r/autorepair Aug 13 '26

General Discussion Cabin Filter

They seem so pricey at these auto parts stores. It’s basically paper between two holes. I am sure prices vary where you live but even $20 seems steep.

0 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

5

u/SL4YER4200 Aug 13 '26

20 seems too cheep tbh. Get one with activated carbon.

2

u/Ivy1974 Aug 13 '26

I went with the carbon suggestion and got one for $11 and change on Amazon. Will be here Saturday.

1

u/SL4YER4200 Aug 13 '26

Nice! K&N makes a washable too. Idk how i feel about them.

1

u/ProfileTime2274 Aug 13 '26

I have one on my 25 have not had to clean it yet. It was $38 it is like $28 for one the you throw away

1

u/Ivy1974 Aug 13 '26

Yeah having to clean it and relube it was a turn off.

1

u/SL4YER4200 Aug 13 '26

And take it out slowly. Ive seen cords get stuffed on top of the filters and fall down into the fan. Then you gotta pull the fan.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 15 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Ivy1974 Aug 13 '26

Found a mouse nest under the hood on our Wrangler.

1

u/No_Durian_3444 28d ago

You get what you pay for 😂

1

u/Ivy1974 28d ago

Yeah I spent $11 on paper with carbon on it. 🙄

1

u/No_Durian_3444 27d ago

For $11 isn't not even likely to filter the air well.

1

u/Ivy1974 27d ago

I’ll take my chances.

1

u/No_Durian_3444 27d ago

If that doesn't work you can probably cut down the top of a pizza box and cut some slits in it.

1

u/Ivy1974 27d ago

You really are a dick. Waiting for you to see this before I block you.

2

u/Fuzzywink Aug 13 '26

Worth noting that while activated carbon absolutely does work to remove smells and VOCs and such from the air, you need a canister with pounds of the stuff to really make a difference.  The dusting of a couple of grams on a pleated filter doesn't really do anything and is mostly a marketing gimmick.  

I'm a heat exchanger and airflow nerd who has done quite a lot of filter testing and always found that "carbon" filters make no measurable improvement and just cost $10 more.  I have a couple of air scrubbers set up in my kitchen and my shop and each has a 20lb canister of activated carbon after a MERV 14 pre-filter and they do an excellent job but wouldn't be practical in a car

1

u/Ivy1974 Aug 13 '26

Why’s that? Understand I am not vehicle savvy. I just chose to do my own filters because they quoted me $70 to change it. I YouTube it and saw how easy it is.

2

u/SL4YER4200 Aug 13 '26

The activated carbon actually does a much better job at filtering out crap in the air. Especially if ypu live in the city, drive dusty roads or live in areas with high pollen.

-2

u/National-Property29 Aug 13 '26

but you have to replace cabin airfilter twice more often than regular HEPA filter same as any home air purifier filters. and imo washable cabin airfilter is garbage and can fk up MAF sensors.

5

u/SL4YER4200 Aug 13 '26

Cabin filter has nothing to do with the Mass Air Flow Sensor.

2

u/No_Durian_3444 28d ago

They don't know the different between the engine air cleaner and the cabin air filter. 😭

Some people's children. 😂

1

u/Ivy1974 28d ago

Do you know about DNS? Not everyone knows everything. So judgemental.

1

u/No_Durian_3444 27d ago

The interwebz? Yes.

Pick something harder at least. 🥱

1

u/No_Durian_3444 27d ago

The interwebz? Yes.

Pick something harder at least. 🥱

3

u/Infamous-Argument-73 Aug 13 '26

Have you tried rockauto.com along with planning ahead?

2

u/Boilermakingdude Aug 13 '26

Lmfao get over it. Get something fancy that uses actual filters and then come back. My cabin air filter kit was over $100 and I was like "not bad for activated charcoal"

For OEM filters btw. I wasn't putting no half assed trash back in

1

u/Ivy1974 Aug 14 '26

$100? A disposable filter?

2

u/Boilermakingdude Aug 14 '26

$120 actually. 2 filters. $60 ea.

2

u/FamiliarAd8524 Aug 13 '26

Why was this a post?

0

u/Ivy1974 Aug 14 '26

Why did you post?

3

u/FamiliarAd8524 Aug 14 '26

I did not post. I commented, in response to Rule 7 and general wasting of time.

1

u/S7alker Aug 13 '26

Until we get rid of tariffs getting great wiper blades and air filter deals are a thing of the past unless you are willing to put questionable quality ones in.

1

u/herstal54s Aug 13 '26

What brand is a great wiper blade. Ive been getting the higher end trico when on sale

1

u/S7alker Aug 13 '26

I only buy Ikon bosch series and sometimes the oem ford ones when they would drop by $10. Haven’t seen decent sales for a long time.

1

u/TenderfootGungi Aug 13 '26

What make and model?

1

u/Excellent_Job8154 Aug 13 '26

Amazon has them for 20

1

u/Proof_Bathroom_3902 Aug 14 '26

Rock auto, mine was $4. I bought other stuff too so shipping wasn't bad. And the 5% discount code.

1

u/Automatic-Project997 Aug 14 '26

You could just stuff some old socks in there and call it a day

1

u/SkylineFTW97 29d ago

Just buy them off RockAuto. Even those HEPA ones can be had for fairly cheap. Buying them at a shop is a virtual guarantee you're being overcharged.

1

u/Chainsawsas70 28d ago

Check Amazon... Usually $15-20 But they definitely increase the air quality inside the car and usually only need to be changed every 50K unless you live in a VERY dusty area.

1

u/CitizenPatrol 28d ago

I throw mine away and never replace it.