Question for you car guys

[crappieperchhunter]

I bought a 2013 Hyundai Sante Fe in March of 2013. In the 30 months I have owned the car they have told me 3 TIMES my cabin filter is dirty and is due to be replaced. Today when I went in for my free oil change they even brought the dirty filter out to me in the waiting room and with everyone there looking on mentioned how bad it was and strongly suggested having it changed. I declined as I really don't see it as an important thing just a money grab. In the 30+ years I have been driving this is the only vehicle I have owned that they have even mentioned a cabin filter to me. Before this I didn't know such a thing existed.

 

My understanding of it's function is to provide cleaner air for the interior of the car. My view is rolling down a window does the same thing. Can anyone with knowledge give me some insight on this. Is it a necessary filter or is it a $90 cash grab.

Edited September 22, 2015 by crappieperchhunter

[Raf]

13.49 on ebay, replace it yourself.

[DanD]

A cabin air filter does help with people that have allergies; it will filter out most of the pollen.

Yes 10 or so years ago there were no such a thing as this filter; unless it was a very high end vehicle.

What I'm seeing with these filters, is that the AC evaporator external fins are not becoming plugged up with crud; the filter is catching it.

So to answer no it's not a money grab; but it's also not necessary to be there. If you wanted too, take it out and throw it away; just don't leave a dirty or plugged up one in there. It'll turn itself into a compost box and stink like somebodies business, once the dead flies and leaves start to rot.

 

Dan.

 

[SmokestackLightnin]

Years ago fans were made of metal and there was not a lot of controlling devices in a vehicle HVAC system. Today, fans are plastic (housing and blades) as well as several fittings and bearings for air blending doors. A cabin are filter is not a needed item, but it's nice to have to filter the air and protect components from contaminants. $90 seems steep, as mentioned above, there are other options to having it replaced. Your Owner's Manual should tell how to do it yourself, typically by unclipping the top runner on the glove box.

[adempsey]

That exact thing happened to me a couple weeks ago. I went to my Mazda dealership for just an oil change, which is reasonably priced IMO, and they took it upon themselves to bring my air cabin filter into the waiting room to show me how horrible it was. I said "no, it's fine". They did the same thing to another customer that was waiting, but she bit. I was pissed off that they wanted to charge me $60 for a $10 filter. I never gave them permission to even touch anything else in my car. Even worse, they obviously already did the labor and took the damn thing out and want to charge a ridiculous fee for putting in a new one? I decided to do it myself, which I have yet to do, lol. So, timely post =)

 

I love it when they show you your brake pads too.

 

I will never go back there again. They also dented my door the last time I was there to switch out my winter tires.

 

Luckily I have two good local mechanics that I've used and will just go back to them.

 

Is eBay better than going to APC or NAPA etc???

Edited September 22, 2015 by adempsey

[Lape0019]

I change mine myself every year or so. You can pick them up for around $20 at Canadian tire and it takes seconds to do.

[jimmer]

An air filter and cabin filter are two different things, but both easy to change yourself. The repair shops are trying to make some money off of you, no surprise there.

[BillM]

I buy bulk packs of everything (oil filters, cabin filters, air filters).. Stick with decent name brands (ie not Fram, lol)... Mahle, Wix, etc.

[porkpie]

Cash grab. No dealer has ever touched anything other than an oil filter on any of my vehicles , and when they are off warranty then I do the oil filters as well. Any filter can be purchased at CT or online for peanuts compared to the dealership. Same with windshield wipers, go to costco. The whole waiting room thing is just to try and shame you into agreeing to the $90 filter in front of other people, god knows you wouldn't want a dirty cabin filter.

[huzzsaba]

You will have to replace it eventually especially since we use AC in the summer,sooner or later you will start to smell the stink from the moisture when you turn on the blower fan after running the AC. Get the charcoal activated filter if you can. Not much of a price difference from the regular and worth it to get rid of allergens and smell in the air.

[FrankTheRabbit]

Cash grab or not, people need to make a money and have a family to feed and a mortgage to pay. It's no different than eating at a steakhouse and paying $40 for striploin, when you can pick it up yourself and toss it on the BBQ for $14. And do you want to know what the markups for wine/alcohol/drinks are in restaurants?

 

On the flipside, how much is YOUR time worth?

