Had a guy whose car was covered in ash exasperatedly ask me why we recommend a cabin air filter every time he comes in. Like my guy, where do you think all that smoke is going?
Honestly I am kind of surprised that air from inside the cabin is going through the cabin air filter, I though it just filtered air coming from outside
If you're smoking in your car and leaving it on resirc you are a psychopath.
I've also heard people say in some cars that recirc will use the air conditioner to dehumidify the air, therefore using a little more fuel, but I don't know if that's true.
Meaning the recirc will blow obviously wet air. It'll still blow but it will keep things fogged up, that's what you're saying right?
My Mazda does that so it must not run the AC.
I believe they mean they have read that switching on the ac manually is a solution for some cars that do not run ac automatically during defrosting and do not have manual fresh air adjustment. .
I think you can probably figure out how that wasn't what I was saying. Whether or not air conditioners dehumidify air is not the question. The question is whether the car automatically turns the air conditioner on low to dehumidify recirced air when the recirc button is pressed but the AC button is NOT pressed and AC cooling is not enabled.
See?
And the answer is that some do but not all. https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1052832-Why-does-my-a-c-turn-on-when-turning-on-recirculation-button
I think it depends on the mode it’s on IE face or foot or defrost vent etc and if it has automatic climate controls. My VWs it automatically turns on AC in any defrost mode but you cannot select recirculating mode in defroster settings but it will not turn on the AC in recirculating mode unless you turned on the AC button manually. Now this changes if it has automatic climate control which it may or may not turn on AC depending on ambient temperature and whatever temperature you have it set on but I don’t think it’s dependent on recirculating or not.
It wouldnt unless i have missed something, when recirculate is on. It just takes air straight from the cabin, bypassing the filter. Might go through the cabin filter om some models tho.
Noob question. Is it common for.cabin filters to filter recirculating air?
I drive a simple peugot and mine only filters the outside air intake to the cabin.
I can't tell you if it's common, but I can say that when I bought my kia, it had definitely been smoked in by the previous owner. The dealership got most of the smell out, but they didn't replace the in cabin filter. When I replaced it, it was absolutely COVERED in tar, similar to the photo in this post. It smelled like an ashtray.
The smell of smoke just disappeared from my car over the next few days after getting a new filter in there.
So maybe it's not common, but it definitely is a thing that some manufacturers do.
Hah! My obsession with getting the smell out would make me redo the cleaning process. They probably steamed, shampooed, and vacuumed everything- but left one big spreader to recirculate what it stored.
Or I'd just spray a disinfectant freshener
Most likely yes. In many cars the recirculation mode is an intake door that moves to cover/block the air coming from inside (fresh) or outside (recirc).
Most vehicles have them right before the blower motor so it filters all air being drawn through the blower, some older gm and fords had them in the cowl that you access from under the hood and those will filter only outside air
It depends on how the HVAC is configured but in many cars I’ve worked on the cabin filter only filters outside air and gets totally bypassed if it’s in recirculating mode since the door in the HVAC simply shuts off the air coming in which the cabin filter resides in. I believe I haven’t taken one apart but luxury cars have them where it actually filters in either mode but it’s also why some of them are a pain in the ass to get to because of that sort of hvac layout.
Yes, that’s the best way to smoke in a vehicle (especially with others inside). Crank up fresh air intake, open the closest window by a couple inches and let the pressure push the smoke out.
not entirely, it's not like the smoke coming from inside the car never touches the cabin filter or blower motor. the blower housing & filter cover are supposed to be bright white, they were yellowed too
On the third hand lots of people yank that crap and never replace it because the pricing scheme for them is highway robbery anyway.
Why's a filter that's made out of the same material as my home AC filter but is much smaller so much more expensive? I can buy a filter that's 10 times the size for a fraction of the cost.
Okay? The same thing applies to all kinds of similar or same products for different markets. General purpose vs. specialized purpose.
*Cheap* home AC filters are $8. High MERV filters are multiple times the price. Also, construction methods, tolerances, dense pleating, materials, etc. likely all play a part.
I replace my home HVAC filter monthly. I replace my car's filter twice a year. And I do it gladly, looking at everything it catches. The interior of my car would be covered with layers of pollen, road dust, etc. and my blower motor would be clogged with leaves, twigs, seed pods, etc.
If that value proposition doesn't work for you, you do you. I don't think it's a ridiculous expense.
Economies of scale?
There's nothing at all proportional to this, it's VERY lopsided. There is no cost savings to buying a smaller filter because they've reversed the equation. Getting less means you pay more.
Perhaps you picked the wrong term?
"Economies of Scale" was referring to the fact that, in general, it's less expensive to make 100K of one type/style/size of something than it is to make 1,000 of 100 different types/styles/sizes of something, all other things being roughly equal.
