Cabin Air Filter

[WideOpenSpaces72]

Mine (2018 LC) needs changing, and the dealer has obviously never touched it (which is a good thing -- after reading others', I keep that glove compartment locked whenever I take it in). I found a nice little straightforward video on how to change it I found about how to change it (), but on that video the guy said he uses EP Auto CP285 filters. I looked those up on Amazon -- they are indeed pretty inexpensive, about $8 each, but they've got activated carbon, and I have read that this can significantly reduce your mpg. What is y'all's opinion? I could get the Bosch 6055C instead, but they are HEPA and maybe this is also too restrictive for airflow? Or I could fork over $28.55 on ToyotaParts.com and get a genuine one that doesn't seem carbon activated. (Note: I do not want to get a reuseable / washable one -- those just seem to spark too many bitter controversies on LC forums, lol.) Okay, your thoughts here: Thanks!

 

[Boston Mangler]

Charcoal Cabin filter significantly lowering MPGs?

Huh?

 

[sdnative]

I use the CP285 filters in my 2013 and am happy with them.

My MPG did drop by 0.000001 though...

 

[WideOpenSpaces72]

Geez, give me a break, guys. I just became the official owner of this beauty after my husband died unexpectedly. We traveled many happy miles in it, but HE was the (brilliant) mechanic and the person who modded it. I am trying to learn all of this from scratch. I'm determined to, though, because I love it almost as much as he did. So yeah, I misspoke about cabin air filters (I guess it's only engine filters that affect mpg). So my question has now changed, and I have an additional question: 1) what are the advantages or disadvantages of a HEPA vs. carbon-activated vs. plain old CABIN air filters (and is there any reason to buy a genuine Toyota-brand one); and 2) does the fan blow from the top or the bottom? I can't quite tell how to make sure it's turned the right way, except that I think it only clips properly when you've got it oriented right.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Geez, give me a break, guys. I just became the official owner of this beauty after my husband died unexpectedly. We traveled many happy miles in it, but HE was the (brilliant) mechanic and the person who modded it. I am trying to learn all of this from scratch. I'm determined to, though, because I love it almost as much as he did. So yeah, I misspoke about cabin air filters (I guess it's only engine filters that affect mpg). So my question has now changed, and I have an additional question: 1) what are the advantages or disadvantages of a HEPA vs. carbon-activated vs. plain old CABIN air filters (and is there any reason to buy a genuine Toyota-brand one); and 2) does the fan blow from the top or the bottom? I can't quite tell how to make sure it's turned the right way, except that I think it only clips properly when you've got it oriented right.

Oh damn. I’m so sorry!! I apologize!

Im just used to the banter from fellow smack talking friends here.

To answer your question, yes, it only clips in when orientated properly.

As for brands and genuine OEM. Others may chime in, but I can’t imagine possibly noticing a difference.

 

[Artie]

These are what I use. They are cheap and have the activated carbon… the carbon helps to reduce smells. A hepa willl filter things like dust, particulates, and allergens better. I’m sure the Toyota one is fine but it is likely expensive and for a cabin air filter you are fine to run a non OEM part.

You will reuse the plastic frame, remove the old filter part and stick the new one in. If you open the filter access door and the filter is blocked DO NOT MANUALLY MOVE THAT FLAP…. Power on the car and hit the recirculating button. I don’t recall which setting it needs to be on for filter access, sorry.

Also, sorry for your loss and keep that cruiser on the road.

 

[WideOpenSpaces72]

Oh damn. I’m so sorry!! I apologize!

Im just used to the banter from fellow smack talking friends here.

To answer your question, yes, it only clips in when orientated properly.

As for brands and genuine OEM. Others may chime in, but I can’t imagine possibly noticing a difference.

Thanks. You didn't know, of course. And if I am going to be on this forum, I'll make a point of cultivating talking smack back at you. I just don't know enough to do it yet, but I'll figure it out, LOL. Thanks for that info -- that is what I think I had discovered, that if it clicks back into place, you've got it oriented right. So thanks for confirming that. Where do you get your OEM parts? I might still get the Bosch HEPA after-market cabin air filter during wildfire season.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Thanks. You didn't know, of course. And if I am going to be on this forum, I'll make a point of cultivating talking smack back at you. I just don't know enough to do it yet, but I'll figure it out, LOL. Thanks for that info -- that is what I think I had discovered, that if it clicks back into place, you've got it oriented right. So thanks for confirming that. Where do you get your OEM parts? I might still get the Bosch HEPA after-market cabin air filter during wildfire season.

