Avensis T25 cabin pollen filter change

[d-a-n]

Hi, I have a 2005 T3s Avensis which I suspect needs a new pollen filter/cabin filter. I have seen poor videos for changing this on LHD vehicles, My question is where will I find it on a RHD Avensis? Is it behind the glove compartment and is it easy to get to? Thank you in advance!

[gazza1286]

Yes it's behind the glove box. Only one screw needs undoing. 

Open the glove box and with the door open you can see the screw on that end which attaches the damper to the box. The box then unclips and the cover for the filter is visible which has clips left and right. 

The filter can only go in one way and has an UP indicator. 

[revband]

Isn't that the T27?, I thought the T25 pollen filter was in the left side of the drivers footwell. Or is that the T22?. 

[gazza1286]

The T25 is behind the glove box 

The T22 is in the footwell. 

I've owned both. 

[revband]

Yes you are correct, I have had all three, and lost track, sorry.

[d-a-n]

Thank you very much Gary, sounds like an easy job which just got made easier with your advice!

[d-a-n]

Went into Euro Car Parts and picked up a standard mann filter for £13, I then had them swapped in around 5 minutes using the method described by Gary above. The filter which came out was very grey with lots of bits clogging up the top side - I don't know if this was one of the enhanced filters which are just grey with the charcoal coating though!

The mann filter doesn't have an 'up' position printed on it like the Toyota one does but has the direction of airflow printed on it. As the air is drawn downwards (you can tell as the top of the old filter was coated in bits) I put it in with the arrows down and the writing the correct way up (which all makes perfect sense now!)

The result is much stronger fan performance, it doesn't make clatter-y noise at high speed (setting 3 or 4) and the air con smells much less musty.

[Paul Gailey]

i cant imagine when mine was last replaced. this is at lest the first time in 70k (of 190k) that ive managed to get to it behind glove box

[Stivino]

I changed mine about 5 years ago and every couple of months I take it out, bang it against the wheel and put it back in. I've got a spare in the cupboard but I'm not fitting it until I need to.

[Cyker]

Just be aware that a new filter has a static charge like cling film (Or at least it's supposed to!), so while you can reuse an old one it will not be anywhere near as effective (In theory anyway!)

 

[Stivino]

They don’t all have a “static charge”.

What you are referring to is the activated carbon which, over time, becomes less active whether it is used or not.  Regardless of that, it’s ability to filter will remain unchanged.

[Konrad C]

17 hours ago, Paul Gailey said:

i cant imagine when mine was last replaced. this is at lest the first time in 70k (of 190k) that ive managed to get to it behind glove box

I think there are a large number owners, who are unaware that their car has a cabin filter, let alone it needs to be checked and replaced periodically. Even some garages miss this when servicing! 

[JARC1]

5 hours ago, Konrad C said:

I think there are a large number owners, who are unaware that their car has a cabin filter, let alone it needs to be checked and replaced periodically. Even some garages miss this when servicing! 

Not really any surprise there. Many garages probably do not know the pollen filter is there and I guess many do not care either.

Regards, John

[TonyHSD]

This is the most important filter in any car. The filter protects the driver and passengers and even when seems like clean on a first sight as soon as it’s changed paper colour you should replace with new. The filter is designed to trap particular matter like carbon dioxide and after only 10k miles or 12 months becomes darker colour and start smelling like fumes. Good time to replace. Best to do so with every service or once a year if you don’t drive much. 

[Stivino]

Carbon dioxide is a gas, it is not particulate matter.

The reason we have cabin filters is more to do with protecting the evaporator than protecting the occupants of the vehicle. 

I wonder how we managed before we had cabin filters.

[Cyker]

To be fair, its primary purpose is not for us, it's to stop all that stuff getting being blown into the AC matrix and damaging it.

Toyotas without AC don't even come with cabin filters.

