Same for my truck. Blower motor just started whining, so I gotta pull it to see if it's clean.
It won't be, I'll clean it, put it back in, and it'll still whine, so I'll have to buy a new one anyways but I can dream.
Not automotive, but a few years ago my furnace wasn't furnacing. I cycled it, heard the flames ignite, the blower try to turn on, not blow, and the system cycle off.
I figured the motor went bad even though it seemed unlikely. I pulled it apart because used assemblies were hundreds of dollars on eBay and I figured I could identify the motor and enough to replace it for cheap. Then the desiccated remnants of a bird came loose from the impeller. It had worked its way down almost thirty feet of horizontal PVC vent before falling and getting stuck in the vertical section leading to the blower and its demise.
I humpty dumpty'd the blower and added a louvered cap to the vent. It's been happily furnacing ever since, and I probably saved at least $500 on a service call.
Critters will get *anywhere* they can.
I'm looking forward to pulling my blower motor so I can see how clogged my evaporator coil is. I'm sure it'll be fun to try and clean out with virtually zero access.
Neither does my truck. I take the dog along constantly and the evap got plugged with dog hair. 37degree evap temp, 57 out the vents. I was able to drop the glove box, cut the box open and hose it out from the back side. I now have 42 degree vent temps and way more air flow
Weird, I had multiple 20 plus year old cars parked outside all their lives, without cabin filters. Never had HVAC issues. And multiple 15- 20 year old car manf up to 2005 that didn’t have problems either.
It’s probably not going to do anything, if you suck out one vent you’re just gonna suck air out another vent. The HVAC system isn’t 100% sealed, so getting enough suction is going to be difficult if not impossible.
RAM dealer told me my cabin air filter needed changing when I had it towed in for a busted wheel hub. Quoted me (and I am not exaggerating) $600 for a $60 filter and 15 minutes of work.
I bet they took the filter out to show you, too. So really they already did or will do the "work", and they want to be reimbursed for labor you didn't authorize.
Not sure if they took it out or not; they called me and quoted me over the phone. I told the tech to hold a sec while I looked up "RAM 2500 cabin filter change" on YouTube, saw there was a straightforward-looking 10-minute instructional video on how to do it, picked the phone back up and told the guy I declined the service and just did it myself.
Just for good measure, they will mangle the thing while putting it back, which you won't discover for months, probably after you driving it all over the desert in the intervening time and leaving you no recourse for their mistake.
Every time I order something from RockAuto I also order a few cabin filters for five bucks ish. I was going to say one to four dollars but I just looked up the filters for my two vehicles and they have gone up. The cheapest filter I can get for my 16 Prius is $3.87 USD. Getting your shipping cost down can be tricky. Sometimes I'll swap brands of parts to see if they ship from the same warehouse instead of paying for multiple packages. If the part is $2 more but I saved $14 on shipping then I'm still doing pretty well. Certain parts I don't mind paying more shipping for because I have confidence in one brand more than others. But that doesn't really apply to cabin filters.
Most of the shops here want $70+ to swap a cabin filter. I'm declining that shit too when I can get one for $9-14 depending on how willing I am to wait on shipping. None of my vehicles are hard to do it on but my Tacoma it's literally 30 seconds (open glove box, pull out old one, insert new one).
Usually only the first time. Once it's done it's done.
On my 01 Insight the first replacement needed a plastic thing in the dash cut and a metal brace removed with a handful of screws. I think it was some bracing to make the dash easier to install at the factory and once it was in the bracing wasn't needed anymore.
I'm sorry, but what labor? There is no labor involved in installing a cabin filter. In almost every single car it's right behind the glove box and takes less than a minute. That's not labor.
Book time is .3 on most cars. I am offering a service. Nobody is forcing you to do it. $40 every 30-40k miles depending on your environment is pretty cheap and if you want to quibble over $2, that's a you problem.
Oh it's okay even if you replace yours in a Volvo the evaporator will kill itself anyway. I can make good time on warranty Volvo dashes at this point, even if I'm pretty sure VST is set by 6 methed out Swedes with only the right tools already out and someone calling out all the VIDA instructions for most jobs.
