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t’s not just important to choose the best car for you and to have a dealership and mechanic you can trust. It’s also important to give your car the maintenance it requires. Doing so can help maintain the smooth operation of your fave vehicle, while also prolonging its life on the road. One part of your car that should be regularly maintained is the cabin filter. If it’s clogged, your interior air quality can plummet. But how do you know if it’s clogged? Here are three signs that your cabin filter is clogged so that you’ll know to
1. There’s Little Flow
The cabin filter is, essentially, a component of the air conditioner structure in your car. It’s also known as the air-conditioning filter and is often comprised of a paper or cotton-type material. In its ideal state, it helps to clear pollutants from the air before enter your interior cabin space. Also, filters can help keep the air conditioner in good shape.
If you’re in the car for a good, long drive, and you notice the air doesn’t seem to be moving no matter how high you crank the AC, it could be a sign that the filter is clogged. The lack of freely moving air reveals there’s too much guck blocking the filter pathways.
If you feel stagnating air, consider taking your filter in for a change or at least a check. This is also true if there’s slow air flow even at lower fan settings. If you need to turn the fan higher to meet your needs, this alone could be a sign that it’s time for a filter change.
2. Dust
Another sign is is that you’re seeing more than the usual amount of dust and debris inside your car. True, some of that could be a natural degree of pollutants — but it could also be the gunk that’s been in a clogged filter, now airborne in your car. In this scenario, the AC system is pulling air through and around the filter.
3. Less Vehicle Power
Believe it or not, your cabin filter can affect your AC system, and the AC can have a strong impact on the power of the entire vehicle. If your filter is clogged, then you might have to turn up the AC. The harder your AC works, the more the engine does, too. The drive train, alternator, and all other essentials in your car’s workings might get less of the energy they need. When these horsepower-generating parts suffer, you might feel that the vehicle is just not up to snuff. While this is not great news, look on the bright side: If your car seems slow, this might not be a major mechanical problem, but something as simple as a clogged filter, which is easy to change.
Cabin air is important not only for the long-term maintenance and performance of your vehicle but also for the health of all the passengers. Breathing in clean, fresh air is important, especially on long drives, and particularly on cold or rainy days when you don’t want to open the windows. To be on the safe side, be sure to get the cabin filter checked, or have it changed at regular intervals.
“It was definitely time to replace the cabin air filter on the Sentra.” by sylvar is licensed by CC BY 2.0
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