It's just a side benefit that it also stops us getting all that, but unless you get the charcoal ones, the benefits are mostly it filtering out leaves/wasps/dandelions etc. as the normal filter isn't really dense enough to filter out particulates, and the static charge that helps with that doesn't last very long with all the air blowing across it.

 

[Stivino]

The activated carbon isn't there to filter particulates, it serves another purpose. 

The filter, whether charcoal or not, will filter exactly the same amount of impurities. 

[2009joe]

5 hours ago, Cyker said:

To be fair, its primary purpose is not for us, it's to stop all that stuff getting being blown into the AC matrix and damaging it.

Toyotas without AC don't even come with cabin filters.

It's just a side benefit that it also stops us getting all that, but unless you get the charcoal ones, the benefits are mostly it filtering out leaves/wasps/dandelions etc. as the normal filter isn't really dense enough to filter out particulates, and the static charge that helps with that doesn't last very long with all the air blowing across it.

 

True plus as you say to protect the blower motor and maybe causing a fire in the car with all the stuff going into the blower motor if no filter there 

[Stivino]

It's nothing to do with the blower motor catching fire either as that is not in the firing line. The people who built cars actually take these things into account, believe it or not.

[Cyker]

20 hours ago, Stivino said:

The activated carbon isn't there to filter particulates, it serves another purpose. 

The filter, whether charcoal or not, will filter exactly the same amount of impurities. 

Oh okay, what's it for then?

[TonyHSD]

The activated carbon charcoal is to kill the bad odour from outside, in reality is more of a gimmick than actual help. The black soot formation is exactly from car emissions to include carbon monoxide, nox and all other particular matter that can be trapped by the paper. Whatever can’t goes straight into passengers lungs. No filter is there to protect the car or it’s components, however if the filter has been neglected can cause issues along the hvac system. Originally these filters were designed to stop the pollen enter into the cabin and cause hay fever, since many are still calling it pollen filter. Latest and more luxurious cars has way more complicated filtration systems that clean and conditioning the cabin air. For our cars best we can do is more often filter change. , but this is entirely up to you as car owner driver if you want to change often or not. 👍 No arguments. 

[Stivino]

Once again I will remind you that Carbon monoxide and NOx are not particulates, they are gases.

I see that you have been reading but, you are not fully understanding the subject matter.

[JARC1]

5 minutes ago, Stivino said:

Once again I will remind you that Carbon monoxide and NOx are not particulates, they are gases.

I see that you have been reading but, you are not fully understanding the subject matter.

Stephen

Perhaps you could explain, in a manner we can understand, the actual reasons and needs for the Pollen Filter. I am certain it would be an education for me, if not for others.

Many thanks and Best Wishes, Regards, John

[TonyHSD]

9 minutes ago, Stivino said:

Once again I will remind you that Carbon monoxide and NOx are not particulates, they are gases.

I see that you have been reading but, you are not fully understanding the subject matter.

Thank you for your reminder. 👌  

I meant both gasses and particulate matter as a result of vehicles combustion process and tyre wear, brake dust, road dust, everything combined together. The cabin filter is the only barrier that stops ( lower the amount of ) all that nasty stuff getting inside the car. When the filter changes it’s colour means it’s full and no longer can trap the smaller particles, along with the fact that all air going in will pass through dirty area and will vent the bad smell inside the cabin. No need to wait for  the filter to become clogged with leaves, branches or other large objects, once it’s dark and smelly best to replace it with new. Vacuum cleaning any filter only as emergency solution until new filter arrives but doing so as regular maintenance it’s not the best practice especially for cabin filter which protects you and your pax. 

Here new vs old, the old filter has only covered  7700 miles in one year on London streets. Now everyone can imagine what any cyclists breathe when going to work in the capital without wearing any protection. 

[Stivino]

31 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

When the filter changes it’s colour means it’s full and no longer can trap the smaller particles,

That is completely wrong. 

The more blocked a filter becomes, the smaller the particles it can trap. However, it has to be changed before it gets to the stage that it won't allow anything to pass.