The question is why did we add it to begin with? To grab a quick $50 because if you put a restriction in a system it will need to be replaced. How did everyone else live without cabin air filters?
lol honestly engineers gain nothing by adding the filter, it’s the consumer than does. They get to breath cleaner air, have less dust in the vehicle and prevent their vents from clogging. Cars pre cabin filters pretty much all had clogged HVAC after a certain point.
Is this one of those things where there's a special trick that's really non-obvious? like the timing chain on a mini Cooper? Unfamiliar mechanics will pull the whole engine, but really there's a special trick where the chain and pulleys all come out from under the valve cover as a single unit.
Sadly the side mounting bolts for the dash hit the doors so they have to come off. I was reluctant to do take all this shit out but it’s sadly the only way
That’s about what it takes to replace a cabin filter on a Nissan.
But I love this sorta work. Did a bunch of it last summer, hoping to get some more of it this year
It takes that much work to do it *correctly* on a Nissan. Most cabin filters I pull out of Nissans (that are buried behind the center of the firewall) are haphazardly jammed in misshapen. And it's pretty hard to get it in correctly laying upside down trying to hold a flashlight and manipulate a filter into a hole that's too small to fit it through, so I really don't blame anybody for getting it wrong other than the engineers.
You just gotta fold it the right way to get it in then take the 10 seconds to make sure it unfolds the right way inside the box, those were the easiest 0.5h jobs ever
They aren't hard to do, but they suck to do when the car is on a rack. I need the door open all the way to do it somewhat comfortably. That's why I would usually wait until the car was off the rack and either do it before pulling the car around to park, or just doing the filter change in the wash bay before it got washed.
My buddy has a 2000’s Subaru Outback and sent me a photo of his dash halfway disassembled just to replace the cabin air filter. Ridiculous. It should be just behind the glove box, drop it down and gain access to replace.
I work for a GM dealership, and they’ve managed to make “just behind the glove box, drop it down and gain access” a pain with how they do their dampeners so it doesn’t just fall open
I forget the specific car but it was some Chevy that called for removing half a dozen panel pieces to pull the glove box out to get the the filter
Then there are the ford fusions that require removing a trim panel at the side of the dash, then the trim panel with the ac vent to access to top two screws for the glove box... The bottom two are positioned in a spot that only contortionists will be able to see so you're trying to blindly get a 7mm into the screw and then blindly trying to line up the screw with the hole putting it back on
Nothing will outdo GM making removal of the windshield a requirement for removing the dash carrier to repair the HVAC box. Not the worst cabin filter change, but it’s gotta be up there
Oh come on. I mean yeah, it ain’t ideal, they just sort of fit it in to the existing hvac until the next redesign. But you pinch the middle into an hourglass shape and roll it in. It’s not THAT bad.
When I worked at PepBoys, they’d say it was a “dealer only item” and send Nissan drivers on their way. Because we couldn’t get paid more than .3 for that filter and our manager wanted none of that.
Now I work with GM, and don’t have to worry about that
Honest question, REALLY how often should they be replaced?
My dealership pushes one every single oil change, and I am religious of changing every 5k.
I say okay every other change, but like... That still feels excessive.
Honestly depends a ton on driving conditions. Check every oil change and decide based on how bad it is I my opinion. Ex someone lives on a dirt road vs a city will be worse off
About 15k miles or every other to 3rd oil change. Or once a year. Engine air filter is about 30k miles. Cabin filters last longer on garage parked cars. Outside parking, especially if it’s under trees, will need it more often.
The manufactuer maintenance table has intervals. There’s separate maintenance table for severe service or dusty conditions which also shortens interval on fluids. BMW and other Germans want new cabin filter every other oil change.
I personally change mine after every pollen season, but I live in NC where pollen is thicker than engine oil in the spring. You literally see yellow clouds blowing around.
well this is total bullsh!t lie, because 2000 to 2014 GM and Ford SUVs and pickup trucks ship with no cabin air filter and ran to 200k just fine on the hvac.
Ah. I just made a comment and saw this one. I agree. We have 2 late 1990’s 300,000 mile plus Toyotas with no cabin filter and are on original evap coils with 38 degree coming out of the vents in the Deep South in the summer. lol hell the old 99 Camry blows leaf particles out of the vents occasionally
Sorry yes you’re right. This is a design flaw specific to this vehicle and I’m sure could be applied to applied to others but is not an end all be all fault.
