Category: Cabin Air Filter

Breathe Easier (Cabin Air Filter)

When you get in your vehicle, how does it smell? If it’s not so nice, it may be time to have your cabin air filter changed.

It’s not the same one that filters out the air used in the engine. The cabin air filter screens out dust and other particulates from the outside air so when it enters the cabin, you don’t have to breathe them in when you’re driving. Maybe your commute finds you traveling along dusty rural roads, or maybe you pass by some city factories that have smokestacks spewing out smoky exhausts. Or in spring, maybe you notice your allergies acting up because of the pollen in the air. The cabin air filter will remove a lot of those things.

The more it filters out, the more those small particles add up. That reduces how much airflow the heating/air conditioning system can handle, and you may notice not as much air is coming through your vehicle’s vents. That can also be a sign you need your air filter replaced.

Our technicians will remove and inspect the air filter; it’s usually located around the glove compartment, under the dash or sometimes in the engine compartment. If you wish, your service advisor can show you what condition yours is in; if it needs replacing, you’ll be able to see the dirt, bugs, leaves and other crud that accumulates after several months of driving.

Each vehicle’s manufacturer recommends an interval after which your cabin air filter should be replaced. Depending on how much and where you drive, you might find yourself needing a replacement more or less often than the manual suggests.

Just like you clean your furnace filters periodically, it’s wise to do the same with your vehicle. After you do, you’ll find you might just breathe easier!

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Breathe Deep in St. Peter With a New Cabin Air Filter

Poor interior air quality is nothing to sneeze at, and St. Peter auto owners might be interested to know that more and more new cars are coming equipped with a cabin air filter. Check your vehicle owner’s manual, but they typically need to be replaced at around 12,000 to 15,000 miles (19,000 to 24,000 kilometers).

The filter is usually under the vehicle hood or under the dashboard. Some are a little tricky to get to, so you’ll want to have your friendly and knowledgeable Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor take care of replacing them.

As we said, many St. Peter people don’t realize they have a cabin air filter and come to Autotronics of St. Peter saying “my vents are smelling bad.” It usually turns out to be a dirty cabin air filter. A switch out and they’re on their way, smelling sweet.

St. Peter residents who suffer from allergies can really benefit from a cabin air filter as it keeps irritants to a minimum. If you’re one of them, you’ll want to replace your filter regularly.

If you do a lot of driving in dusty or polluted St. Peter conditions, you’ll need to change your cabin air filter more often.

Give us a call.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Fresh Air Inside Your Car in St. Peter

Air quality has certainly become a hot issue in our modern world. We install air filters on our ventilation systems and in our vacuum cleaners. There’s a filter that cleans the air going into our vehicle’s engine — so why not one for the air in the passenger compartment?

Foreign and domestic vehicle manufacturers haven’t been ignoring the issue. Cabin air filters are becoming a standard feature on newer vehicles. These filters can clean particles out of the air down to three microns, which accounts for pollen, dust and most pollutants. St. Peter residents who suffer from allergies or have a respiratory disorder should be a lot more comfortable. And even if you don’t have a medical need for the filter, the cleaner air in your car just might help you breathe better, figuratively as well as literally.

Cabin air filters are still fairly new in the St. Peter area, so you’ll have to check your vehicle owner’s manual to see if you have one. If you do, your routine car care will have to include changing the filter as part of your preventive maintenance. The owner’s manual will give recommendations on how often the filter has to be changed, but if the air where you live in MN is particularly dirty or if you’re prone to hay fever, you may want to change it more often.

Your friendly service advisor at Autotronics of St. Peter can also offer suggestions on how often to change your cabin air filter in your St. Peter area. They’re the ones who actually see the dirty filters, after all.

There is no standardized location for cabin air filters. St. Peter residents can usually find them in the vehicle engine compartment or under the dashboard, but they might be somewhere else. So the ease of changing the filter will depend on its location. Some are readily accessible, but others make you wonder how they got installed in the first place. Bring your car into Autotronics of St. Peter and we will locate your cabin air filter for you.

However, if you have a newer vehicle, it’s good auto advice to find out if it has a cabin air filter. If it does, you should change the filter regularly. A sure sign that a filter needs to be changed is that the interior of your vehicle will start to smell bad. That smell is exactly how some St. Peter drivers discovered that they had cabin air filters in the first place!

Cabin air filters are just one more way we have to stay safe, stay healthy and stay on the road in MN.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com