Washable cabin filter?

thafaz · Post by **thafaz** » 13 Sep 2010, 13:54

Hello all,

Proud owner of a 1998 V70 2.4L auto, 197km. Just replaced the cabin filter; $30!!!

Is there a commercially available washable cabin filter? Or is this something I have to make myself?

Faz

Post by **thecheat** » 13 Sep 2010, 16:54

I bought a purolater from Pep Boys for $17, but i had to coerce it into fitting and making a good seal.

Post by **E Showell** » 16 Sep 2010, 05:51

Not aware of a washable, but a non-carbon shouldn't run you more than about $12-15 and a carbon filter from a discounter should be about $22. Change every 15K mi.

NoMechanic · Post by **NoMechanic** » 16 Sep 2010, 06:58

Ignorant on the subject... I have not replaced mine in about 45,000. I thought it just filtered the air. We are not smokers and live in a rural area - is this an important maintenance item?

Post by **E Showell** » 16 Sep 2010, 07:11

Yep -- Pretty important. I am advised (but have no way of verifying) that failure to change this filter regularly can lead to failure of the a/c evaporator, which is a very costly repair if left to a professional and a very time consuming one if done DIY because, I believe, it involves removing the dashboard.

I believe the carbon one will filter pollen as well. If you are in a rural area and have allergy sufferers in the family, this might be an important consideration for considering the carbon filter.

Post by **jblackburn** » 16 Sep 2010, 07:20

A washable one doesn't exist that I know of - but I bet you could create a washable one yourself - they have washable indoor & shop vac filters; just dissect one of them, cut out the old filter material, and fit it to your car's filter.

There are worse things you could forget about, but changing it out every now and then could make your nose (and maybe the blower motor) happy. 15,000 miles is a bit overkill - that's about 6 months for me, but I'd probably change it about once a year - especially after all the stupid pollen everywhere in the spring.

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 16 Sep 2010, 07:48

I actually have a different theory. I think failure to change the cabin air filter is actually beneficial in prolonging the life of the AC evaporator, while not so for the blower fan unit.

My AC is still going strong after almost 11 years and a lot of use, and I think that is in part due to the fact that the cabin filter was replaced only twice in the car. The more the filter is clogged, the better it filters = the less crap gets down into the AC. I do think that this can lead to the early death of the blower fan though. My fan is making strange noises from time to time and I am thinking it's on it's last legs. But as far as I know, my AC evap has no leaks. I tried recharging it one time because I thought I needed to, but it pretty much took no 134a.