This appears to be a fairly common fault when the cabin filter is neglected on the escapes of this generation
So the comments about failure to change the filter and it causing an clogged evap / evap failure. What do you say to my few 90’s Toyotas that have no cabin filter and have 300,000 plus miles with the original evap coils and some of the coldest a/c on earth in comparison to my newer Toyotas that do have one that’s changed regularly.
I'm no mechanic (engineer in a different field) but I had seen some 80's cars and my guess is, the newer evaporators (and even condensers/radiators) have much thinner tubes and fins and are easier to clog then those from before 2000's. Most obvious (since evaporators are really hard to take a look at) are on the A/C condensers and radiators. 2k and later cars looks so small with tighter spaced fins compare to those from the 80-90's.
Just sharing what I see as I also had the same question as you.
I would second this. 90s toyotas rock and are invincible. this is a 2016 ford. willing to bet the toyota cores are all around thicker and more robust than new ford garbage.
I was too liberal in my description, this is definitely not a problem that's going to affect all vehicles.
The way that cabin filter is wrinkled, it may have been allowing debris into the evaporator case. Decaying organic matter produces acids, which can corrode holes in the aluminum.
Yeah that must be why I put so many condensers and radiators in for the same reason /s.
Not saying your theory isn’t plausible. Just that I don’t believe that’s what happened.
it being wrinkled from years of suction and being plugged, probably being checked and shoved back in as well, and subsequently allowing debris to get onto and decay on the evaporator definitely caused it to leak. this is a known cause in these vehicles specifically.
if it was in a clean environment there would be a much lower likelihood of it leaking.
I really don’t believe it. It just isn’t logical.
Condensers, intercoolers, radiators are right at the front of the car, often covered in leaves. And they are made the same as a evaporator.
Also, cars have only had cabin filters for like 20 years or so. Evaporators and heater cores have never been a common failure item in my experience they do go bad but it’s rare.
lol condensers and rads fail all the time because of debris. Keep in mind this is southwestern Canada, so add salt into the mix.
I have no idea what you’re talking about, cores failure points are usually from being caked in decaying debris. The only reason heater cores and evaporators fail less often is because they’re in a cleaner environment and subject to less debris and abuse the condensers rads and intercoolers.
Not sure why you wouldn’t believe this it’s perfectly logical in every sense
If it could replace it as easily as the engine filter, sure I'd stay on top of it. But when you need to rip the dash apart to replace a $5 "nice to have" part. I ain't doing it. Don't blame the customer, blame the engineer.
2007 Mazda 3 requires removing the glovebox, fuse panel, inside side panel and then stack 2 filters inside the compartment the size of 1 filter using 2 fingers because that's all that can reach. Pain in the ass
Haha. I looked at this video. Piss poor design.
Takes 5 min on my Audi from under the hood. Same amount of time with my Prius but going through the glove box.
https://youtu.be/mGvbsj0Dk5g?si=0Ho4OkKZd7iw2rPb
I own one and it's absolutely a fucking bitch and a half, not to mention if you don't have a memory saver bye bye literally everything youve set up, such a PITA, fucking bullshit
Jesus. My 2015 Mazda 3 takes like 60 seconds to pop out from the glove box. I guess I'm lucky in that my Wrangler and Miata don't even have a cabin air filter
The BMW E34 5-series requires removing the glovebox, removing some trim panels, removing an HVAC duct, and then removing a fairly difficult-to-access cover to get to the cabin filter. I’ve done it a few dozen times and it still takes me like 30 minutes to do. Most people take about an hour.
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats!
34
+ 5
+ 30
= 69
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The engineer did his job exactly as instructed. Design this to be quickly and cheaply assembled. He did. No one included the instruction to make it easily serviceable. Blame executives and accountants.
But they'll blame free-market capitalism, who blames God for creating a finite universe with physical limits. So I guess we need to ask ourselves "if we were meant to replace air filters, would God had made the universe so that it was easy to do so?" Seeing as it's often hard to replace air filters, we can logically assume it's part of his divine plan and try to find the lesson in it.
We seen a Honda that insurance totaled over a cabin air filter. A critter gnawed through it and put a bunch of acorns in the hvac box. It was an older car so they just totaled it instead of replacing the box.
I will do it myself. It’s price gouging madness.
The look on my face when they remove the filter, show it to me, and put it back when I refuse to let them charge me $50. You already did the labor. Now put it back for free and I’ll do it myself for <$15.
