Geez, Please Don’t Do This To Your Vehicle

I know I just sent out an email a few weeks ago about cabin filters however a car came in yesterday that made me want to mention this again.

Please don’t let dirt, leaves and debris sit on the edge of the windshield. This will go into your vehicle's ventilation system and can cause serious harm to your vehicle. 

Your cabin air filter is typically behind the glove box in most late model vehicles. (my is behind the glove box) When the cabin air filter is unchanged for long periods of time, the dirt, dust and pollen builds up and is blown into the interior of the car when the heat or A/C is turned on. 

The cabin air filter also helps slow down the amount of road debris, leaves and much more from going further into your ventilation system. A dirty cabin air filter can result in allowing debris into the ventilation system and into the vehicle's evaporator core. This can and often does result in the evaporator core having to be replaced. Replacing an evaporator core is around $2500 to $4000 depending on your vehicle.

Keep in mind that in most cars the cabin filter is located behind the glove box. So if you keep your glove box as messy as mine please remember to unmess it before you come in for service. 

Time to Keep Falling Leaf Debris Off Your Car

Why You Need to Change Your Cabin Air Filter

OK I know the headline sounds a little goofy however this is truly an important subject especially for people who park their cars around trees with falling leaves. When the the leaves, dead bugs and other debris falls it gathers around the bottom of your windshield covering the vents that carry the airflow into your car's cabin air filter. The air then flows into the interior of your car and into the air that you breath.

The leaves, dead bugs and road debris then slowly works through your vehicle's airflow system. Over time the debris will work it’s way to your A/C’s  evaporator core. Eventually as the debris starts building up in your evaporator core the trouble will begin with your A/C system.

You do not want to have to replace your A/C’s evaporator core. That repair is around a $2500 repair and requires the whole dashboard to be removed. Our Technicians make this repair on more than a few vehicles per month.

As part of the regular maintenance of your vehicle you do want to have your cabin air filter checked and changed typically at least twice a year. The cost of a new cabin air filter $45 is so much cheaper that a $2500 A/C evaporator core.

So as silly as it might sound keeping the leaves, dead bugs and debris off your car is an important part of your maintenance that can possibly save you a lot of money. So clean the leaves off your car !

Please see the picture below. This is the cabin air filter taken out of a customer's car yesterday. The complaint was not much air was coming out of the vents.  Yikes !! They were breathing air that came through that mess.