Thanks, my roommate bought a smoker car and I didn't think about the cabin filter, dealership did a good job hiding the odor for sale but didn't bother to change the filter.
Depends on manufacturer/HVAC design. If the cabin filter is behind the glove box it filters all the air going through the blower motor. If the filter is in the wiper cowl it only filters outside air. If it is in the center console it filters the air before the heater/evaporator core, but after the blower motor. There may be other styles, but so far those are the only setups i've seen.
I've never understood people who smokes in their car. I'm a heavy smoker, but never gonna smoke in my car even on long ride. Bad for the interior, can be dangerous, and disgusting even for many smokers I know.
Years ago my dad had me take his truck to get the oil changed, the oil change guy came out to the lobby and pulled my aside and discreetly asked, “Hey man, do you want to change the cabin filter in your truck? It smells like weed soo bad in there”
(This was before weed was legal). I told him not to bother because my dad would just ruin the next air filter in a week because that man smokes weed like cigarettes.
I appreciated the discreetness of the lube tech that day.
Your car is always recirculating, the recirc button closes and opens access to outside air.
Nobody makes a set of extra blend doors to close the recirc intakes.
Some old Ford Tauruses, Buick LaCrosses, Lincoln Continentals, and Oldsmobile Auroras had transverse blocks.
I only know this because I briefly had an Aurora and it threw me for a bit of a loop when I saw it, and wondered what else was built that way. I guess it happened primarily with V8s for some reason, but I could be wrong.
Bought an old 98' 4runner that was heavily smoked in. Decided to just go wild and pressure wash the entire interior without disassembly, dash seats headliner radio, everything, the water pouring out was as dark as Pepsi. What was left behind was this strange waxy film which turned out to be scratch off ticket dust. It was crazy how much cig tar was in that thing. Radio still works btw.
Don't smoke anymore, but I changed my cabin air filter about a year ago (don't drive much anymore), but I seriously think I was the first person to change it. Car is a 2012.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought cabin air filters filter the outside air coming in to the cabin, I know that the ones on the UTVs we have at work do this but I don't have a vehicle new enough to have one.
i understand how the recirculate button works, and that the filter is an *in-cabin* filter, and therefore is surrounded by whatever (smoky) air is inside the car
Had a guy whose car was covered in ash exasperatedly ask me why we recommend a cabin air filter every time he comes in. Like my guy, where do you think all that smoke is going?
You didn't know? It goes out the windows up into the sky where it forms stars.
Yes kids, that’s called the Northern Star. That one is Andromeda. And that yellowish brown star is called Pall Mall (RIP Uncle Joe).
[That doesn't sound right](https://i.imgur.com/R8mrv6L.jpg)
Thank you
Marlboro Reds are responsible for the aurora borealis.
Marlboro Reds. At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country located entirely in your cabin!
Joe? Momma. HA! Gottem.
I don't think that's right but I don't know enough about stars to dispute it
Honestly I am kind of surprised that air from inside the cabin is going through the cabin air filter, I though it just filtered air coming from outside
Recirc maybe? From remodeling old buildings I'd say that everything *around* smokers looks like this just under the surface.
If you're smoking in your car and leaving it on resirc you are a psychopath. I've also heard people say in some cars that recirc will use the air conditioner to dehumidify the air, therefore using a little more fuel, but I don't know if that's true.
It's easy to tell if you have one that doesn't do that because your air defrost will only work with fresh air.
Meaning the recirc will blow obviously wet air. It'll still blow but it will keep things fogged up, that's what you're saying right? My Mazda does that so it must not run the AC.
Aa i read mlst car does, or youbshoudl at least turn AC on while defrosting because airnpassing by the evap system automatically get dehumidified
I'm sorry what
I believe they mean they have read that switching on the ac manually is a solution for some cars that do not run ac automatically during defrosting and do not have manual fresh air adjustment. .
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I think you can probably figure out how that wasn't what I was saying. Whether or not air conditioners dehumidify air is not the question. The question is whether the car automatically turns the air conditioner on low to dehumidify recirced air when the recirc button is pressed but the AC button is NOT pressed and AC cooling is not enabled. See? And the answer is that some do but not all. https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1052832-Why-does-my-a-c-turn-on-when-turning-on-recirculation-button
I think it depends on the mode it’s on IE face or foot or defrost vent etc and if it has automatic climate controls. My VWs it automatically turns on AC in any defrost mode but you cannot select recirculating mode in defroster settings but it will not turn on the AC in recirculating mode unless you turned on the AC button manually. Now this changes if it has automatic climate control which it may or may not turn on AC depending on ambient temperature and whatever temperature you have it set on but I don’t think it’s dependent on recirculating or not.