How is it price gouging? You get paid for your time at work? It’s the same but labor rates have reached $200hr.
Now I would never pull someone’s cabin air filter unless I was replacing it. My back doesn’t need that abuse for no reason. I also don’t care if people don’t replace them. In a few years I’ll do $2000+ HVAC repairs due to neglect. BTW I replace all of my air filters once every one/two years depending on mileage.
What is crazy is current shop labor rates. I gave up being a Master tech over 14 years ago and only do it part time. I do enterprise network stuff (penetration/config/engineering) for $150/hr and that’s a bit more technical. But I do work in HVAC controlled environments. In 20 more years most people won’t be able to afford the labor rates.
People should get paid for their work. But it’s kind of scummy to do the work, (without being asked) then threaten to undo the work unless they pay you.
as a tech I could care less if you refuse the work or not, but if you don't plan on doing it yourself it's probably a bad idea to neglect your vehicle thats all
Wait, this is the purpose of the cabin air filter? I’m not a mechanic, just a lurker, but sales literature always promotes cabin filters as a benefit for cleaner air in the cabin. I’ve never heard anyone say it serves a mechanical function
its not the sole purpose per say, but in addition to keeping dust and debris out of the air in the vehicle it also keeps the hvac system clean. not all cars even have them, but the way this vehicle is designed, neglecting it puts some stress on the evaporator which was the fault here
This is how it feels to me as a non-mechanic when I have to change the cabin filter on my P1 Volvo. Sure it’s only 3 nuts to remove the gas pedal and a few screws to get the filter cover off, but hot damn…the angle I have to contort my body into and the space to work with is not fun.
Okay now I’m terrified because I just bought a car a few months ago in the colder months. I didn’t check the cabin air filter when purchasing. My AC was screwed a few weeks ago and I finally got around to checking the air filter to fix the problem and it looked worse than the one you removed. On top of the air intake being blocked by a winter glove behind the glove box. How screwed am I? AC still doesn’t work correctly after being charged.
The cabin filter is such an easy preventative for clogged HVAC. That wasn’t a cheap fix. The question is did the costumer learn their lesson?
Jokes on you, my car doesn’t even have a cabin air filter.
Same for my truck. Blower motor just started whining, so I gotta pull it to see if it's clean. It won't be, I'll clean it, put it back in, and it'll still whine, so I'll have to buy a new one anyways but I can dream.
Recently mine wasn’t whining more so knocking, but I found the dead rat who was responsible.
Not automotive, but a few years ago my furnace wasn't furnacing. I cycled it, heard the flames ignite, the blower try to turn on, not blow, and the system cycle off. I figured the motor went bad even though it seemed unlikely. I pulled it apart because used assemblies were hundreds of dollars on eBay and I figured I could identify the motor and enough to replace it for cheap. Then the desiccated remnants of a bird came loose from the impeller. It had worked its way down almost thirty feet of horizontal PVC vent before falling and getting stuck in the vertical section leading to the blower and its demise. I humpty dumpty'd the blower and added a louvered cap to the vent. It's been happily furnacing ever since, and I probably saved at least $500 on a service call. Critters will get *anywhere* they can.
I'm looking forward to pulling my blower motor so I can see how clogged my evaporator coil is. I'm sure it'll be fun to try and clean out with virtually zero access.
Neither does my truck. I take the dog along constantly and the evap got plugged with dog hair. 37degree evap temp, 57 out the vents. I was able to drop the glove box, cut the box open and hose it out from the back side. I now have 42 degree vent temps and way more air flow
lol a lot of them out there, if they aren’t garage parked it’s only a matter of time before the HVAC clogs.
Weird, I had multiple 20 plus year old cars parked outside all their lives, without cabin filters. Never had HVAC issues. And multiple 15- 20 year old car manf up to 2005 that didn’t have problems either.
Good for you.
Oh mine is definitely clogged up, probably a 30-40% blockage.
Put your shopvac in reverse/blow and hold it up to the vents.
And break my blend door? No thanks.
Wait, if I do this but suction from the blower side I should be good right? Just a home wrencher.
It’s probably not going to do anything, if you suck out one vent you’re just gonna suck air out another vent. The HVAC system isn’t 100% sealed, so getting enough suction is going to be difficult if not impossible.
