How Often Do I Change My Cabin Air Filter?

A cabin air filter should be replaced every 15,000 miles, or roughly once per year. However, this is just a general guideline. Your owner’s manual may include a more precise recommendation, and certain environmental conditions will cause a new filter to wear out more quickly. Read on with BMW of Turnersville to learn more about what cabin air filters do and find out how much a cabin air filter costs to replace!

What Does a Cabin Air Filter Do?

Cabin air filters clean the air that passes through your vehicle’s HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. It removes dust, dirt, pollen, and other unwanted particles, preventing them from negatively impacting the air quality inside the cabin. If you drive in an area with lots of allergens, lots of construction, or lots of dirt roads, you may want to schedule cabin air filter replacement more often than your owner’s manual recommends.

Note that the cabin air filter is distinct from the engine air filter, which cleans the air that enters your engine and facilitates combustion. 

How Do I Know When to Change a Cabin Air Filter?

If you know how to answer the question, “What does a cabin air filter do?”, then you probably also have a good idea of when it’s time to pick up a new one. However, since you may not immediately notice a decline in air quality, you’ll want to keep an eye out for the following signs and signals:

1. You’re experiencing reduced airflow
2. Unpleasant odors linger longer than usual
3. You’re finding more dust on surfaces in your vehicle

Tips on How To Change a Cabin Air Filter

If you’re located anywhere near Sewell or Williamstown, you can pick up a new cabin air filter at our parts department and take care of replacement at home. If you’ve been feeling the DIY spirit, you should know that replacing a cabin air filter is usually very easy:

1. Reference your owner’s manual to locate your cabin air filter. In some cases it will be under the hood. In others, it will be located behind the glove compartment or underneath the dashboard.
2. After picking up a new filter, put on gloves and a mask to prevent yourself from inhaling debris from the filter you’re replacing. Have a garbage bag at the ready.
3. Remove the filter’s housing, take out the old filter, and put the new one in its place! As long as the filter housing can be accessed, this job can be completed in just a few minutes.

What Does a Cabin Air Filter Cost?

Cabin air filter costs are usually low. Even if you’d prefer to let our service center handle replacement, you can expect to pay between $30 and $70 for the service. Plus, our parts specials and service specials can make your visit that much more affordable.

Take On More DIY Car Care Tasks with BMW of Turnersville

You can rely on our dedicated BMW service center for just about anything you need, but we also know that the most satisfied customers are those who really understand what’s going on with their vehicles! If you’re ready to tackle something new from your home in Philadelphia, continue your research by exploring our other service tips and tricks today.