vehicles:
6-inch extension
Air filter (new)
Gloves
Ratchet
Safety glasses
Screwdriver
Sockets – 8mm and 10mm (specific to Toyota, Honda, Volvo, Chevy, etc)
T25 torx socket (specific to most Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Audi vehicles)
Part 2 of 2: Change the air filter
Step 1: Find the air cleaner box. Open the hood and locate the air cleaner box. The air cleaner box can vary in size and shape depending on the make of the vehicle. Two traits that all air cleaner boxes have in common are that they are all black and plastic and that they are typically located toward the front of the vehicle, beside the engine. There is also a black accordion-like hose that connects it and the throttle body, making it more recognizable.
Step 2: Open the air cleaner box. Once located, take note of the type of fasteners that are being used to keep the box closed. In most cases, these fasteners are clips that can be undone by hand. If this is the case, release the clips to open the air cleaner box so the air filter can be removed.
Exchanging an air filter is something anybody can do and in most circumstances devoid of the use of any gears. The initial try may take extra time, but once you grow accustomed to the motions down, most air sieves can be changed in as little as a few minutes. And for your body repair needs we at Guanella will take care of it for you.