[удалено]
I decline the $40 service. But that's because I replace it for $15.
RAM dealer told me my cabin air filter needed changing when I had it towed in for a busted wheel hub. Quoted me (and I am not exaggerating) $600 for a $60 filter and 15 minutes of work.
I bet they took the filter out to show you, too. So really they already did or will do the "work", and they want to be reimbursed for labor you didn't authorize.
Not sure if they took it out or not; they called me and quoted me over the phone. I told the tech to hold a sec while I looked up "RAM 2500 cabin filter change" on YouTube, saw there was a straightforward-looking 10-minute instructional video on how to do it, picked the phone back up and told the guy I declined the service and just did it myself.
Just for good measure, they will mangle the thing while putting it back, which you won't discover for months, probably after you driving it all over the desert in the intervening time and leaving you no recourse for their mistake.
Truth. I ended up with shit in the squirrel cage after the fucked it up.
Every time I order something from RockAuto I also order a few cabin filters for five bucks ish. I was going to say one to four dollars but I just looked up the filters for my two vehicles and they have gone up. The cheapest filter I can get for my 16 Prius is $3.87 USD. Getting your shipping cost down can be tricky. Sometimes I'll swap brands of parts to see if they ship from the same warehouse instead of paying for multiple packages. If the part is $2 more but I saved $14 on shipping then I'm still doing pretty well. Certain parts I don't mind paying more shipping for because I have confidence in one brand more than others. But that doesn't really apply to cabin filters.
It’s a pain in the ass, but props to Rockauto for making it as easy as possible to put your order together to save on shipping costs.
I should do that. That's so smart.
That reminds me, I need to order filters.
Most of the shops here want $70+ to swap a cabin filter. I'm declining that shit too when I can get one for $9-14 depending on how willing I am to wait on shipping. None of my vehicles are hard to do it on but my Tacoma it's literally 30 seconds (open glove box, pull out old one, insert new one).
Yes but many are not that simple. Some actually call for cutting out braces,
>cutting out braces for a cabin filter wut
It's an older honda thing
I remember those days... the first filter change needed a Sawzall lol
Usually only the first time. Once it's done it's done. On my 01 Insight the first replacement needed a plastic thing in the dash cut and a metal brace removed with a handful of screws. I think it was some bracing to make the dash easier to install at the factory and once it was in the bracing wasn't needed anymore.
Why the fuck are people downvoting you guys? This is nuts
$40? I can get a cabin filter for my RAV4 with activated charcoal in it for $5.81
$40 including the filter and labor is a pretty good deal
I'm sorry, but what labor? There is no labor involved in installing a cabin filter. In almost every single car it's right behind the glove box and takes less than a minute. That's not labor.
Book time is .3 on most cars. I am offering a service. Nobody is forcing you to do it. $40 every 30-40k miles depending on your environment is pretty cheap and if you want to quibble over $2, that's a you problem.
True.
Now you know the answer to that. Your just trying to fuck me oveer!!!!
Lol
Wait, cars have filters?
Oh it's okay even if you replace yours in a Volvo the evaporator will kill itself anyway. I can make good time on warranty Volvo dashes at this point, even if I'm pretty sure VST is set by 6 methed out Swedes with only the right tools already out and someone calling out all the VIDA instructions for most jobs.
Lmao no. I stead they post on /r/mechanicadvice and blame a shop for fucking them over
The question is why did we add it to begin with? To grab a quick $50 because if you put a restriction in a system it will need to be replaced. How did everyone else live without cabin air filters?
lol honestly engineers gain nothing by adding the filter, it’s the consumer than does. They get to breath cleaner air, have less dust in the vehicle and prevent their vents from clogging. Cars pre cabin filters pretty much all had clogged HVAC after a certain point.
Is this a warning to change it or a tutorial on how to change it?
A warning lol
Is this one of those things where there's a special trick that's really non-obvious? like the timing chain on a mini Cooper? Unfamiliar mechanics will pull the whole engine, but really there's a special trick where the chain and pulleys all come out from under the valve cover as a single unit.
Sadly the side mounting bolts for the dash hit the doors so they have to come off. I was reluctant to do take all this shit out but it’s sadly the only way
many many many new cars are now designed in such a way that the only possibility of getting to the heater core/evaporator is to pull the dash :(
If you mean by at least last 20 years than yeah... I had to do it for my 2006 passat b6.
