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Air filter element?

Zodiac

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Joined
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Year, Model & Trim Level
2017 Ford Explorer Sport
My recent inspection report stated I should replace my cabin air filter and replace the air filter element.

Can someone point me to what the cabin air filter element is?

Thanks.
 



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My recent inspection report stated I should replace my cabin air filter and replace the air filter element.

Can someone point me to what the cabin air filter element is?

Thanks.
Did they specifically say Cabin air filter Element or just air filter element? If they didn't say 'Cabin' perhaps they were referring to the engine air filter or the seat filter. :dunno:

Peter
 






They specifically said cabin air filter and also filter element so that's why I was confused. I went ahead and replaced both the engine and cabin air filter with $20 in parts (was quoted $100+ for both at the dealer). How often does the seat filter need to be replaced?
 






I'm not sure if the Manual mentions a time frame for the seat filter. I don't have that Manual on my laptop. I've never had my vehicles long enough to replace any filter with the exception of the oil filter.

Peter
 






Curious, how many miles on your 2017 Sport? Dealers push changing the engine air filters during routine oil changes when they do not need to be changed very often.
 






They specifically said cabin air filter and also filter element so that's why I was confused. I went ahead and replaced both the engine and cabin air filter with $20 in parts (was quoted $100+ for both at the dealer). How often does the seat filter need to be replaced?

First, you did the right thing to do them yourself.

2nd.....

Curious, how many miles on your 2017 Sport? Dealers push changing the engine air filters during routine oil changes when they do not need to be changed very often.

This. Almost every time my wife has had her car in for warranty work(not the Explorer), they say it needs and engine and cabin filter.

I changed my explorer's engine and cabin filters around 40k miles and they weren't that bad. Probably could have gone another 20k on the engine.
 






Drive around in farm country on dirt roads, you will need to change them more often. Drive mainly paved roads in the city etc and not so often. I do a lot of both so I change mine once a year in the spring no matter the miles. Just the way I do it.
 






Curious, how many miles on your 2017 Sport? Dealers push changing the engine air filters during routine oil changes when they do not need to be changed very often.

First, you did the right thing to do them yourself.

2nd.....



This. Almost every time my wife has had her car in for warranty work(not the Explorer), they say it needs and engine and cabin filter.

I changed my explorer's engine and cabin filters around 40k miles and they weren't that bad. Probably could have gone another 20k on the engine.

I am just shy of 20k but I live in an extremely dusty environment so I'm probably going to change both out once a year or so going forward.
 






Good points on the dusty roads. I drive strictly on paved roads, so it's a fairly clean environment.

Just remember, changing the filter too often is more damaging than letting it get dirty. A dirty filter is an efficient filter....obviously if you let it get too dirty, you can reduce performance. I learned that first hand on my motorcycle.
 






I still don't believe the OP's question, "Can someone point me to what the cabin air filter element is?" has been addressed. It appears to differ from the cabin air filter itself according to his post.

Peter
 






Good points on the dusty roads. I drive strictly on paved roads, so it's a fairly clean environment.

Just remember, changing the filter too often is more damaging than letting it get dirty. A dirty filter is an efficient filter....obviously if you let it get too dirty, you can reduce performance. I learned that first hand on my motorcycle.
As stated before a dirty air filter does not reduce MPG. If it is extremely dirt it could effect performance but it would have to be extremely dirty to do that.
 






As stated before a dirty air filter does not reduce MPG. If it is extremely dirt it could effect performance but it would have to be extremely dirty to do that.

Good point on the MPG comment. By performance, I mean power.

Off topic. My motorcycle is fuel injected. At about 12k miles the bike wouldn't stay running unless I held the throttle at least 1/2 throttle. The filter was so clogged, it wouldn't idle. What's odd is that I rode it around on a Friday and the next Monday it wouldn't run. Anyway, after replacing the filter, it felt like a whole new bike. The slow power decrease over 10 years wasn't noticeable. And regarding MPG, no change between the dirty and clean.
 






Ford Motor Company recommends that you replace the air filter every 15,000-30,000 miles, depending on your vehicle model.

Ford Motor Company recommends that you replace the cabin air filter every 15,000-20,000 miles, depending on your vehicle model.

If you shop around, you should be able to find decent quality air and cabin air filters for <$10 each, so the cost to change every year or two is pretty minimal. I typically buy in bulk from rock auto when they have a closeout/sale and get most of my filters for <$5 each.

Air filter is very easy to change. Cabin air filter is behind glovebox and takes about 10-15 minutes to change.
 






This thread seems to be moving away from the OP's question that I mentioned in post #11. There was no question about the cabin air filter or when it should be changed. The question was "Can someone point me to what the cabin air filter element is?" As per the OP's post, it seems to be different from the cabin air filter.

Peter
 






This thread seems to be moving away from the OP's question that I mentioned in post #11. There was no question about the cabin air filter or when it should be changed. The question was "Can someone point me to what the cabin air filter element is?" As per the OP's post, it seems to be different from the cabin air filter.

Peter

An air filter element is just the filter itself. Engine air filter is underhood. Cabin air filter is behind glovebox.

If there was any confusion about the inspection report the OP received, the first person I would have asked about it was the person that handed it to me. Was that person asked to clarify the inspection report?
 






I still don't believe the OP's question, "Can someone point me to what the cabin air filter element is?" has been addressed. It appears to differ from the cabin air filter itself according to his post.

Peter

Uh, it looks like Zodiac, the original poster, already figured out where it is and replaced it:

They specifically said cabin air filter and also filter element so that's why I was confused. I went ahead and replaced both the engine and cabin air filter with $20 in parts (was quoted $100+ for both at the dealer). How often does the seat filter need to be replaced?
 






Uh, it looks like Zodiac, the original poster, already figured out where it is and replaced it:
He replaced the cabin air filter but still wanted to know what the filter element was. According to the person he spoke to at the dealer they were 2 separate items but I think that individual wasn't the most informed one.

Peter
 






To be correct the technical term is air filter element. Could be a cabin or engine air filter. Most people drop the word element and call it an air filter. This is my story and I am sticking to it until proven wrong.
 



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He replaced the cabin air filter but still wanted to know what the filter element was. According to the person he spoke to at the dealer they were 2 separate items but I think that individual wasn't the most informed one.

Peter

There were two line items:
Cabin air filter - $70ish to replace
Air filter element - $30ish to replace

I checked the engine air filter as well and it was quite dirty so I believe the air filter element just refers to the engine air filter.

I appreciate all of the replies.
 






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