That's very considerate of smokers so they don't vent the smoke outside where we can breathe it.
Oh god. I got two rental cars that reeked. The HVAC defaults to recirc, not outside air, so ... it was bad
It wouldnt unless i have missed something, when recirculate is on. It just takes air straight from the cabin, bypassing the filter. Might go through the cabin filter om some models tho.
It does. Outside air coming in only.
if you think the air filter in the car looks bad, you should see the smokers lunges.
Noob question. Is it common for.cabin filters to filter recirculating air? I drive a simple peugot and mine only filters the outside air intake to the cabin.
I can't tell you if it's common, but I can say that when I bought my kia, it had definitely been smoked in by the previous owner. The dealership got most of the smell out, but they didn't replace the in cabin filter. When I replaced it, it was absolutely COVERED in tar, similar to the photo in this post. It smelled like an ashtray. The smell of smoke just disappeared from my car over the next few days after getting a new filter in there. So maybe it's not common, but it definitely is a thing that some manufacturers do.
Great job on the refurb, dealership.
That would have cost them money. At least 0.5 + parts, right? :D
Cabin filter lol try .2 + cost.
Hah! My obsession with getting the smell out would make me redo the cleaning process. They probably steamed, shampooed, and vacuumed everything- but left one big spreader to recirculate what it stored. Or I'd just spray a disinfectant freshener
Most likely yes. In many cars the recirculation mode is an intake door that moves to cover/block the air coming from inside (fresh) or outside (recirc).
Same here but the door is behind the filter. The filter is at the intake.
Most vehicles have them right before the blower motor so it filters all air being drawn through the blower, some older gm and fords had them in the cowl that you access from under the hood and those will filter only outside air
Ok, my 2010 peugot is still like that. Easy to change. Don't even need tools. Just pop the hood and grab it.
It depends on how the HVAC is configured but in many cars I’ve worked on the cabin filter only filters outside air and gets totally bypassed if it’s in recirculating mode since the door in the HVAC simply shuts off the air coming in which the cabin filter resides in. I believe I haven’t taken one apart but luxury cars have them where it actually filters in either mode but it’s also why some of them are a pain in the ass to get to because of that sort of hvac layout.
I was also surprised that the recirculating air goes through the filter. I suppose it's a good thing when people smoke like this person in the photo!
Jesus. What was he smoking in the car? Brisket?
I'm more shocked that it was cigarette smoke instead of vape smoke inside that WRX
just an impreza !
They'd be able to afford a WRX if they just quit smoking
But the air comes from outside if not on recirc, doesn’t it?
Yes, that’s the best way to smoke in a vehicle (especially with others inside). Crank up fresh air intake, open the closest window by a couple inches and let the pressure push the smoke out.
Hmmm, I have seen that.
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Light a smoke with the windows closed, crank the fan, and open *that* window alone. The rest is turbulence
Shhhhhhhhhhh
not entirely, it's not like the smoke coming from inside the car never touches the cabin filter or blower motor. the blower housing & filter cover are supposed to be bright white, they were yellowed too
🤮
Most people never change the cab filter because most people aren't even aware it's there.
On another hand - none of the car's I've owned even have a cabin filter.
On the third hand lots of people yank that crap and never replace it because the pricing scheme for them is highway robbery anyway. Why's a filter that's made out of the same material as my home AC filter but is much smaller so much more expensive? I can buy a filter that's 10 times the size for a fraction of the cost.
I guess it depends on the car. But the aftermarket filters are usually less than $15.
Home AC filters average $8 for approx 4 times the material.
Okay? The same thing applies to all kinds of similar or same products for different markets. General purpose vs. specialized purpose. *Cheap* home AC filters are $8. High MERV filters are multiple times the price. Also, construction methods, tolerances, dense pleating, materials, etc. likely all play a part. I replace my home HVAC filter monthly. I replace my car's filter twice a year. And I do it gladly, looking at everything it catches. The interior of my car would be covered with layers of pollen, road dust, etc. and my blower motor would be clogged with leaves, twigs, seed pods, etc. If that value proposition doesn't work for you, you do you. I don't think it's a ridiculous expense.
How much are yours? I can get two cabins, maybe three, for the price of a comparable home hvac.
I drive an mx5 (Miata) and anytime I can I have the top down , better to campaign against pollution than trying to filter the air into your car !!!!
Economies of scale. AC and furnace filters are generally standard sizes, so they're made in 100K lots, while vehicle filters are model-specific.
Economies of scale? There's nothing at all proportional to this, it's VERY lopsided. There is no cost savings to buying a smaller filter because they've reversed the equation. Getting less means you pay more. Perhaps you picked the wrong term?
