Cabin filter - replace or wash?

[ziauris]

Hi all,

I decided to have a look at my cabin filter the other day as it's been a few years since it's been looked at. The one in there is made by Comline. Does anyone know it that it OEM or not?

 

Anyway I looked at the filter and it had the usual bit of leaves and dust but otherwise in OK condition. As it's a non-critical part, I thought just for fun to wash it and re-use it, you know being green and all. So started by vacuuming it, then fitted a bucket of water, put some fairy in, got a lather going and dunked it in. I got a nail brush (but the other half's toothbrush will work just as well) to brush the crevices of the filter and remove as much gunk as I could. Left it in the bucket for a few hours and then rinsed it. Let it dry and put it back in. Seems to work OK. The car hasn't blown up or anything.

Does it really need replacing??? I suggest washing and re-using especially if you have an older car. 

Thanks

[furtula]

I would definitely replace the filter, as the air that passes through it goes directly to cabin, and your lungs, and since it's hot now, it can be the air you breathe for hours if on a longer trip.

Last year i got some with active carbon because the one i ordered was not in the shop, and it was only like 10 gbp, and not the cheapest one.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Comline are an aftermarket supplier, not OE.

Replacement filters are cheap enough - upwards of £6 - not to go through the hassle of washing and drying them.

[Mooly]

I would have thought washing a paper filter (assuming its paper based) would impair its ability to pass air freely as the air resistance would be increased. Definitely replace it.

[yossarian247]

The pollen filter is there partly to protect the aircon evaporator from getting clogged with a buildup of dust particles. It's not a problem with heaters on non-aircon cars, but as ac evaporators run wet with condensate any dust in the air stream will stick to them and they can block up with dirt quite quickly. 

I have tried washing paper filters in the past, but the problem is it's difficult to do it without causing the structure of the paper to break down and block the tiny pores in the filter. If you must re-use them then careful use of a vacuum cleaner will do a better job than water. 

[ziauris]

The comline one has fibre type material. Maybe I should have taken a picture but it seemed to survive the vacuuming, and washing so I will stick with it for the time being. It's certainly cleaner and less clogged than when I took it out!!!!

 

Re: Air-con: My air con is not working and wasn't before I cleaned the pollen filter. Not sure if I have a leak,  or gas has evaporated as car is 10 years old now or maybe it's because I haven't used it in 9 months whereas the manual states use it for 5 minutes every month (I think). It wasn't working that great when I bought it from Toyota garage 6 years ago. Not sure what to do about it as i don't really use it.

[FROSTYBALLS]

3 minutes ago, ziauris said:

My air con is not working and wasn't before I cleaned the pollen filter. Not sure if I have a leak,  or gas has evaporated as car is 10 years old now or maybe it's because I haven't used it in 9 months whereas the manual states use it for 5 minutes every month (I think). 

Possibly a combination of leaking and infrequent use. If you want to put it back into commission, it needs to be checked for leaks before being regassed.

Ideally air con should be used at least weekly throughout the year, as this keeps the seals lubricated and lessens the chance of leaks. Our cars use the more expensive HFO-1234yf gas and we leave our air con on all the time. In winter when used in conjunction the heater, it provides faster demisting - 

 

[ArranB]

Considering how cheap they are and you can get them on Amazon, I wouldn’t bother washing it. Just replace it and stop being tight 😂

[kithmo]

If you want to be a real cheapskate, leave the filter out 🙂

[Mike169]

On ‎5‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 9:13 PM, FROSTYBALLS said:

Comline are an aftermarket supplier, not OE.

Replacement filters are cheap enough - upwards of £6 - not to go through the hassle of washing and drying them.

Hi Frostyballs.

The non OE ones, where do you buy them from, just the average car spares shop? From £6 upwards they are a bargain, I have checked Amazon and you can buy OE ones for £15.46 and from a dealer they are about double that and a tad more.

Cheers, Mike.

[FROSTYBALLS]

6 minutes ago, Mike169 said:

Hi Frostyballs.

The non OE ones, where do you buy them from, just the average car spares shop? From £6 upwards they are a bargain, I have checked Amazon and you can buy OE ones for £15.46 and from a dealer they are about double that and a tad more.

Cheers, Mike.

At the time of posting, I checked the internet, Amazon (including marketplace sellers) and eBay, and for the Auris, filters were available from £6.

[ziauris]

2 hours ago, Mike169 said:

Hi Frostyballs.

The non OE ones, where do you buy them from, just the average car spares shop? From £6 upwards they are a bargain, I have checked Amazon and you can buy OE ones for £15.46 and from a dealer they are about double that and a tad more.

Cheers, Mike.

ECP do the good ones for approx £10, but I try to recycle non-critical components on the car and spend money on the critical items. My tyres are dunlop bluresponse all round, my brakes are Bosch or mintex, wipers are denso etc.. spend it where it counts.

 

Air con recharge at ATS is on offer for £35 via groupon if anyone needs one. I'll see if I can have it done, they do a pressure test before refilling so will find out if there are any leaks.

[FROSTYBALLS]

15 minutes ago, ziauris said:

Air con recharge at ATS is on offer for £35 via groupon if anyone needs one.

Which would be for the older type of air con gas - R134a. The newer gas (HFO-1234yf) will be more expensive

[Catlover]

and even on the non "new" gas ones, you need to ensure that the stuff they recharge with has the correct oil. 

I approached a specialist and as soon as I mentioned Prius he said "that requires a different oil to most". There is a thread recently on this forum that dealt with the "special" oil. The £35 deal may prove costly if wrong oil used.

[ziauris]

1 hour ago, Catlover said:

and even on the non "new" gas ones, you need to ensure that the stuff they recharge with has the correct oil. 

I approached a specialist and as soon as I mentioned Prius he said "that requires a different oil to most". There is a thread recently on this forum that dealt with the "special" oil. The £35 deal may prove costly if wrong oil used.

they exclude hybrid and EVs from the offer.

[ziauris]

1 hour ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Which would be for the older type of air con gas - R134a. The newer gas (HFO-1234yf) will be more expensive

looks like the older auris uses  R134a

 

TOYOTA
Model Specific Model/Type Date of Manufacture Information R134a (grams)
+/-
grams ISO +/- 10ml
Auris (ZE15/RE15) 10.06- 440 30 PAG46 50

 

http://ictworkshopsolutions.com/ict2014/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Complete-Refrigerant-Filling-Chart.pdf