Cabin Air Filter

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s American Driving Survey found that in 2021, U.S. drivers spent an average of 61.3 minutes driving each day. Depending on your routine, you might drive even more. 

Regardless of the time you spend in your vehicle, you want to breathe in fresh, pollutant-free air. Your vehicle’s cabin air filter is responsible for air quality improvement. It filters out dust, pollutants, pollen, and other harmful airborne particles, preventing them from seeping into your vehicle’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. 

If your vehicle’s air filter is no longer working properly, you must replace it immediately to ensure you and your passengers can continue to breathe easily. This means you must know when a replacement is due so you can seek a professional filter replacement from Diamond Automotive Center

How Cabin Air Filters Function

Every time you drive, your vehicle encounters different air pollutants. Pollutants can be particulate matter from dusty roads and construction sites, exhaust fumes from other vehicles, or exhaust from nearby manufacturing plants. 

When you turn on your vehicle's HVAC system and select fresh-air mode, the HVAC’s blow motor pulls fresh air from outside of the car. Remember, the fresh air may contain the air pollutants mentioned above. Then, the system directs the air to the cabin air filter in the heater box. 

Once the air is in the heater box, the cabin air filter gets to work and removes all the contaminants. It then passes the cleaned air to the other HVAC components that cool the inside of your vehicle.

Benefits of Cabin Air Filters

Cabin air filters provide benefits for both you and your vehicle.

Respiratory Health Benefits

By filtering harmful particles such as pollen, dust, and other airborne allergens, cabin air filters protect you and your passengers from many things that can trigger respiratory responses. This is particularly important if you or any of your passengers live with allergies that can cause respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. 

Air Quality Improvement

Clean air inside your vehicle substantially enhances your driving experience, especially under bad conditions such as dusty roads and heavily populated cities. When your cabin air filter is functioning optimally, you’ll enjoy clean air regardless of the road, weather, or locations you drive in.

HVAC System Maintenance

A well-functioning cabin air filter makes HVAC system maintenance easier because it protects all of the HVAC components by preventing dust and debris buildup. The filter ensures only clean air gets to your HVAC system. This means your HVAC system will operate efficiently with minor wear and tear and require less maintenance over time. 

When Should You Replace Your Cabin Air Filter?

Most automotive experts recommend replacing your air filter every 12,000 to 15,000 miles (19,000 to 24,000 kilometers) or once a year, whichever comes first. You can also check your manual to find the recommendation for your specific vehicle. However, these are general guidelines, so you may have to replace your filter sooner if you observe any of the following signs: 

• You hear more noise than usual or a whistling sound when you are using the air conditioner or heater.
• The air coming from your vents smells unpleasant.
• There isn’t a lot of air coming out of the vents, even when you have the heat/air set to high.

If you observe any of the above signs, bring your vehicle to Diamond Automotive Center to have a qualified technician inspect it. 

Diamond Automotive Center Your Trusted Cabin Air Filter Replacement Partner

With plenty of experience servicing, repairing, and maintaining all types of vehicles, we have earned our reputation as 's most reliable auto garage. When you bring your vehicle in for cabin air filter replacement service at Diamond Automotive Center, our keen-eyed mechanics will troubleshoot your cabin air filter and find a quality OEM replacement filter specially designed for your vehicle. 

The beauty of seeking professional filter replacement from us is the peace of mind from knowing you’ll get top-quality filters and service. You won't have to fuss over whether you should get OEM cabin air filters, aftermarket filter options, or particulate filters over activated charcoal filters — it’s our job to worry about that. 

Our staff ensures you stay up to date with the progress of your vehicle's cabin air filter replacement and informs you if further repairs are necessary. Request our services at  (406) 256-3970 today. We offer cabin air replacement services with minimum disruption to your packed schedule.