Allergy sufferers might have breathed a sigh of relief when cabin air filters were introduced about a decade ago, but most motorists did not hear it. Since then cabin air filters have been installed in many vehicles–domestic and import, luxury and economy.
The idea is not new. The 1939 Nash “Weather Eye” system had an air filter, but it had problems when it got moist from humidity. And airlines have been struggling to clean up cabin air for many years.
According to Wix Filtration, a supplier of automotive filters, this is not a passing trend and automotive manufacturers will continue to put these filters into more new vehicles to protect their occupants, says the Car Care Council.
“We are concerned about interior air quality and see cabin air filters as a remedy to what could be a critical problem in the automotive industry,” says Bill Stamey, product engineering manager for Wix Filtration. “Recent studies have shown in-car air quality to be 10 times worse than outside. That means significant amounts of pollen, dust, soot, mold and other allergy-triggering pollutants are being pulled into the car and re-circulated among the occupants.”
Similar to your the furnace filter (if you have forced-air heating), the cabin air filter traps pollen, dust, mold spores and other particulates before they can get to the occupants through the vents.
Some cabin air filters also have activated charcoal layers that help reduce odors, such as the locker-room scent many people complain about when they switch on the air conditioning. They work well, but do not eliminate every pollutant.
Recently, Ford Motor Co. and its ad agency Young & Rubicam Inc. recently agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they made false claims about the extent to which Ford’s MicronAir Filtration System filters pollution. The FTC alleged that the system has no effect on gaseous pollutants, such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.
According to the FTC, though the system is a particulate filter that can keep out particles above a certain size, it cannot trap noxious gases or very fine particles or “virtually all pollutants,” which the ads had claimed.
“We need to educate the consumer so they breathe easier,” said Bruce Richardson, marketing manager for ATP, a source of professional auto parts in Morton Grove. “Many consumers do not know their vehicle has a filter,” said Richardson. And those who do don’t always know when they should be changed, he said.
Though the replacement schedule is in the owner’s manual, “we recommend that the ventilation filter be changed every 12 months or 12,000 miles,” said Richardson, who stressed that the filter media captures airborne particles down to one micron (a human hair is 60-70 microns in diameter). The middle layer is electrostatically charged to hold the smaller particles and the charge depletes with time, he said.
Filter manufacturers also stress that dirty filters stress the heating/ventilation/air-conditioning system. Restricted filters not only reduce airflow to the passenger compartment, they also can put a strain on the blower motor and even lead to damaged heater cores and A/C evaporators.
“Clogged cabin air filters not only affect the air quality inside a car but also can cause both the air conditioner and the heater core to work harder, which could lead to damage,” said Wix’s Stamey, who recommends cabin air filters be changed about 15,000 miles, like any routine car maintenance.
Changing the cabin air filter is not rocket science, but some can be trickier than others. For instance, to replace the filter in a Chevrolet Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette or Pontiac Trans Sport, you need only open the glove compartment, remove the back cover and unlatch the door for the two filters.
Replacing the filter on a Ford Taurus or Mercury Sable is a little harder. You have to open the hood and remove the fresh-air intake grille. Then, after removing a splashguard, you can access the filter housing at the back, right side of the engine compartment. It is not difficult for a basic do-it-yourselfer, but you may want to leave it to a pro.
Just about any shop–from the corner fast lube to the full-service dealer–will be happy to do the job, which takes only a few minutes. Replacing even the more expensive filters should cost less than $50, not to mention the money you save on allergy pills.