Smack talking is always welcome.. bring it

For OEM, I generally order online from Olathe Toyota. The shipping is slow, but they almost always have the lowest prices

 

[WideOpenSpaces72]

These are what I use. They are cheap and have the activated carbon… the carbon helps to reduce smells. A hepa willl filter things like dust, particulates, and allergens better. I’m sure the Toyota one is fine but it is likely expensive and for a cabin air filter you are fine to run a non OEM part.

You will reuse the plastic frame, remove the old filter part and stick the new one in. If you open the filter access door and the filter is blocked DO NOT MANUALLY MOVE THAT FLAP…. Power on the car and hit the recirculating button. I don’t recall which setting it needs to be on for filter access, sorry.

Also, sorry for your loss and keep that cruiser on the road.

These are what I use. They are cheap and have the activated carbon… the carbon helps to reduce smells. A hepa willl filter things like dust, particulates, and allergens better. I’m sure the Toyota one is fine but it is likely expensive and for a cabin air filter you are fine to run a non OEM part.

You will reuse the plastic frame, remove the old filter part and stick the new one in. If you open the filter access door and the filter is blocked DO NOT MANUALLY MOVE THAT FLAP…. Power on the car and hit the recirculating button. I don’t recall which setting it needs to be on for filter access, sorry.

Also, sorry for your loss and keep that cruiser on the road.

Thanks for your kind words. Taking care of this LC has become my obsession. I'll post a picture of it someday and talk about the mods. But I am starting WAY down the learning curve. The YT video I posted talked about that trick with the flap that covers the air filter -- and I assume that that's the reason some dealer mechanics break it, thinking they can force it up, right? I'm locking my glove box from now on. What I discovered today was that 1) you need to fully power on the car, like you say -- not just put it in Accessory mode -- and 2) it will retract when it's on Recirculate (which makes sense). Thanks for the link of the one you buy: I can't tell if that is an activated-carbon kind or not...? If I'm ready to change it close to wildfire season, I will definitely want a carbon-activated one even just for around town.

 

[Blackwater]

Thank you for the video you posted, I'm also about to change my cabin air filter so that's very helpful.

I went oem. Yes a bit more expensive but I usually like to keep oem parts if I can help it. A few have spoken about reduced airflow (although not huge) with the carbon filter. I didn't want that.

Welcome to the board, we always love pictures of LC's here.

Also I'm very sorry about your loss. I love what your doing keeping the truck maintained. He would be very proud!!

 

[sdnative]

Sorry I wasn't trying to be disrespectful, just a bit of humor. Really sorry about your loss. Welcome to the forum.

The charcoal filters are good at absorbing odors I believe. One of the issues with aftermarket filters is the fit isn't always the greatest, allowing air to get around the sides. The OEM filter fits well and is probably better overall quality but are more expensive.

Like I said, I use the CP285 filters and am happy with them. But to be honest I don't usually think about them much.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

Welcome to MUD. Before going out buying OEM parts a couple of lessons many of us learned the $$ way. Buying at a local dealer will likely mean paying full price. Some dealers have an online presence which offer a discount (buy online, then pickup locally or have shipped). However, multiple times a year these same online dealers have "sales." Usually around 20% off and free shipping over $150 or more. As such, many us wait for a sale and stock up on parts. During one sale I bought an OEM window and had it shipped.

I just replaced both the cabin and engine filters with OEM filters. For most that is sufficient.

 

[gasman4u]

@TheIcemanCometh has good points on waiting for sales. This is what I do too - just cultivate a list with part numbers and wait for the next sale. I too am a charcoal cabin filter fan (part 87139-50100) for toyota version. Changing can be a little tricky to get it to seat just right. But be patient and don't ham fist it when you're frustrated (like I would).

 

[pvchaitanya]

Thank you for the video you posted, I'm also about to change my cabin air filter so that's very helpful.

I went oem. Yes a bit more expensive but I usually like to keep oem parts if I can help it. A few have spoken about reduced airflow (although not huge) with the carbon filter. I didn't want that.

Welcome to the board, we always love pictures of LC's here.

Also I'm very sorry about your loss. I love what your doing keeping the truck maintained. He would be very proud!!

