The cabin air filter in a vehicle prevents harmful dirt and debris from entering the interior. It's a simple way of protecting your lungs from the outside world. However, did you know that the cabin air filter also is just as crucial to the health of your vehicle's HVAC system?
Why Cabin Filters Are Important
When you turn a knob, push a button, or touch a screen to turn on your heat or A/C, heated or cooled air has to pass through a series of hoses and air ducts before it reaches the inside of the car. The cabin filter is placed at the beginning of this process. External air gets sucked in by the blower motor, pass through the cabin filter, and then reaching the inside of the vehicle and of HVAC system components.
All of these components are protected by the cabin air filter. Any dirt or other contaminants coming from the outside are trapped before reaching any part of the interior of the vehicle
Why Replacing The Cabin Filter Is Important
Over time, all that dirt and debris adds up, eventually clogging the filter media (just like what happens with the engine air filter). When this happens, the HVAC system has to work harder to perform the same job it did with a new cabin filter. This can cause damage to the components, and shorten their life. At worst, a completely clogged filter becomes useless because all that dirt and debris gets pulled directly into the heater core and evaporator, causing costly damage.
Clearly, it's important to not overlook this small but crucial piece to a vehicle's overall function. Generally, it's good to replace a standard particulate (white) filter every 30,000 miles, and a charcoal filter (grey) once a year, or every 15,000 miles. If you regularly drive in a dirty, dusty, or high-pollution area, those numbers could be much less, so be sure to check the filter regularly.
Premium Guard cabin air filters trap up to 99% of contaminants that enter the vehicle. Check out all of the Premium Guard products we carry here, or find the right one for your vehicle by using our Parts Lookup Tool.