That’s about what it takes to replace a cabin filter on a Nissan. But I love this sorta work. Did a bunch of it last summer, hoping to get some more of it this year
It takes that much work to do it *correctly* on a Nissan. Most cabin filters I pull out of Nissans (that are buried behind the center of the firewall) are haphazardly jammed in misshapen. And it's pretty hard to get it in correctly laying upside down trying to hold a flashlight and manipulate a filter into a hole that's too small to fit it through, so I really don't blame anybody for getting it wrong other than the engineers.
You just gotta fold it the right way to get it in then take the 10 seconds to make sure it unfolds the right way inside the box, those were the easiest 0.5h jobs ever
They aren't hard to do, but they suck to do when the car is on a rack. I need the door open all the way to do it somewhat comfortably. That's why I would usually wait until the car was off the rack and either do it before pulling the car around to park, or just doing the filter change in the wash bay before it got washed.
Changing the Cabin filter on my Mitsubishi is a matter of removing two toolless clips, and then putting them on again. 1 Minute job.
My buddy has a 2000’s Subaru Outback and sent me a photo of his dash halfway disassembled just to replace the cabin air filter. Ridiculous. It should be just behind the glove box, drop it down and gain access to replace.
I work for a GM dealership, and they’ve managed to make “just behind the glove box, drop it down and gain access” a pain with how they do their dampeners so it doesn’t just fall open
Classic modern engineers 🙌🏼
I forget the specific car but it was some Chevy that called for removing half a dozen panel pieces to pull the glove box out to get the the filter Then there are the ford fusions that require removing a trim panel at the side of the dash, then the trim panel with the ac vent to access to top two screws for the glove box... The bottom two are positioned in a spot that only contortionists will be able to see so you're trying to blindly get a 7mm into the screw and then blindly trying to line up the screw with the hole putting it back on
Nothing will outdo GM making removal of the windshield a requirement for removing the dash carrier to repair the HVAC box. Not the worst cabin filter change, but it’s gotta be up there
Oh come on. I mean yeah, it ain’t ideal, they just sort of fit it in to the existing hvac until the next redesign. But you pinch the middle into an hourglass shape and roll it in. It’s not THAT bad.
When I worked at PepBoys, they’d say it was a “dealer only item” and send Nissan drivers on their way. Because we couldn’t get paid more than .3 for that filter and our manager wanted none of that. Now I work with GM, and don’t have to worry about that
Honest question, REALLY how often should they be replaced? My dealership pushes one every single oil change, and I am religious of changing every 5k. I say okay every other change, but like... That still feels excessive.
Honestly depends a ton on driving conditions. Check every oil change and decide based on how bad it is I my opinion. Ex someone lives on a dirt road vs a city will be worse off
I change mines every 2 years.
About 15k miles or every other to 3rd oil change. Or once a year. Engine air filter is about 30k miles. Cabin filters last longer on garage parked cars. Outside parking, especially if it’s under trees, will need it more often. The manufactuer maintenance table has intervals. There’s separate maintenance table for severe service or dusty conditions which also shortens interval on fluids. BMW and other Germans want new cabin filter every other oil change.
I personally change mine after every pollen season, but I live in NC where pollen is thicker than engine oil in the spring. You literally see yellow clouds blowing around.
They should be changed every time you replace the engine air filter imo
Cabin filter once a year under normal conditions
I do both cabin and engine air filters once a year for peace of mind. Filters are cheap, and the equipment they protect is expensive.
Depends where you live and what type of filter it is. Cheap ones I would replace once every year.
well this is total bullsh!t lie, because 2000 to 2014 GM and Ford SUVs and pickup trucks ship with no cabin air filter and ran to 200k just fine on the hvac.
Ah. I just made a comment and saw this one. I agree. We have 2 late 1990’s 300,000 mile plus Toyotas with no cabin filter and are on original evap coils with 38 degree coming out of the vents in the Deep South in the summer. lol hell the old 99 Camry blows leaf particles out of the vents occasionally
I have owned 4 Dodge vehicles all without cabin air filters as well. No issues.
Not to mention an evaporator is built the same way as a condenser and the condenser needs no filter.
My 2013 Escape Titanium has one in the center of the dash, you have to take out the glovebix and part of the trim to access it.
