cabin air filter

Logical-Source appears to be the North American distributor for TYC parts. TYC also makes a non-chirpy blower.

 

Just a heads up

Those cheap filters are no longer 3$ and change.

Subtotal: $5.54 Shipping & Handling: $9.55 Total: $15.09

 

Damn these fill up fast.

At about 11K this is the second time I have cleaned out. I guess it just needs to be checked every 5K?

 

If you only want 1 or 2 and have prime it is cheaper here.

$17 TYC 800038P Toyota/Pontiac Replacement Cabin Air Filter

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VKTUJQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

You are assuming that they go down

 

I find its best to just read the first entry then click to the last page and ask a question that was most likly already asked and answered.

 

I just replaced mine for the first time. I know most do not like Fram and I have no intentions of using their oil filters any more after reading the oil filter thread, I don't see a lot of difference in the air filters so I bought a Fram off Amazon. Was the cheapest place I could find. They have a $3 mail in rebate on them right now for up to 2 per household. Actually bought 3 though, for the wife's car and my step-daughters. All 3 were in the $15-$18 range and I will get $6 of that back so I thought that wasn't too bad.

They have other rebates going also. Bought an engine air filter from them again on Amazon was the cheapest for my step-daughters Mazda 6 which are kinda expensive. Also picked up one of them for the wife's car. Buy 2 and get a $5 gas card.

They have rebates on the oil filters but I'm not touching them.

 

I still say if you spend more than $25 on filters over the life of the vehicle, you're throwing money away. Haven't spent a penny on it in over 3 years. Unless you're trying to filter allergens in which case buying new allergen filters make sense. But to each his own.

 

The Fram air filters are a solid construction. They aren't like oil filters where the media is hidden.
But I would be interested in seeing flow and filtration data from an independent lab (not an Amsoil dealer).

Some have reported that they do not fit the airbox very well, and given the small difference in cost, I stick with Toyota anyways.

Cabin air filters? Who cares. If their marketing hype is accurate, they'll help clean the cabin and eliminate odors.
If not, it's no worse than having no cabin filter, the way it was for almost 100 years.


Incidentally, while activated charcoal is a good filter, baking soda does absolutely nothing to "freshen" the fridge.
Melinda Lee talked about that a few weeks ago on her radio show. Arm & Hammer doesn't make any direct claims to effectiveness, they simply list it as a possible use.

 

Are you talking about the engine filters not fitting? Because the cabin filter fit perfect for me. On a side note Toyota had the cabin filter in sideways and had to pull really hard to get it out. Was afraid it would tear and if the new one hadn't fit then I'd be without one temporarily.

And as for not changing/having the cabin filter, that was kinda my way of thinking also. But my step-daughters car (wife's old car) was bought new in 07 and had never been changed. Her air doesn't cool very well so I thought hell it couldn't hurt to change it. That thing was . I don't see how much air could get through it. So It does seem to blow better, just waiting to hear from her if it cools better. Thing is, before the cabin filters, where did all that debris go? I do remember pine straw and such coming in the vents before on older pre-filter vehicles. So I guess they do serve a purpose. Just not sure it's worth the $. Already replaced mine and my wife's at only 1 1/2 years roughly and at 15 and 20k. Didn't think they would be that dirty.

Funny thing is mine was due to be changed but my engine filter still looks almost new. I would have guessed the opposite.

 

Ya, engine air filters.

I've used both Toyota and Fram cabin filters (wife's '04 Rav4 has one) for years and never had a problem.

I would just buy the Fram filters from Wally World, but I buy them so rarely that I would never remember the number, and Wally World doesn't have an application guide on the shelf.



On changing them, ya... whether Toyota says every 30k, or someone on the net says $25 over the life of the vehicle (WTF?)... They're $15 each.
Just change it once a year. $1.25/month is not going to break the bank, and they aren't hard to change.

NOT changing them will cause anything from restricted air flow and poor AC/heater performance, to a clogged evaporator and plugged evaporator drain.
Plugged evaporator drain can lead to condensation leaking out onto the carpeting in the cab.

 

Check the link in my sig. It's in the DIY page too. I keep one in there to keep debris out.

 

I've seen that, and one was installed in my home furnace when I moved in back in '94.

Didn't filter worth a crap, and clogged easily, overloading the blower motor.
My AC A-Coil was completely plugged with lint when I replaced it.
I've been using the expensive 3M "Filtrete" filters in the furnace, Dust in the house is lower, and the A-Coil and ducts are remaining clean now after 10 years.

May as well just remove the filter.

Again... $15/year. Why screw around with mickey mouse solutions that provide worse performance? You still have to remove and clean the DIY... most of the work of doing the job is removing and replacing.

Why not just replace it?

 

.
. . .
.

 

LOL!

To each his own, but sometimes it seems that DIY mods are done just because they can be done. If it's a cosmetic change, I can understand that... it makes the item "yours", but something like the cabin air filter?
Toyota says every 30k, so they are assuming about every 3 years.
That's $5/year. You can do it every oil change and not break the bank.

It's like the engine air filter. Toyota says 30k? I just do it once a year, same with a lot of other inspect/change items that aren't needed that soon. If it's okay, it's okay and doesn't need to be replaced... but at least it's been looked at.

 

sub'd

 

Thanks for the update, I added that info to my post about the price. Order 6 and they are still super cheap at $7.20 each. It's a shame they upped the price.

BTW these are the same filters used in the Pontiac Vibe (maybe even Toyota Matrix).

As Rich keeps pointing out...it's just not worth my time to make, rinse and dry a reusable filter that does not perform as well when you can buy better disposable ones this cheap. But then again everyone will value their time differently.

 

I just replaced mine at 15k and 1 1/2 years. It was pretty dirty which surprised me. It could have went a bit longer I guess but I already had the new one and had it out so I went ahead.

 

I agree with you on filtering. They're rated at the lower levels. I don't mind pulling and rinsing it. And I'm not concerned about how well it filters. I just want it to catch leaves and other debris. I get enough dirt coming in the windows that a filter for breathing clean air is irrelevant. It's just that when I had to replace a filter every 2 months from the dust on the forest roads, it got pricey. In our highlander, I buy the allergen filters made for the vehicle. Different purpose for that vehicle. But I also like these threads because it helps me find a good source for the highlander.

 

True true... and they are better than nothing.

In the cooler months, I normally have a window open and I enjoy smoking a pipe on the way home. When it's 90+ outside, the windows stay up and the AC on recirc... of course, that is also the dustiest time of the year, so the dash remains remarkably clean through the summer.