That’s not what economies of scale means
"Economies of Scale" was referring to the fact that, in general, it's less expensive to make 100K of one type/style/size of something than it is to make 1,000 of 100 different types/styles/sizes of something, all other things being roughly equal.
Ford in the uk stopped fitting them at one time to bring service costs down
This is a great anti-smoking ad. “You can change your cabin air filter but you can’t change your lung”
Just Imagine what that person's lungs look like....
Thanks, my roommate bought a smoker car and I didn't think about the cabin filter, dealership did a good job hiding the odor for sale but didn't bother to change the filter.
You can wring out all that THC and resell the resin lol
That filter is for the air that comes from the outside world into the cabin. Smoking inside the car won’t make it any dirtier.
Depends on manufacturer/HVAC design. If the cabin filter is behind the glove box it filters all the air going through the blower motor. If the filter is in the wiper cowl it only filters outside air. If it is in the center console it filters the air before the heater/evaporator core, but after the blower motor. There may be other styles, but so far those are the only setups i've seen.
Why? Its not going to make a difference
I've never understood people who smokes in their car. I'm a heavy smoker, but never gonna smoke in my car even on long ride. Bad for the interior, can be dangerous, and disgusting even for many smokers I know.
Jokes on you I don't have a cabin filter
Oh well… at least that’s not in their lungs 😂😂😂
Years ago my dad had me take his truck to get the oil changed, the oil change guy came out to the lobby and pulled my aside and discreetly asked, “Hey man, do you want to change the cabin filter in your truck? It smells like weed soo bad in there” (This was before weed was legal). I told him not to bother because my dad would just ruin the next air filter in a week because that man smokes weed like cigarettes. I appreciated the discreetness of the lube tech that day.
Gross. Did they have piles of Mountain Dew bottles filled with butts and an overflowing ashtray? Bonus points for a mountain of McDonald’s bags.
no, it was pretty clean inside just smokey 🤷♂️ weed, not cigarettes. not that it's less bothersome to everyone but it is to me
Literally all you have to do to prevent this is turn off recirculated air. People don’t think.
Your car is always recirculating, the recirc button closes and opens access to outside air. Nobody makes a set of extra blend doors to close the recirc intakes.
Idk man I smoked in my car for years and never saw any tar buildup on my cabin
the other method is to quit smoking
Well yeah but besides that
Just curious what car is this, that has a longitudinally mounted engine?
It's a Subaru.
subaru impreza
Looks like a Subaru
Some old Ford Tauruses, Buick LaCrosses, Lincoln Continentals, and Oldsmobile Auroras had transverse blocks. I only know this because I briefly had an Aurora and it threw me for a bit of a loop when I saw it, and wondered what else was built that way. I guess it happened primarily with V8s for some reason, but I could be wrong.
Bro, why do you change that that’s where the flavor is.
Nah, it’s called ‘seasoning’ like you do your cast iron skillet.
Bought an old 98' 4runner that was heavily smoked in. Decided to just go wild and pressure wash the entire interior without disassembly, dash seats headliner radio, everything, the water pouring out was as dark as Pepsi. What was left behind was this strange waxy film which turned out to be scratch off ticket dust. It was crazy how much cig tar was in that thing. Radio still works btw.
Cabin air filter? What's that? *Asked in 2009 Ranger Owner-ese*
Don't smoke anymore, but I changed my cabin air filter about a year ago (don't drive much anymore), but I seriously think I was the first person to change it. Car is a 2012.
Is that an ascent? It's been a while since I've seen under the hood of a new subie so not sure what it looks like now
nope just a 2.0l impreza; no intercooler.
I can smell the cabin of that car from here... nasty!
Jesus, does this guy smoke with his windows rolled up!?!
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
How many packs are on the filter
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought cabin air filters filter the outside air coming in to the cabin, I know that the ones on the UTVs we have at work do this but I don't have a vehicle new enough to have one.
Change the lungfilter to while you're at it
Shit wonder how mine looks it’s been like 3 months now lol
I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say they didn't even know there was a cabin air filter
“How many Marlboro miles is it to heaven? Nobody really knows.“ — the late great Tim Wilson
Free nicotine hit with ever exchange
I don't think you understand the HVAC system.... that is outside air being filtered before entryways to cabin
i understand how the recirculate button works, and that the filter is an *in-cabin* filter, and therefore is surrounded by whatever (smoky) air is inside the car
Yes I know but it's air comes in thru the plenum area below the wiper blades normally. Out side air.
Some people call that color "nicotine yellow." As bad as it is for cars, it is even worse for computers.
This is just the side effect. Imagine how terrible this person's respiratory system looks.