Air quality affects us wherever we are.  Decades ago, residents began to become aware of how air pollution negatively affects our health.  But what about the air inside your car?

Cabin air filters are now being put inside most new vehicles since the 2000 model year.  These filters clean the air in the passenger compartment.  They can filter particles down to three microns, so that’s good enough to clean out dust, pollen and most pollutants.  If you suffer from allergies, this is very good news.

You can look in your vehicle owner’s manual to see if you have a cabin air filter in your car.  If you do, there will be a recommendation for replacing it when it gets dirty.  If you live where there’s a lot of dust, pollen or pollution, you may need to change it more often.  You can also ask your helpful and knowledgeable service adviser at Express Car Care.

How hard it is to change a cabin air filter depends on your vehicle.  Some are quite accessible; while others take some doing to get to them.  They’re usually in the vehicle engine compartment or under the dashboard.

Because cabin air filters are fairly new on the scene, some motorists haven’t hear of them – even those that have them in their cars.  Express Car Care service advisers report customers complaining of an unpleasant odor in the car and it turned out to be a dirty cabin air filter.

An important note for hybrid car owners:  there is a special air filter that cleans the air that cools the hybrid battery pack.  This filter should be inspected every time the cabin air filter is inspected and replaced if it is dirty so that the battery pack doesn’t overheat.

The next time you’re in for an oil change make sure you’re getting fresh air inside your car by having the cabin air filter inspected or replaced.