Why a cabin air filter?

The difference is that the better filter will filter better, and ultimately capture/hold more crap. Airflow shouldn't be much different. Last time I bought one they were about $3-4 different in price. (different vehicle)

 

Probably, but odor clearing seems to be the same to me. Either that or I'm not as sensitive as other people.

True on the manual being full of Chinglish. You mentioned testing the Plasmacluster, but we did confirm 100% recirc for the micro dust and pollen filter using our nose. Pass through a stinky area with the button in operation and the smell doesn't get in whereas we could detect the smell with normal 80% recirc.

 

I will attempt this form of testing. Although my nose may not be as sensitive as other people's.

If this turns out to be true, with actual observation of the "3 position" air director valve,,,

Toyota should have placed this switch function on the right steering wheel spoke instead of hiding it in the middle of a row of other switches.
I use my steering wheel stink switch semi-regularly and I don't have to look away from the road....

Now, how can we test for ions?

 

Charcoal doesn't really "clear odors" unless you believe marketing hype. What it does do is bind chemicals and prevent them passing through the filter. Whether the odor you're after is one of the chemical types that charcoal can bind is an open question. But it doesn't hurt, and the main point is that its a better quality filter.

 

For what it's worth, The new cabin filter I just installed in my 2010 Prius is a Wix brand(from Oreillys), that claims to be the only filter coated with a product called "Bioshield 75". The Biosheild 75 stuff is clained to trap / kill bacteria and other nastys, plus inhibit mold and mildew. filter part #24483.

I had allergy problems when in my Prius that I blamed on the Scotchguard upholstry treatment I applied. Turns out it was just the nasty musty dirty original cabin filter still in place that the dealer did not think was bad enough to replace (35,000 miles). Put in this new $10 Wix filter and the cabin air is so clean and sweet.

 

everyone is saying keep the filter because it's a mess… seems to me the filter GROWS the mess. without filter, nothing to capture moisture and get moldy… I have 94 honda, and an 80 toyota before, neither EVER got moldy and they had no filters… My Prius also stinks (smells terrible when fresh air from outside is turned on) -- and when I was shopping for used Priuses, half of them had the same terrible moldy stink. It just seems like a gadget to take people's money… and it sure works.

 

A lot of times the stink is from the drippings of the coil inside the A/C system in the cabin. I can't remember which is which... But anyway that thing gets dirty, moldy etc. Not sure about the Gen III, but on the Gen II the drain tube gets stopped up pretty easy. Once that happens, the moisture gets trapped inside and starts to stink. The solution is to clear the tube and use the kit that Toyota sells to clean the coil. IIRC, the kit also has a perfume in it. Most guys skip the perfume because it is so strong. FWIW, the smell/stink that is being referred to could be coming from that area along with the cabin filters. I do agree that a clean filter works best. On our Gen II, I regularly pulled ours out and knocked the dust/leaves/pollen out of it. I haven't done that on our 6 month old Gen III yet. But I will be doing it very soon. I really have to since I suspect it is full of limestone dust since I have been hauling a LOT of limestone inside the Prius... And yes, before the cabin filters came into play the smell that is being talked about did not seem to be a problem as long as the drains were working properly on the climate control systems and nothing was leaking. Moisture can cause all sorts of stink within a vehicle along with other particulates.

 

I can confirm that bad smells to get though on normal recirc mode. I will have to test the pollen mode.

 

I pulled out my cabin air filter at 20,000 miles and it looked like new. I use a/c a lot and it's mostly in recirc mode.

 

I live in a Chicago suburb. Because of the polluted air here, mine is dirty at about 9,000 miles. Probably depends on where you live.

 

yikes, that's scary!

 

I certainly agree with you. I keep my windows up all the time and I still get dust on my dash. Back in the days when we did not have a cabin filter I did not have any problems with the air conditioner or anything. Just a money gimmick.

 

Modern cars have this problem.

Cadillac for instance had a real issue and now uses a timer circuit where the ac blower fan continues to run for a short while after the car is shut off to dry out the E-Box.

Bottom line is you must have the e-box cleaner serviced at least once a year or the e-box drip hose may become clogged and then its a real hassle as the condensate backs up into the carpet on the passengers side and then the whole car will stink unless you pull the carpet up and fix that.
Or if your really unlucky and pull out the cabin filter and or smoke all the tiny coils will become so clogged they will no longer cool.
Then your in it for about $1800. to fix that.

There is also a TSB for a new more microbial resistant e-coil also.

My Toyota dealer charges $100 to inject the foamy cleaner into the box via the drip hose on the bottom of the car. That works really good and car will be ok for a year or so. You can spray whatever you want into the vents but the stink is in the box under the dash.

My local Toyota dealer stopped selling the $ 25 can kit over the counter. There is a cheaper alternative at Amazon.com but can't remember the name.
I'll find it and post it.

 

Here it is:

Kool-It Evaporator and Heater Foam Cleaner 96030 - Free Shipping on Orders Over $99 at Summit Racing

 

amazon:

 

Yeah, that's something I try to do manually: if the AC's been running, it's good to shut it off a bit before your destination, let the fan air out the humidity.

 

The solar roof option does that as well.... runs and dries out things after you leave the car in sunlight.

Roland

 

I don't own a G3. So what runs?

 

Ed,

On the Gen III Prius that comes equipped with the solar roof, the fan on the climate control will circulate ambient air from outside throughout the cabin while the Prius is parked in the sunlight to help lower the temperature inside to a more comfortable level.

That's the gist of it. Our Prius does not have that option. I have seen a few, and the owners that have it do seem to like it.

Peace,
Ron

 

I own a 2013 Prius C, and ever since I purchased it, it never had that "new" car smell. As soon as I left it overnight in my garage, and then got in, it had a horrible smell, and this is a brand new car with little mileage on it. I went back to the dealer after, and was told it could be mold, or dripping from the AC, or a dirty filter. I asked them to check it out since it's a brand new car (bought in June of 2013). They found nothing, all clean, and had no answer. Now we are at the current day of Sept 14 2014, and it still smells awful. It's nauseating to get into, once it sits, until I open all the windows and let it air out. Just recently, brought it back to a new Toyota dealer, and was told they know about the smell, but there is nothing they can do, other than do a bleach clean, that I would have to foot the bill for, even though it's still under warranty. I told them to forget it, since I know that is not the problem. I live in arid AZ, and it is garaged, and not driven much, so how did it suddenly get full of mold. Toyota should be concerned about this odor and fix it themselves. I have tried to contact corporate Toyota, but did not get a response. I previously owned a generation 1 Prius and never had this problem. It had no smell, other than a new car one. This is a generation 4 Prius C, model 4, and it stinks! Has any other Prius C owners experienced this?