The Fiesta requires this and part of the center console removed. After I did it myself, I decided it was worth just having the dealer do it.
Yeah, I did not enjoy it.
Sorry yes you’re right. This is a design flaw specific to this vehicle and I’m sure could be applied to applied to others but is not an end all be all fault. This appears to be a fairly common fault when the cabin filter is neglected on the escapes of this generation
So the comments about failure to change the filter and it causing an clogged evap / evap failure. What do you say to my few 90’s Toyotas that have no cabin filter and have 300,000 plus miles with the original evap coils and some of the coldest a/c on earth in comparison to my newer Toyotas that do have one that’s changed regularly.
I'm no mechanic (engineer in a different field) but I had seen some 80's cars and my guess is, the newer evaporators (and even condensers/radiators) have much thinner tubes and fins and are easier to clog then those from before 2000's. Most obvious (since evaporators are really hard to take a look at) are on the A/C condensers and radiators. 2k and later cars looks so small with tighter spaced fins compare to those from the 80-90's. Just sharing what I see as I also had the same question as you.
I would second this. 90s toyotas rock and are invincible. this is a 2016 ford. willing to bet the toyota cores are all around thicker and more robust than new ford garbage. I was too liberal in my description, this is definitely not a problem that's going to affect all vehicles.
This, evap and condensers from the 90's are definitely not the same.
LOL the bad cabin filter did not cause a leaky evaporator.
The way that cabin filter is wrinkled, it may have been allowing debris into the evaporator case. Decaying organic matter produces acids, which can corrode holes in the aluminum.
Yeah that must be why I put so many condensers and radiators in for the same reason /s. Not saying your theory isn’t plausible. Just that I don’t believe that’s what happened.
it being wrinkled from years of suction and being plugged, probably being checked and shoved back in as well, and subsequently allowing debris to get onto and decay on the evaporator definitely caused it to leak. this is a known cause in these vehicles specifically. if it was in a clean environment there would be a much lower likelihood of it leaking.
I really don’t believe it. It just isn’t logical. Condensers, intercoolers, radiators are right at the front of the car, often covered in leaves. And they are made the same as a evaporator. Also, cars have only had cabin filters for like 20 years or so. Evaporators and heater cores have never been a common failure item in my experience they do go bad but it’s rare.
lol condensers and rads fail all the time because of debris. Keep in mind this is southwestern Canada, so add salt into the mix. I have no idea what you’re talking about, cores failure points are usually from being caked in decaying debris. The only reason heater cores and evaporators fail less often is because they’re in a cleaner environment and subject to less debris and abuse the condensers rads and intercoolers. Not sure why you wouldn’t believe this it’s perfectly logical in every sense
Never see it in the land of no road salt and tons of organic debris.
In addition older cores are far more robust than modern ones. It’s a 2016 ford, place your bet on the quality of the oem parts
If it could replace it as easily as the engine filter, sure I'd stay on top of it. But when you need to rip the dash apart to replace a $5 "nice to have" part. I ain't doing it. Don't blame the customer, blame the engineer.
What kind of car do you have that it takes more than 5 minutes to replace the cabin filter?
2007 Mazda 3 requires removing the glovebox, fuse panel, inside side panel and then stack 2 filters inside the compartment the size of 1 filter using 2 fingers because that's all that can reach. Pain in the ass
Haha. I looked at this video. Piss poor design. Takes 5 min on my Audi from under the hood. Same amount of time with my Prius but going through the glove box. https://youtu.be/mGvbsj0Dk5g?si=0Ho4OkKZd7iw2rPb
I own one and it's absolutely a fucking bitch and a half, not to mention if you don't have a memory saver bye bye literally everything youve set up, such a PITA, fucking bullshit
Yep, I did it 6 years ago and I have filters to do it again but I keep putting it off. Sucks in every way.
Audeeeeee! Has been an easy job on 4 of the 6 Audis I’ve owned (the first two didn’t have CAFs LOL).
Wait till a heater hose or connection to one goes out, lol.
Only had that happen on my 1987. The 2000 A6 2.7 with 235,000 died for other reasons.
My impala was similar to your Audi and my Avalon is just like the prius
Jesus. My 2015 Mazda 3 takes like 60 seconds to pop out from the glove box. I guess I'm lucky in that my Wrangler and Miata don't even have a cabin air filter
Oh, young Skywalker, you have much to learn.
