Cabin + motor air filter for $14.55 ebay???

The seller happens to have a LOT of positive feedback selling similar items. I quickly looked through the first couple of pages and didn't see mention of a Prius customer or what type of filters they might be, but heck, just a cabin filter alone is typically going to be $20+ anyway. I paid $30 for the last one at Napa. So even if the engine air filter wasn't any good, it's probably still worth the cost. Heck, I'm going to go ahead and buy a pair of filters--we need a cabin filter anyway! Thanks for the link.

 

I did the same after seeing what they cost at the local stores.

You can buy BOTH for less than the price of one, and trust me when I say both are of the exact same quality as what you'll find in the stores.

One of the online eBay sellers was actually selling the same filters that the local Auto Parts store was.

This is a great way to save money without giving anything up in quality etc...

 

I have bought all of my wipers on ebay new from brands such as rainx and bosch at half the price (after shipping) of the local stores. I would buy from a locally owned shop if there was one, but we have only Autozone.

I also bought headlights for our Element on Ebay with mixed results. The price was ONE THIRD local so I still did ok. I again also bought only new brand name bulbs (Sylvania) but two different sets from two different sellers but they died fast. Where they fake or are they just crap? I was VERY careful on the install.

 

I just put in these for a total of $25.83:

Amazon.com: FRAM CA10159 Rigid Panel Air Filter: Automotive

Amazon.com: FRAM CF9846A Fresh Breeze Cabin Air Filter for select Mazda/ Mitsubishi/ Toyota models: Automotive

I'll note that the cabin air filter doesn't look like what's pictured. It's a perfect drop in replacement for what's in the GenII tray. Actually a bit more substantial construction.

- D

 

I got my cabin filter in store from Napa for $15. Not a better deal overall than the eBay deal, but it's not over $20, at least in southern cal.

 

Wiper Blades

I've been buying Prius wiper blades (rubber refill only) from the dealership. All three total about $15. You have to have the factory arms for them to fit.

Originally, I had looked at NAPA, etc for refills, but all they sell now are full wiper blade sets at something like $15 each.

 

Re: Wiper Blades

Thanks for this info. I bought some Trico refills at Advance Auto that were listed for the 2010 Prius. When I installed them the ends of the blades were not touching the windshield. I went back and looked at the original rubber blades and they have a preset bend in them. I had to clean and re-install the original ones.

The next time I am by the dealership I will stop and get some refill replacements.

 

Re: Wiper Blades

I believe he was reffering to rubber refills, not the entire blade. They are just the rubber and thing stainless metal strips trhat slip into the blade.

Here is an example.
Anco 19-19 - Narrow Metal Wiper Refills | O'Reilly Auto Parts
It works out best if you take your blades in the store to be sure you get the right width and length on the refills. Some refills only come in along length and are made to be trimmed to fit shorter blades. I have used those with good results.

I've used factory blades and arms over 15 years by refilling the blades. After the arms and blades get ugly in a few years, you can paint them while you have them off to change the rubber.

If you live where there is a lot of salt you might need to replace them more often, but replacing blades and arms every time $2 worth of rubber goes bad is a suckers game.

The auto parts stores in my podunk small town carry refills so you should be able to find them.

 

Did you touch the glass with your fingers.

 

There is no way for the average consumer to tell if an engine air filter is good until until it has done some level of damage. Crappy engine air filters can make the difference between a 300k mile engine and a 100k mile engine.

There are too many good brand name engine air filters at reasonable process to mess around with brand-x stuff. There are lots of good places to save money by bottom feeding, but engine air filters isn't one of them.

 

Re: Wiper Blades

I am talking about the rubber refills also and not the blades. I ended up taking mine in Advance Auto because the refills listed in the computer were too narrow. We had to go with the next size, 8mm width instead of the 7 mm listed in the computer.

When I replaced the rubber with the new Trico refills, the ends of the blades were not touching the windshield. I went back and looked at the original rubber pieces and the metal strips in the rubber have a preset bend to them, shaping the rubber strips to the windshields. The next time you remove the Prius rubber piece, take a look at the preset bend in it.

I agree with you completely that replacing the entire blade assembly when only the rubber piece needs replacing is a waste of money. I have been doing this for years and continue to do this on my wife's Honda Accord.

This is the first car that I have owned where the standard refill rubber pieces did not work.

 

Re: Wiper Blades

I just took the drivers blade off my Gen III and took the rubber piece out. Thanks for the heads up. My plan for next year or whenever I need new blade rubber is to reuse the pre-bent srips from the factory rubber or bend the replacement strips to match the factory strips. I also now know to buy replacement rubber with metal strips, not plastic. Thanks:rockon:

In the past, I have also had a problem with the blade gripping the insert too tightly and not allowing the blade to contour to the glass. Sounds like your problem was the curvature but the insert fit in the blade is something else to keep an eye on.

 

Re: Wiper Blades

Yes, I have had problems in the past with the blade gripping the insert too tightly also. This was not the case with the Prius blade. It was definitely the curvature.