We all started somewhere like you and I am glad you are doing things like these yourself. Happy to help if you have any trivial questions. The truck pays for itself, glad you kept it. For context, I started commuting to work everyday now and did the math on buying a used fuel efficient car (5-9k USD) which gives 25-30 mpg vs driving in my LX and the math couldn't convince me that even with low gas mileage, just mall cruising in my LX is a good option than to start paying for a used fuel efficient car (Even account for repairs of LX/maintenance).

 

[pvchaitanya]

Thanks. You didn't know, of course. And if I am going to be on this forum, I'll make a point of cultivating talking smack back at you. I just don't know enough to do it yet, but I'll figure it out, LOL. Thanks for that info -- that is what I think I had discovered, that if it clicks back into place, you've got it oriented right. So thanks for confirming that. Where do you get your OEM parts? I might still get the Bosch HEPA after-market cabin air filter during wildfire season.

I use Bosch as well. As per my view, changing these filter more often matter mosts than sticking to OEM for 1 year. I change mine almost 6 months before we take long trips. It keeps cabin air fresh. have kids throw all kids of things in back and changing these filters keep interior fresh (Apart from actually cleaning the mess).
I am currently using the carbon granules filled filter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CK6TLKBF/
I did notice quite a difference in the interior air quality from a smell point of view.

 

[gasman4u]

I use Bosch as well. As per my view, changing these filter more often matter mosts than sticking to OEM for 1 year. I change mine almost 6 months before we take long trips. It keeps cabin air fresh. have kids throw all kids of things in back and changing these filters keep interior fresh (Apart from actually cleaning the mess).
I am currently using the carbon granules filled filter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CK6TLKBF/
I did notice quite a difference in the interior air quality from a smell point of view.

+1 on every 6 months changing this thing. I can't imagine the seat farts that mine have filtered over the past few years. Definitely helps with the longevity of everything and everyone involved IMO.

 

[Boston Mangler]

+1 on every 6 months changing this thing. I can't imagine the seat farts that mine have filtered over the past few years. Definitely helps with the longevity of everything and everyone involved IMO.

Yeah…. When I first got my 2010 truck with 213k, I replaced mine, based on how everything was perfectly intact and crazy detailed records, my cabin filter was ORIGINAL. It was pretty filthy and disgusting, and my truck had never seen dirt before I owned it, so yeah.. this will be a once a year thing for me

 

[rscoleman]

I like the charcoal filters as I drive through Houston monthly and like the help with smell killing. Beyond that I replace every 10k miles which for me is about 8 to 9 months. For the engine air filter I check it every 5K oil change and replace when it dirty or at 4th oil change 20K miles per filter.

 

[gasman4u]

I like the charcoal filters as I drive through Houston monthly and like the help with smell killing. Beyond that I replace every 10k miles which for me is about 8 to 9 months. For the engine air filter I check it every 5K oil change and replace when it dirty or at 4th oil change 20K miles per filter.

I used to be a firm believer in changing my engine air filter every year. Then I got plugged in with some BITOG knowledge bombs that indicated most particulate engine wear and filter inefficiencies occur at the beginning of the engine air filter's life. As hard as it was, I'm going to likely go the 20-30k route from here on out as that should (hopefully) optimize the longevity of everything that's affected by this new choice.

 

[manofthewoods]

Mine (2018 LC) needs changing, and the dealer has obviously never touched it (which is a good thing -- after reading others', I keep that glove compartment locked whenever I take it in). I found a nice little straightforward video on how to change it I found about how to change it (), but on that video the guy said he uses EP Auto CP285 filters. I looked those up on Amazon -- they are indeed pretty inexpensive, about $8 each, but they've got activated carbon, and I have read that this can significantly reduce your mpg. What is y'all's opinion? I could get the Bosch 6055C instead, but they are HEPA and maybe this is also too restrictive for airflow? Or I could fork over $28.55 on ToyotaParts.com and get a genuine one that doesn't seem carbon activated. (Note: I do not want to get a reuseable / washable one -- those just seem to spark too many bitter controversies on LC forums, lol.) Okay, your thoughts here: Thanks!

You've got good info from above posts.
Teasing guys is fun, but goes too far, I'm guilty. Stuff like "check your muffler bearings."

In all seriousness...
Oil filters won't affect fuel economy. Even a air filter would have to be quite dirty to restrict airflow enough to drop MPG. This is because Toyota over spec'd everything, and designed the beast to handle everything from the arctic to the Sahara.

Happy new year to all