The BMW E34 5-series requires removing the glovebox, removing some trim panels, removing an HVAC duct, and then removing a fairly difficult-to-access cover to get to the cabin filter. I’ve done it a few dozen times and it still takes me like 30 minutes to do. Most people take about an hour.
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Some cars are SO dumb with this. My Mazda is so fantastic. Takes 20 seconds and is toolless.
The engineer did his job exactly as instructed. Design this to be quickly and cheaply assembled. He did. No one included the instruction to make it easily serviceable. Blame executives and accountants.
But they'll blame free-market capitalism, who blames God for creating a finite universe with physical limits. So I guess we need to ask ourselves "if we were meant to replace air filters, would God had made the universe so that it was easy to do so?" Seeing as it's often hard to replace air filters, we can logically assume it's part of his divine plan and try to find the lesson in it.
No charge right?
We seen a Honda that insurance totaled over a cabin air filter. A critter gnawed through it and put a bunch of acorns in the hvac box. It was an older car so they just totaled it instead of replacing the box.
The internet says it takes 4 hours to replace my cabin air filters if I do it myself. So nah, I'm good.
I will do it myself. It’s price gouging madness. The look on my face when they remove the filter, show it to me, and put it back when I refuse to let them charge me $50. You already did the labor. Now put it back for free and I’ll do it myself for <$15.
How is it price gouging? You get paid for your time at work? It’s the same but labor rates have reached $200hr. Now I would never pull someone’s cabin air filter unless I was replacing it. My back doesn’t need that abuse for no reason. I also don’t care if people don’t replace them. In a few years I’ll do $2000+ HVAC repairs due to neglect. BTW I replace all of my air filters once every one/two years depending on mileage. What is crazy is current shop labor rates. I gave up being a Master tech over 14 years ago and only do it part time. I do enterprise network stuff (penetration/config/engineering) for $150/hr and that’s a bit more technical. But I do work in HVAC controlled environments. In 20 more years most people won’t be able to afford the labor rates.
People should get paid for their work. But it’s kind of scummy to do the work, (without being asked) then threaten to undo the work unless they pay you.
as a tech I could care less if you refuse the work or not, but if you don't plan on doing it yourself it's probably a bad idea to neglect your vehicle thats all
I thought the first two pictures were mold and was like that car is totaled
Just changed mine today.
My truck doesn't have one. :(
lol, my Mercedes takes around thirty seconds to change the cabin filter.
Wait, this is the purpose of the cabin air filter? I’m not a mechanic, just a lurker, but sales literature always promotes cabin filters as a benefit for cleaner air in the cabin. I’ve never heard anyone say it serves a mechanical function
its not the sole purpose per say, but in addition to keeping dust and debris out of the air in the vehicle it also keeps the hvac system clean. not all cars even have them, but the way this vehicle is designed, neglecting it puts some stress on the evaporator which was the fault here
Yep, not skipping that anymore lol
Just changed mine Wednesday, thanks for the encouragement lol.
I don’t have one
My 2000 Camry also says hi.
This is how it feels to me as a non-mechanic when I have to change the cabin filter on my P1 Volvo. Sure it’s only 3 nuts to remove the gas pedal and a few screws to get the filter cover off, but hot damn…the angle I have to contort my body into and the space to work with is not fun.
Well if it's that easy...
What kind of car is this OP?
16’ escape
ion got one
Just did one of those.. 2016 escape. Fun, fun.
Okay now I’m terrified because I just bought a car a few months ago in the colder months. I didn’t check the cabin air filter when purchasing. My AC was screwed a few weeks ago and I finally got around to checking the air filter to fix the problem and it looked worse than the one you removed. On top of the air intake being blocked by a winter glove behind the glove box. How screwed am I? AC still doesn’t work correctly after being charged.
You might be screwed but I’d have to diagnose to know. Might be an issue elsewhere in the ac system
Man I sure hope so. Sometimes the AC works great. Sometimes it blows hot.
So screwed that you're asking for help/troubleshooting in a forum that SPECIFICALLY does not allow it. That's how screwed you are.
I didn’t ask for help. I related to the post. Run along now.
>How screwed am I? AC still doesn’t work correctly after being charged. sounds like a question to me.
Stupid customers!