Cabin air filters are an essential part of your car's maintenance program, and they need to be changed approximately every 30,000 miles. This number can vary depending on the manufacturer, with some recommending a replacement every 15,000 miles and others closer to the 25,000 mile mark. If you drive in busy roads, high temperatures, or dusty, unpaved road conditions, you may need to replace your cabin air filter more often. Standard filter performance varies by model, but most manufacturers recommend a replacement every 15,000 to 30,000 miles under normal operating conditions.
If you have the ability to look at your filter, you can immediately see if it needs to be replaced or not. Pet dander and hair float in the air and enter your vehicle's cabin air filter during normal use. That's why replacing a clogged cabin filter frequently is essential, because when you don't, you'll end up breathing in all the nasty debris trapped in the filter. Regardless of the time of year, you should replace the cabin air filter if it is full, restricting airflow, or if it smells bad.
There are some telltale signs that will indicate that it's time to replace your vehicle's air filter. Reduced airflow through the climate control system is one sign - such as when you raise the fan too high and get more noise than the results. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, especially those that are most prevalent in the Midwest, South, and Southwest, you're probably familiar with the challenges of breathing air laden with pollen and other allergens. If you are driving in heavy traffic in an urban area with poor air quality, you may need to replace your cabin air filter once a year or even more often.
Replacing the cabin air filter is something anyone can do at home - even for the most basic hobbyist. Although 76% of vehicles in circulation today are equipped with a cabin air filter, most vehicle owners are unaware of their cabin air filter, which is specifically designed to clean the air entering the interior of their vehicle. In case you're wondering if it's really time to change the cabin air filter and you're not quite sure about it, check if there's a bad smell of moisture inside your car when you turn on the heating or air conditioning, or if there's more fog in the windows than usual. Not all vehicles are used in the same way by their owners, which affects how often the interior air filter needs to be changed. However, if you are servicing your vehicle outside the dealership or doing it on your own, you may forget that the cabin air filter needs to be replaced regularly.
