How Often to Change Cabin Air Filter

If you want to keep your cabin fresh as you drive in the Tampa area, you should change your cabin air filter every 15,000 miles as suggested by most industry experts and manufacturers. While this is a good rule of thumb, you should always take a look at your owner’s manual to find out the exact recommendation for your Toyota vehicle! Learn more from the service center at Wesley Chapel Toyota, including what a cabin air filter does and what is the cabin air filter cost, below.

What Does a Cabin Air Filter Do?

A cabin air filter cleans the air that passes through the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in your vehicle. It works to keep dirt, dust, pollen, and other contaminants from getting inside the cabin, so you can be comfortable on the Lakeland roads. However, as time passes, the cabin air filter will clog or become less effective, so you will need to change it to maintain high air quality inside your car. 

How Do I Know When to Change a Cabin Air Filter?

Depending on where you live or where you drive your car in, how often to change your cabin air filter may be more frequent. For example, living in a city with poor air quality or lots of construction or often driving in the desert or on dirt roads (including off-road driving), you may need to change your filter more often. Some telltale signs to know when it’s time for a cabin air filter replacement include: 

• Reduced airflow when climate control systems are on
• Lingering unpleasant odors in the cabin 
• Increasing dust settling on vehicle surfaces

Tips on How To Change a Cabin Air Filter

When it is time to swap out the old cabin air filter for a new one, you can easily do it yourself if you’d like! Follow these steps below: 

1. Use your owner’s manual to see where the cabin air filter is located. This will determine how difficult or easy it is to replace the cabin air filter at your St. Pete garage.
2. Often, the cabin air filter is behind the glove box or under the hood, which should be fairly accessible, but in some models, it’s under the dashboard, which is more difficult to reach.
3. Once you’ve located it and decide if you can change it yourself, gear up by wearing gloves and a mask in case removing the dirty air filter gets messy. 
4. Place the old filter in a garbage bag, and replace it with a genuine OEM part to ensure quality, durability, and fit, and to maintain the Toyota warranty.

You can easily get your hands on a genuine cabin air filter from Wesley Chapel Toyota while enjoying our parts special. If you decide you’d rather a professional replace the filter for you, schedule an appointment online and we will take care of the rest of it for you! 

How Much Does Changing a Cabin Air Filter Cost?

Depending on your model, the new cabin air filter cost ranges anywhere between $30 and $70. If your vehicle is still under warranty, some costs may be covered when you go to an authorized service center. 

Learn More Car Maintenance from Wesley Chapel Toyota 

Now that you know how often to change cabin air filters and what a cabin air filter does exactly, feel free to contact us with any questions! Wondering how often you should do other car maintenances? Take a look at the recommended frequency for your car battery and tire rotations!