Cabin air filtration filters

Yep, and I was amazed at the amount of crud, leaves, dirt, etc the thing caught.

The replacement filter was a cheap paper/fiber filter...hardly looked worth the $30 cost. The original filter (in my case) was a plastic edged/plastic mesh & fiber design. Much more sturdy looking. I rinsed it under light water flow (against air flow direction) & it looks fine for re-use...it will go back in the next time filter "replacement" is due.

Brent.

For the change interval, don't forget that it's not just miles like the manual states - it's how often you use the fan in the car - if you rarely use it, then it will last much longer. I am taking the once a year approach to replacement (I always use the fan, rather than open windows, to keep dust/pollen down in the car (but I am in the desert, so there is quite a bit of crap in the air) - when I changed mine at one year, it was pretty gross looking - some leaves, etc., but mostly black dirt - ideally, you want to change it when the output side is starting to get dark in color (once you get past that, you are blowing crud through the filter, which defeats it's purpose) - $30, once a year, doesn't bug me too much - even so, I kept my last filter and will try to fabricate something using a furnace filter (maybe a 3M filtrete filter) next time...

depending on the car, changing them is pretty easy - in the Impreza, you remove the glovebox (7 or 8 screws) and it's right there - might take 10 minutes if you take your time and go slow.

Someone on the net was working on a kit or instructions for making your own.

Purolater makes filters for some vehicles - they may not have caught up with recent Subarus though.

Carl

brentlz wrote:

I bought a '04 Forester XT without the cabin filter. Can the filter be added from a dealer as a option or does it have to come with the car from the factory?

Thanks '04 Java Black Forester XT

The filter can be added at any time, by the dealer or by you. When you remove the glovebox, the heater duct has a removable section that clips on. Removing this allows the filters to be installed. The filters cost ~$30, so find out what your dealer charges to install...and let us know! Brian

Any idea if there is one on a MY97 Impreza?