Edited September 22, 2015 by FrankTheRabbit

[porkpie]

I'm the sole support in our household with 3 children. My time is pretty valuable, but I gave up paying for frills a long time ago. Skipping the frills and doing the simple jobs that people try to charge me an arm and a leg for has put a lot of cash towards something I'd rather pay for. For example recreational programs for my kids, or you know, fishing!

[misfish]

 

On the flipside, how much is YOUR time worth?

 

This statemant caught me Steve.

 

I priced out doing my own oil change. Filter, oil was like $45. Plus my time to do it. Plus the disgarding of the filter and oil. I pay $54 at the dealership to have it all done and just drive away in 20 minutes.Plus, I get to talk to the young fella doing it and learn about things that are going on with the new trucks. Yes, they let me stand there and watch them do the change. Also, I dont have the place or the new tools to do the job on these new models.

 

Now for your cabin filter question. Do it yourself, it,s not a hard thing to do. $90 is a bit steep for me to swallow as well, but if you dont want to change it yourself, then you got to pay.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Brian B

[porkpie]

For sure Brian, sometimes it's worth it to pay, but I run all synthetic in my off warranty vehicles, and by the time I pay a dealership to do that, I can do it for half the money at home.

[ecmilley]

Pretty simple rule if your air filter is dirty then your cabin filter is dirty.

Go ahead do it yourself not hard, never understood why people get all up in a huff when simple jobs are charged out. My time is worth something and if other mechanics wanna give the milk away for free let em

[Bernie]

It's an easy way for the guy doing your service to make a couple of bucks.

They are pretty much giving you free labor to do the oil change in the hopes of making it up on some other items.

Any filters I have seen in the HVAC are mounted before the evaporater core so they don't normally get wet.

And it usually takes a long time in normal driving areas to plug them up. I find that many places want to change them far too early.

[FrankTheRabbit]

I just wanted to bring to light to the fact that people want to be paid for what their worth and what they've spent time to be trained to do what they do. Too many people scoff at paying, what they feel, are ripoff prices. If you feel it's too much to pay for a service, it's certainly more than within your right to decline and shop with your money elsewhere. But to criticize the price and then say, "I can do it for a whole lot cheaper!", may indeed be fact, but it's just not being respectful to that person and their trained profession. It's not like they got their certification through some online course.

 

Imagine if your employer/boss said to you, "You know what? I could just hire some Joe Shmoe in a 3rd World country to type out the reports that you do, for a fraction of what you cost. You know what...don't think I will pay you your wages because I think you're ripping me off."

 

Some food for thought.

 

And no, I'm not an auto mechanic, but have dealt with people who feel that they should be paying less for the services that one offers.

Edited September 23, 2015 by FrankTheRabbit

[Smokercrafty]

Good topic as I've also been hearing this "cabin filter" grab. I had a friend call me and tell me that the dealer wanted to change her cabin air filter every oil change she went in for. Asked me if this was right. Two sides to this whole situation..... I'm a truck technician myself, and do a lot of AC repairs at my job. For the truckers who run solely highway miles (long haul), it can be compared to a cars cabin filter, in that, you probably won't find it too dirty on an annual check, BUT, the vocational guys (dump trucks, construction based work), I've seen guys come in, with almost zero air flow through their vents, complaining how their AC isn't working. Well, after a quick look, their cabin filters may have well been a piece of plywood. They become so plugged with the AC moisture, and constant dust from job sites. A new filter, and presto, ice cold AC once again.

So, all in all, it really depends on the conditions you've been driving in. If you're a construction site super, using your own vehicle and frequenting these areas, yes, you'll probably need a filter more often than your buddy working downtown Bay and Bloor. Normal city driving habits, once a year should do ya.

What I try and do myself, is if I'm going through dusty conditions, I'll throw my HVAC system on recirc air until I'm clear of that area. A tip for you smokers, DONT smoke with your car in recirc mode!!!! Or better yet, DONT SMOKE!!!! lol.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Smokercrafty

[huzzsaba]

For sure Brian, sometimes it's worth it to pay, but I run all synthetic in my off warranty vehicles, and by the time I pay a dealership to do that, I can do it for half the money at home.

+1

[DanD]

I keep hearing dealership for oil changes, while the vehicle is still under warrantee?

