Cabin air filter, how often to replace

I have washed and dried mine about three times now and it still looks like it can properly filter the air. I suppose once it gets holes it will be time to replace. All that ever makes it into my filter is a little dust and tire black. Carefully remove the filter element from the frame, spray with your choice of detergent, rinse in the reverse flow direction, dry and replace. Quick and easy.

 

There is no specific mileage interval. It depends a lot on air pollution and debris where you drive. All highway, probably less, dirt roads, more. It is very simple to remove and check or replace. It's located behind the glove box. Just open and disconnect the glove box hinges, pressing inward and drop glove box down to unsnap.
I just check mine before every 5,000 mile oil change.
If it's got a lot of pollen and seeds, dust, road grime, I change it. Springtime, mine gets dirty faster because of this, but I keep my recirculate air on all the time. Keeps smells and pollen, etc. out.
I just keep a new one in my trunk.
Same with engine air filter.

 

The maintenance manual suggests replacing the cabin air filter at 30K mile intervals. Your actual change interval will depend upon how nasty the air is in your area. For example if you live in southern CA you will probably need to change the filter more than if you live in an area with pristine air.

 

I would look at it at 12k, $9 at Walmart

 

i waited until 30,000 on my first prius and was amazed at how much tree litter got sucked into the filter. now i check it every 10,000 and clean/replace as necessary.

 

I check mine about once a month. Most of the time there is a small amount of debris on the top side of the filter. I will take low pressure air and blow it off from the underside.

I will typically change mine around the 30k mile mark like the manual recommends.

 

I just had my first service (bought used) at 22,000km or about 12,200 miles. 2017 Prius V. Air filter changed. Old one left in the car. It was a very light grey in colour, no debris. I had one put in my Volvo years ago and took the old one to another mechanic. He described that one as perfectly functional. The old one from the Prius is cleaner than that one was. $33 for replacement. Age might suggest doing it but condition says don’t. Just saw a how to video on how to do it in 3 minutes. Lesson learned. 12k miles remember. Brakes needed servicing as well - light rust on them that was brushed off. $175. I had a great relationship with my Volvo dealer that included very frank discussions about needs vs being on the list. That restored my faith in dealers. Seems that’s now been undone a bit. Next time, my discussion will be much longer.

I absolutely love the car. It’s bright red. Oh yea!

 

I would probably just go by the manual.
But the important thing is....this is something I would say EVERYONE has to DIY.
Do NOT let the dealership soak you for the cost of replacement and the "cough" labor of replacing it. Typically they will charge way, way too much for what is a simple, user designed action.

You can get cabin air filters for relatively cheap, either at your local auto parts shop OR online. And changing them is EASY. If you have any qualms look up any of the youtube tutorials on doing it...then check out 20-25 funny cat videos.

So my advice is....follow the manual recommendation. If you feel you should or just want to do so? Fine...at any time, just DIY and it shouldn't cost too much.

 

You have to keep the dealership service departments on a VERY short leash. They follow the Toyota maintenance to the letter, and that can really backfire with the cabin (and engine) filters.

We're at 84K kms (52.5K miles), and I've yet to change either filter. And yeah, there's no way I would pay someone to do this.

Toyota Canada service interval for full inspection of the brakes is 32K kms or 24 months. For a few years there, they published a very nice graph format schedule. Now they've gone to just showing it online, event by event, which stinks.

Anyway, I've attached an excerpt from the Canadian 2014 Prius Owner's Manual Supplement (Prius v should hopefully be the same), which is a good guideline. Note too the brake fluid replacement interval, directly below.

FWIW, I'm very low miles, and use 48K kms or 36 months, for brake inspection interval. This matches the US schedule.

 

As said, it depends. Before I screened off access, I rarely went more than a few months before needing to replace the cabin filter, thanks to the local mice deciding it was a nice crash pad.

I have found Rock Auto to have rock bottom prices, even on the DENSO brand, though I buy TYC. However, Rock Auto does charge for shipping -- usually around $6-9. You can save a buck or two if you ship it to a business address vs. a home address. Also, lots of 5 percent Rock Auto discount codes bouncing around.

Now that the mice have been evicted, I am replacing about every 9 months or so. About once a month I pull the filter and blow it out. Kris

TOYOTA > 2008 > PRIUS > 1.5L L4 ELECTRIC/GAS > Heat & Air Conditioning > Cabin Air Filter
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