Air Filter Replacement Interval

[GLXi]

Good evening, everyone. I can’t believe the ridiculous recommendation that Toyota give to ‘inspect’ the air filter every 40,000 miles! I wanted to know how it looked like after 9,000 miles and it looks quite dirty. There are pictures of it including me holding it against sunlight (I don’t know if it’s the pleats design or the dirt) but virtually no sunlight is coming through!

Take this as a lesson, if you want to make your Toyota last long, don’t follow some extreme replacement or ‘inspection’!

Would you call this air filter dirty or very dirty?

Car is a 2020 Corolla Icon Hybrid Touring Sports.

[Stivino]

It's not dirty.

[GLXi]

4 minutes ago, Stivino said:

It's not dirty.

I was wondering about that because I thought it was dirty due to the top layer being slightly black. However, 40,000 miles is still too much.

[Stivino]

4 minutes ago, GLXi said:

40,000 miles is still too much

You won't know that until you've done 40,000.

It only takes a minute to have a look, so just do that every six months or so.

But for now, put it back in and forget it.

[Mojo1010]

Your one isn't that dirty. 40k or 4 years. When I changed it for my yaris at about 3.5 years/36k miles it was quite dirty. Can change at 2 years interval if you want. 

[PCM]

Looks ok to me....

But I change filters every year anyway... 

[TonyHSD]

This one is ok. I usually change air filter at 20k or 30k and looks worse than that. What is important to change though it’s the cabin filter every 10k miles instead of recommended 20k. The most important filter in your cars. 
Here examples. Cabin filter at 9k miles and air filter at 30k miles. 

[GLXi]

5 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

This one is ok. I usually change air filter at 20k or 30k and looks worse than that. What is important to change though it’s the cabin filter every 10k miles instead of recommended 20k. The most important filter in your cars. 
Here examples. Cabin filter at 9k miles and air filter at 30k miles. 

Thanks Tony! Yes, the cabin filter was as black as charcoal when it was serviced. Is it possible to get the service kit without the engine air filter? I think 9,000 miles for an air filter seems wasteful. 

[Stivino]

You don't have to buy a service kit, just buy the parts you need individually.

[Cyker]

Depends what you mean by service kit - In one of my dealers (Not sure if they still do it tho'), it basically meant they sell you all the service parts, oil filter, drain plug gasket, air and cabin filters whatever, and threw 5L of oil for free (Or a small charge for 0w20 and thinner)

 

[GLXi]

I could do that, however they claim that the oil and necessary filters would be expensive. I'll try to get the necessary parts next time as you say 🙂

[GLXi]

3 hours ago, Stivino said:

You don't have to buy a service kit, just buy the parts you need individually.

I could do that, however they claim that the oil and necessary filters would be expensive. I'll try to get the necessary parts next time as you say 🙂

[GLXi]

3 hours ago, Cyker said:

Depends what you mean by service kit - In one of my dealers (Not sure if they still do it tho'), it basically meant they sell you all the service parts, oil filter, drain plug gasket, air and cabin filters whatever, and threw 5L of oil for free (Or a small charge for 0w20 and thinner)

 

Exactly that. Except the oil is discounted now and the air filter was just over £15 according to my invoice. 

[Yugguy1970]

Always change my air filters myself once a year or 10k at most regardless of official intervals 

They're not that pricy, easy to change and it's worth it.

[Stivino]

3 hours ago, Yugguy1970 said:

Always change my air filters myself once a year or 10k at most regardless of official intervals 

They're not that pricy, easy to change and it's worth it.

But, economically & environmentally it's not good sense to throw away what is almost certainly a filter with a lot more life in it for a new filter at a cost of £15ish.

[TonyHSD]

Perhaps he means the cabin filter.
Just think about the cyclists, pedestrians and runners that are exposed to all that pollution when on the road next to us,!?  Every time I change my cabin filter and compare old vs new these are the first things coming into my mind, it is scary. They should use a face mask when on the streets 😷  
My dad for comparison lives in a small town in smaller country with less cars and he drives very little. His cabin filter never collects the same black dirt that smells like fuel fumes, it only gets clogged with leaves and small sand like debris and becomes greyish colour. He changes it once every two year. The difference is day and night in comparison with me using my car on the busiest motorways around London. 

[Cyker]

Yeah, that winds me up in the ULEZ zone - All the diesel busses still driving around, and I can smell their exhaust so strongly I had to keep the car in recirc whenever I'm within sight of one!

They are by far the most polluting vehicles in London now.