Have so many people been told that they'll void their warrantee, if it's not done by a dealership and OEM filters/parts?

If so then you have been lied too; anything that is "customer pay" can be done anywhere you want.

As long as you have proper documentation that the parts are SAE approved (the part number will tell them that) and the vehicle was serviced at the proper intervals; you've more then safe having the work done elsewhere or by yourself.

The manufacturer cannot void the warrantee, if the servicing has been done properly.

 

Dan.

 

Here's a copy & paste after a short google search.

 

Can an aftermarket part void my car warranty? Understanding your service options and warranty protections

Last updated: June 09, 2014 03:30 PM

Car owners seeking to save money on maintenance costs may turn to independent mechanics and aftermarket parts as an alternative to typically pricier dealership service and factory parts. But the rules governing how these money-saving strategies may affect warranties can be confusing.

Of course, all new cars come with a limited factory warranty. The specifics vary from company to company, but warranties are governed by law requiring full disclosure to the consumer of coverage and duration. Typically, there is a bumper-to-bumper warranty that provides three years or more of coverage, augmented by a long-duration powertrain warranty and/or corrosion warranty. The purpose of warranties is to ensure consumers that the product performs as promised, with the manufacturer taking responsibility for problems during a predetermined period.

Included in the protections for reasonable use in the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is the right for consumers to have the vehicle serviced at a business of their choice and the option to use aftermarket parts, meaning potentially money-saving alternatives to those that came on the car, while retaining the original warranty. The automaker is not allowed to void a warranty just because a nonfactory part is used.

Where things can get sticky is when the work or parts are associated with a problem are deemed by a dealership as not performing correctly or are otherwise defective. You have the right to seek alternatives to the dealer for repairs or parts, but remember that good work and good parts are key to a good ownership experience.

Should something go wrong, the warranty provider will need to determine the cause of the problem. The Federal Trade Commission says, “The manufacturer or dealer must show that the aftermarket or recycled part caused the need for repairs before denying warranty coverage.” That means if the dealer can prove (the burden is on the dealer) the problem was caused by the wrong viscosity or a poor quality oil filter, your warranty can be denied. Warranty protection would still be in effect for other parts of the cars.

 

 

 

[ckewley]

I'm not saying you will ever run into this but I've seen it first hand. It has been a while since I was in that business but if I recall Cabin filters on most cars are scheduled to be replaced every 15,000km (to 40,000km) and can range from a 5 min fix to over 1.5 hrs (some older BMW's) BUT if your car is still under warranty you better have proof that you've been following their "recommended maintenance schedule" as it can give them some ammo to fight you on warranty issues. I've seen this with BMW, Mini, Ford, Toyota (notorious) .

DanD just added his reply as I was typing this out, stated better than my blurb

[Raf]

They can't deny a warranty claim for a blown transmission because you didn't change the cabin filter as per the maintenance schedule.... can they?

[crappieperchhunter]

Well I just got the owner's manual out and located the filter and removed it in under 1 minute. I'm going to get a filter and keep it in the house so I have a new filter to throw in the car whenever it goes to the dealership or whenever the one in there starts to stink.

 

I just hate the games the dealership plays. Buy a new car from them and they offer 5 years of free oil changes. GREAT. Then every time you take it in for your FREE oil change they are ALWAYS pointing out things while they are doing the oil change. When I phone to book my appointment I specifically ask is there any other service pending. If they say "yes" I get it done. If they say "no" I expect to only have the oil changed and not have them poking around the car looking for something else to charge me for.

[BillM]

They can't deny a warranty claim for a blown transmission because you didn't change the cabin filter as per the maintenance schedule.... can they?

 

No, it needs to be related to the issue. I'd laugh in the service advisers face if I was ever told that when in for warranty work.

[DanD]

A paragraph from the the paste in my last post.

 

Dan.

 

Should something go wrong, the warranty provider will need to determine the cause of the problem. The Federal Trade Commission says, “The manufacturer or dealer must show that the aftermarket or recycled part caused the need for repairs before denying warranty coverage.” That means if the dealer can prove (the burden is on the dealer) the problem was caused by the wrong viscosity or a poor quality oil filter, your warranty can be denied. Warranty protection would still be in effect for other parts of the cars.